In the northern part of Vietnam there is the Sapa district, one of the most enchanting areas of the country for its naturalistic and tribal richness. Here you can meet the largest number of ethnic groups in Vietnam including H’mong, Dao, Tay, Giay, Muong, Thai, Hoa and Xa Pho. However, the combined last four groups do not reach 500 people.
We left from Hanoi on a night train: the journey began. I still remember that we were in a compartment for six people; Ale and I had the lower berths under which we stored our backpacks. If anyone had come up with the crazy idea of stealing them, they would have had to lift us up before being able to pull them! Lulled by the train and the serenity of this thought, we slipped into our bunks, ear plugs on, masks covering our eyes and… good night! I remember our awakening as if it were today. I opened my eyes and… all the other passengers were staring at us as if they had seen some aliens. Actually, for the way we went to sleep, they will surely have taken us for “very original” people. Trains always reserve nice surprises! Once we also met a traveler hugging his hen. So, who’s the weird one now?
We arrived at Lao Cai early in the morning. Cars and buses always leave the station and reach Sapa valley in an hour.
Once we arrived, we saw a splendid view before us: hills covered with bamboo, terraced rice fields and women in their traditional clothes walking through the countryside studded with small villages.
In Sapa there is the possibility to organize trekking that allow you to explore the countryside and visit the villages of some ethnic groups. We wanted to organize it on our own, but we had some difficulty. In order to preserve the business of local agencies, the security guard at the entrance of the valley claimed that access was allowed only to those who were accompanied by the staff (which at the time was absolutely not true). So, while Ale and the guard were on the verge of battling, I tried to arbitrate and mediate by playing the “we come from Italy, we came here specially to visit this wonderful place, please…” pity card: it worked.
Besides this route, which was interesting but at the same time very crowded with tourists, we suggest to rent a motorbike to explore the area, and let the instinct guide you. We rented the bike from a guy who, while chatting with his friends, asked us if we were interested in renting his. We did not have to be told twice.
After the tour you should definitely enjoy lunch at the covered market where you have the opportunity to talk to locals.
