Sapa is a mountain town near the border with China that is home to several ethnic minority tribes in Vietnam. Most of the residents come from one of five tribes, which can be identified by beautiful handmade traditional clothing. The town is of French colonial origin, formerly a garrison, and distinctly contrasts with the basic villages in the adjacent valley. Trekking in the region offers a window into traditional life in this rice-growing community.
After a fellow traveler described Sapa as the highlight of her Vietnam trip, we knew we couldn’t miss it. We ended up really enjoying our self-guided two day tour of the valley.
Map of our two day trek in Sapa
Day 1 – Hiking from Sapa to Ta Van
Feeling surprisingly well rested after getting off of the sleeper bus from Hanoi, we grabbed a quick breakfast of pho and ginger tea before setting off into the fog. We opted to explore Sapa on our own rather than take a popular guided trek. After we escaped the main part of town and declined dozens of offers to “follow us,” or to guide us, we felt glad about our decision. We encountered very few tourists since we started hiking early, and although we had limited views of the famous terraced rice fields due to dense clouds on our descent into the valley, this gave us a chance to appreciate the details of village life that we might have otherwise zoomed past.
After we descended below the fog layer, the view opened up, and we could appreciate how significantly the landscape has been terraced to cultivate rice. Chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, cats, children, and pigs shared our path, wandering freely from house to house. The villagers were busy – we saw some men moving and installing big telephone poles, women were creating handicrafts, operating market stalls, and preparing local dishes on the street.
We arrived at our homestay in time for a delicious lunch of fried noodles and enjoyed the mysterious view of the foggy rice fields from our room. The owner and his wife are our age, and he spoke about the beauty and challenges of growing up in a remote farming village while their daughter played with plastic zoo animals nearby. For dinner we enjoyed specially prepared vegetarian dishes with rice while overlooking the fields in which it was grown.
Day 2 – Hiking back to Sapa
The following morning brought hope in the form of a tiny patch of blue sky, and we set off in a new direction to hike the long way back to Sapa town. This day our walk was almost entirely uphill. For hours we walked among the fields and passed tiny villages, earning us grins and confused looks from the locals – likely because few foreigners venture here alone, or perhaps they just thought we were crazy for walking through the mud in misty weather with smiles on our faces.
Finally, dripping with sweat, we broke through the upper cloud layer as the road flattened out, and we found a spot to stop for a simple lunch of fried rice.
After lunch, the clouds cleared a bit more, and we felt so lucky to see the breathtaking landscape. A sea of fog covered the valley, and mountains surrounded us. We started our trek back towards the town.
Sapa town felt like a big city when we returned, and I was reminded of the goods and bads of an influx of tourism. Obviously tourists are bringing a lot of money to a poor farming village, which has resulted in an improved quality of life for many locals. A heartbreaking consequence of tourism in Sapa was the hundreds of little girls as young as three years old roaming about desperately selling handicrafts at seemingly all hours of the day and night. The best way to help the local children is to buy from stores which support community education, rather than reinforcing the idea that the girls are more valuable to their families selling goods on the streets.
Eager to try some of the local foods, we ate mushroom kebabs and sticky rice in a bamboo tube as appetizers, sitting with locals on the tiny plastic stools one sees everywhere in Vietnam. Then, we continued our food tour, making our way to a delicious vegetarian restaurant where we ate mushrooms wrapped in betel leaf and fried spring rolls (Alan is addicted). With the amazing apple wine from Cat Ba Island still in my mind, I was excited to try the local cat apple wine. Fortunately we decided to share a glass, because with the burn of the first sip still lingering, it was obvious that “wine” was a poor translation. The “wine” reminded us distinctly of whiskey!
Sapa and the surrounding villages and landscape are beautiful, and we will never forget the views as the clouds cleared in the valley, or the warm smiles of the local people. Our visit also served as a strong reminder of the responsibility we have as travelers. By making informed purchasing decisions, we have the power to support groups working to improve their communities. A few examples we have encountered include buying souveneirs from a fair trade shop, seeing animals in their natural habitats instead of cages, and supporting businesses that help locals gain skills to open their own restaurants/homestays. This region of Vietnam is so beautiful, both in landscape and culture, and we hope it stays that way long into the future.
Love love love!
Everything you wrote about tourism is ringing so true for me, especially after our trip through Mexico and Guatemala. In San Cristobal and in some cities around Lago de Atitlan, children are on the street late into the night selling crafts and textiles to tourists or asking for change. A local guide told us it’s best to shop at the fair trade stores and buy the children food rather than give money. It’s been bizarre and a little disheartening seeing the dichotomous impact that tourism (and my role as a traveller) has in places around the world.