I feel I am getting so cultured through this trip, and being in Sapa is no less if not even more of a cultural immersion. I enjoy the opportunities I get to talk to locals and its a bonus when they are able to communicate in English as that makes it easier for me to further my understanding and comprehension of their stories, backgrounds and lifestyle.

Taking the overnight train from central Hanoi (~9 hours) to Lao Cai and then transferring for an hour van ride to Sapa wasn't bad at all. Maybe I'm use to long commutes now, but it was a pretty smooth ride and another first to add to my list as I've never been on a sleeper train before. Either Vietnamese people are much more organized or this tour is worth its price because I felt way more on the same page than compared to my Indonesian train wreck of a tour. Our early morning arrival followed with breakfast and a time to freshen up (though you can't check in yet, the hotel (Sapa Summit Hotel) is smart to offer shower rooms for guests to use).

Our wonderful tour guide & I
At 10am, we started our 4km trek towards Cat Cat, Sin Chai Village where we saw the people of the Black H'mong Tribe weave and embroider clothes to be sold. It was so awesome to see them still use traditional weaving machine to weave hemp yarn into fabric, dye the lot of fabric by hand in indigo, and then sew them into various products (I am a textile student you know!). Fun fact of the day: marijuana is legal here and grown commonly here, though not for drugs, for clothes-it was so bizarre to us tourists how much "illegal" drugs were upon this beautiful land.


There are a total of six main tribes in Sapa and three main religions: Shaman is the main one (traditional beliefs) followed by Catholicism and to my surprise, Christianity as foreign missionaries have come here to evangelize and reach out to these people groups. I was also quite surprise that females typically get married by twenty if not younger and our tour guide (a female from the Black H'mong Tribe) shocked me when she said she had a 9 month old daughter at home as she was only twenty and looked too young to be a mom! Another difference from the western world is that usually the wives/moms work by giving English speaking trekking tours (they are educated up to highschool where they become fluent in English and Vietnamese) and make most of the handicraft to sell while the dads/husbands stay home to watch the kids or look after the animals they farm and usual village chores so to speak.
Amazing hand carved craftwork!

Some things I didn't know was that these tribes learn Vietnamese because though Sapa is in Vietnam, these tribes technically have Chinese roots and have ancestors from China. From the sharing of one kind lady, she said due to the war over 200 years ago, her ancestors fled China and settled in Sapa, which is not far from the Chinese border at all. Though, she said they don't really consider themselves Chinese anymore as their culture, way of life, and traditions have changed over time and as a tribe, they are so different from what others may define as Chinese.

In terms of Sapa, the view is gorgeous! I hear people often say they would love to wake up to an ocean view, but I wouldn't mind waking up to the sight of these vibrant green pastures and highlands each day. I did come here thinking the tiered cuttings of the plantations and greens on these mountains were natural, but farmers actually dug them to be this way and maintained it over the years as it is easier for them to farm and trek up and down than on a completely steep hill. I just cant imagine how much work it must've took to dig such perfect looking strips of land when seen from afar. Its a beautiful work of art in its entirety and the fresh scent of air after rain and elevated atmosphere is like walking on clouds for the eyes.
Sapa is cooler as it is in Northern Vietnam and higher elevated, but as it is a small 'town' they also don't have as much resources to keep places as warm as it is in bigger cities. Though, North Face and other outdoor sportswear brand are commonly sighted and sold, but the authenticity of these products is questionable. I highly recommend renting (can be done at your hotel or bought easily) rain boots and ponchos as rain makes the paths wet, slippery and muddy while having a poncho will keep you dry.
Lake Reflection in town of Sapa
I can't wait for day two of Sapa already so I can learn more! There is such beauty in the people, land, and conversations!