Travel

Ethnic Minorities Edit

Rice field in Sapa

Many ethnic minorities live in and around Sapa. Excluding the Kinh people or ethnic Vietnamese, eight different ethnic minority groups are found in Sapa; H'mong (pronounced Mong), Dao (pronounced Yao), Tay, Giay (pronounced Zai), Muong, Thai, Hoa (ethnic Chinese) and Xa Pho (a denomination of the Phu La minority group). However, the last four groups comprise less than 500 people in total. The population of the district is estimated at 31,652 (1993) of which 52% are H'mong, 25% are Dao, 15% are Kinh, 5% are Tay and 2% are Giay. Around 3,300 people live in Sapa town, the remainder are peasant farmers distributed unevenly throughout the district.

Many older women in particular make items such as ethnic-style clothes and blankets, to sell to tourists. Striking up a conversation with them can be very rewarding and their spoken English is impressive. Sadly, however, doing this in Sapa town itself will sometimes lead to a scrum as a multitude of vendors taste a potential sale.

Children from these ethnic minorities often begin to support their families financially through selling trinkets to tourists. Do not encourage this by buying from children - Buy from adults. They peddle small metal or silver trinkets, embroidered pillow cases and friendship bands in the main town, and often walk for several hours from their surrounding villages to reach the town. At the end of the day, some take a motorbike ride back to their village, some walk home and some sleep in the market.

Children have poor or non-existent dental hygiene. As the signs around town say, do not give them candy or sweets - it hurts their teeth badly. If you want to give them something, safe toys from your home are highly regarded.

There are schools in Sapa's villages. Most of them lack essential learning tools like books, pens or pencils. Give those to the teachers - reducing your loading weight in return!

Girls and boys get married young (around 15-18) and often have two children by the time they are 20 years old. Poverty has led to a great number of girls leaving their villages each day to go selling in Sapa town.

Weather Edit

The Sapa map billboard states proudly of its weather : Four seasons in one day. Chilly winter in the early morning, spring time after sunrise, summer in afternoon and cold winter at night.

In winter (the 4 months between November and February), the weather in Sapa is invariably cold, wet and foggy (temperatures can drop to freezing and there was snow in 2011). Travellers have rolled into town on a glorious clear day and proceed to spend a week trapped in impenetrable fog. When it is like this there really isn't very much to do. Also the rice paddys are brown empty (they are planted in spring), the paths very muddy slippery the glorious vistas of summer are completely hidden in the mist. If you choose to visit in winter, bring along warm clothes or prepare to be cold and miserable, as many hotels do not have efficient heating in their rooms. During that time, more upmarket hotels that do have heating fill up quickly, so make advance reservations if you can afford not to freeze. (Or don't go there in winter time).

It rains very often during the month of August, especially in the mornings - though this is also the time when scenery is at its greenest and most beautiful.

Travel Tips Edit

Bear in mind that some of the minorities do not wish to have photos taken of them - ask permission beforehand. Smile, lower your head down and raise your camera up to show them is the good mannered way for asking permission. After that, showing them their pictures is the very good manner too. If they allow, their allowance is free and they expect no money back at all.

Bring along a poncho, or you can also buy a cheap one in the many shops around. Rubber boots and trekking shoes can be rented from some shops or perhaps at the hotel you are staying in. However, do bear in mind that they have limited sizes. If you are going trekking these are highly recommended, particularly if it has been raining!

Do buy some hand made items direct from the ethnic minorities, especially if you have enjoyed a good conversation or received help from them. Though they do charge slightly more than the shops, bear in mind that the majority of them are very poor and depend on tourist money to survive.

If you want to support the ethnic minorities, try to hire a guide directly instead of doing it through your hotel. This way all your money goes directly to the minorities instead of the 50% they get if booked through a hotel or agency. Some hotel asks for $30/people for private trekking of group of 2-4, but pay $10 to a guide. If you want to save money you can bargain with minorities a 4h hike to their village (including a lunch) for 600 000 VND (30$) for a 4 people group but keep in mind that this very cheap price does not includes return and you will have to come back by your own or ask a lift to a motorbike (around 50 000VND or 3$)

Get in Edit

By train Edit

From Hanoi it is a 9-hour train journey to Sapa.

Vietnam Rail operates some of the cars, but other cars in the train are operated by private companies (Tulico, Ratraco, Fansipan, Orient Express, Friendly and Victoria Hotels, and many others). Some of these cars are significantly nicer than the standard cars. They cost approximately US$45 (July 2013) for a soft sleeper berth. You may need to arrange with a travel agency to get tickets on these tourist cars, but any traveller can purchase tickets for the VNR cars at the Hanoi train station. Warning. several of these cars are not significantly better than standard Vietnamese sleeping cars though, and still substantially more expensive. Pumpkin second class is actually a VNR car booked via this company. Even Pumpkin first class only has a squat toilet (although a sign above the toilet door says: "western style toilet"!).

Trains between Hanoi and Lao Cai are designated by SE-single-digit-suffix. SE-1 and SE-3 are from Hanoi to Lao Cai while SE-2 and SE-4 are back. Each car belongs to each company, joined by single dragging engine head. So whether you book Tulico or OE or else, you depart and arrive at the same time as the other.