Sapa – Ethnic Villages

Y Lin Ho, Lao Chai, and Sapa Market

Thursday morning arrived and it was a beautiful sunny day. At 9:00 Sece (sp?) showed up for our tour. The driver was none other than Tommy’s brother.

Sece is “White” Hmong, and was born and raised in Y Lin Ho. Sapa is the largest city she’s been to in her life. She married at 18, and has two girls and a boy, 9, 7, and 4 years old respectively.

We drove to her town, which started on a good road and ended on a rough one. Very glad we took a car rather than trekking. There are a few rustic stores and four nicer homestays in the village. It is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. We, on the other hand, were immediately surrounded by a group of Hmong women trying to peddle their wares.

It starts with “where are you from?” Proceeds to “what is your name?” Eventually one gets to “how many children do you have?” Once every detail of our lives has been revealed, their voices change to a tone of pleading “oh poor me, won’t you buy something from me?”

Village Landscapes –

We stopped along the highway to see this panorama –

We then headed back to Sapa to see the market.

We were so glad to have had this chance. Granted, many of the villages in the Sapa area are figuring out how to monetize their ethic cultures. But, they have schools. And their lives are a little easier. BTW, the government has legalized marriage across tribes. Most of all, they seem to enjoy retaining their cultures and traditions.