Hill Tribes of Sapa, Vietnam (Photo Essay)

Posted on July 13, 2018

Vietnam’s far north, close to the southeastern border of China’s Yunnan Province, is known as the “Land of the Big Skies”. Here, tranquillity prevails over the vast cascading rice terraces and rippled mountains covered in low-hanging fog.The region is home to many indigenous hill tribes, welcoming travellers who go on single or multi-day hikes from the town of Sapa.

Sapa was first inhabited by highland minorities such as the Black and Flower Hmong, the Yao, and the Tay and Giay. Today these four minority groups share the region with the Red Dzao and the Zai people.

Between treks, enjoy the stunning views from your Sapa guesthouse where almost every guesthouse has views over the deep terraced valleys. Visit the authentic markets and enjoy the superb local Vietnamese coffee.

Getting to Sapa is a thrilling experience. A few daytime and overnight sleeper trains travel from Hanoi to the small town of Lao Cai from where an exhilarating 38 km (24 mi) ride in a bus, jeep or taxi reaches Sapa in the high hills.

First sights upon arrival in Sapa will be the colourful Black Hmong and Red Dzao people. Through the heavy fog, you may see the impressive Fansipan Mountains, the highest in Indochina at 3,142 metres (10,308 ft). As you sip a hot and strong Vietnamese coffee, you will realize you came to the right place where tranquillity rules!

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Globerovers Magazine July 2018