Robbietravels

I though that by dividing my report into segments readers can look at what applies to them without having to read about our entire 20 day trip. Let me know if this is helpful or not.
So after 3 1/2 wonderful days in Luang Prabang, we flew to Hanoi (with a 4 hour stop over in Vientiane, just enough time to do some serious shopping at Carol Cassidy's weaving studio, Lao Textiles).
The office manager of Focus Travel's Hanoi office (www.focustravel.com.vn) greeted us at the airport in Hanoi (about 6 PM arrival), assisted with ATM (the maximum you can get at the airport machines is $120 US) and whisked us off the Sen Restaurant for a delicious Vietnamese buffet.
The rooms of this large restaurnat were elaborately decorated; patrons were a mix of local families and tourists. The variety of dishes (presented at 9 or 10 separate buffet tables) was impressive given the high quality of food. My husband got violently ill for a few hours the following day (Cipro to the rescue); the other three in our party enjoyed the dinner with no ill after effects.
Following dinner we were taken to the train station and escorted (thank goodness) to the Victoria Express cars. The train station is difficult to navagate in the dark. These cars can only be booked in conjunction with staying at the Victoria Hotel in SaPa. Each car has only one cabin with two beds, all the rest have 4 beds (2 upper, 2 lower). I very much appreciated this level of "luxury" (compared to the other train cars I walked past on our way to our car). Nice appointments, friendly staff. We departed at 10 PM and arrived in Lao Cai (gateway to this northern area) around 6:30 am. A decent night's sleep, given the noise and motion --better living through chemicals.
From the train station in Lao Cai our new guide Tuan (from Focus travel and a local of this area) took us on tour to Binh Lu. The scenery en route was breathtaking, the roads rival the worst I've riden in the Shan states of Myanmar or western Tanzania (e.g. bad).
The Binh Lu market is a lesser tourist destination and so appealed to us. Problem was we were there on a Thursday. It's really a weekend market, best on Saturday or Sunday. So the market was sparsely populated; nonetheless, I did have some amusing interactions with locals.
I would not recommend a long drive (it was 3 hours each way) on the day you arrive by overnight train. It would have been better for us to settle in to the Victoria SaPa Hotel and poke around the town and market there.
Next day we drove south from SaPa to the Muong Hoa valley. The views of imposing mountains in the distance with rice paddies and villages on the closer hillsides were stunning.
We left the van at the road and walked down into the valley. Over 4-5 hours we walked a circuit and we visited several villages. We were invited in to a dwelling in one of the Hmong villages. We walked through a village of the Zay people. I won't soon forget the beauty of walking through the rice paddies and engaging with the children.
A word about the Victoria SaPa hotel, a 5 * by VN rating system. By international standards, not so starry. We had a delux mountain view room. You could see the mountains in the distance if you looked over the rooftops of the hotel's various buildings. The only rooms that looked like they had true mountain views were #201-207. The safe never worked, the heating wasn't up to the task ( it IS cold in SaPa in December!), and hot water was gone by the time I took a shower. I would have liked to use the fitness center but in such cold weather, walking 50 meters uphill in the dark wasn't appealing. But I didn't come to this region for the accommodations, so despite the above inconveniences they were fine. Hotel food good. Very good meal at T-Bone (unexpectedly good rib eye steak) in town.
Saturday we drove 3 hours on even worse roads (for the last 1 1/2 hours) to the Can Cao market. It was worth every bruised rib. The women were dressed in their newest and finest clothing. The Red Hmong wear distinctive red satiny headdresses with silver embellishements. The market was a major social event and tourist impact was minimal. We spent about 2-3 hours walking around the different areas of the market.
So as not to backtrack all the way to SaPa unnecessarily, we spent the night at the Lao Cai International Hotel in L.C. Sunday morning we drove to the Muong Hum market, also colorful and full of life. We chose not to visit the Bac Ha market because we'd heard (and locals we spoke with agreed) there are as many tourists taking pictures there as there are locals. I felt totally satisfied with these markets and I've been to a lot of markets over the years.
Sunday night we got on the train in Lao Cai and arrived back in Hanoi about 5 am Monday morning.
I really debated about going to SaPa; people on this board have strong feelings pro and con. Friends who also do photography and are also closet cultural anthropologists strongly recommended see go and I am very glad we did. Section on Hanoi coming soon.

KimJapan

I can't speak for others, but I prefer to have the whole report in one post so I can read each part as a portion of an entire trip. It can still be divided that way as a number replies to the original beginning. It's easy enough to skim over parts if desired.

rhkkmk

i too like on continuous posting...

thanks for this report...did you buy anything at these markets or just poke around....what kinds of things were on offer....seems like a long and uncomfortable way to go to only observe?? i guess the scenery was worth it however

wintersp

A very interesting trip report!

When you went to Muong Hoa valley (with a guide, I assume) did you find other tourist doing the same or was this REALLY off the beaten path?

Thanks for sharing.

Ron07

Hi Folks,

You can check dowm those stunning pics in Sapa. When we were there last Sempt, below is what we booked for your lovely trip to Vietnam.

http://www.focusindochina.com/vietna...;CurrentPage=2

Of cousre we went throught the valley with rices fields and villages, There are several tourists doing the same way. However you can be out of beaten path if requested,

Pleasant Holidays,

Ron

Femi

Thanks for posting. I was particularly interested in your visit to Sapa as I will be doing a similar trip later this year.

I also vote for posting all sections of your trip invthe same thread, that way I'll be sure not to miss anything.

Robbietravels

OK, so when I post tomorrow, I'll reply to recent questions and post the balance of my trip report. Thanks for letting me know your preference.

Robbietravels

Finally, back on track and can answer some of your ?s. Muong Hum valley is remote and breathtakingly scenic. Did we see other cars/jeeps/vans on the one lane highway, maybe one every 20 minutes. That's remote enough for me, no tour buses, no group tours.
Tourists comprised less than 10% of the population at Can Cao and Muong Hum markets. They all seemed to be respectful tourists who tried to blend in, express interest and curiosity about whatever was going on. There are many interesting things to buy at the market particularly if you are looking for very fresh fish or a good breeding pig. Yes, just looking at the activity and interactions was very satisfying to me since I'm a closet cultural anthropologist and serious amateur photographer (candid portraiture).
Sorry if this sound koakey but to me the market was akin to being at a beautiful beach; I don't necessarily Do anything except immerse myself in the sensual experience and relish it for as long as I wish. My husband collects ethnicl knives and decorative daggers (I don't ask how he packs them) and he made a purchase or two.
Just 50 meters from the Can Cao market is a small village where we had lunch at a charming hut with the locals. It was so local that a woman from Hanoi(who was shooting the same street action I was from the window of the "cafe" and chatted a bit) took out a handiwipe and wiped her plate and cutlery before eating. We had no ill effects from the food; the alcohol was a strong disinfectant.