Extended Family's JBR - But we aren't back yet
Dec 1st, 2009, 05:10 AM
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Extended Family's JBR - But we aren't back yet
G’day everyone,
We’ve just finished our trip in Vietnam, Laos and are still going on about our travels in Cambodia and then Thailand but think it necessary to share with you all when the memories are still fresh in mind.
As previously mentioned out here, I’m the trip organizer for my extended family and have taken great pains to make the trip as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for every member. Thank you very much everybody on this forum for your valuable suggestions and recommendations given while I was planning the trip. It’s your unbiased attitude to every single question that makes Fodors so worthwhile!
As soon as we touched down the Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, we were met by a friendly guy with a placard bearing our names which was so good. The drive to Hanoi winds along the busy roads surrounded by rice and corn fields with the workers all wearing conical hats, ponies pulling laden carts along the highway and kids riding their bicycles from school which were extremely impressive.
As you arrive in Hanoi, you're immediately met by chaos and it's hard to work out whether the city is charming or unbearable. On one hand, the busy streets are filled with friendly locals all willing to help, cooking local cuisines by the roadside and offering rides on the cyclos. On the other hand, the roads are packed with mopeds that crossing the street becomes an extreme sport, the locals throw waste food into the street every night to be cleaned by the night workers, the "restaurants" offer amongst other things: goat, dog, duck embryos and snake. Although we don't want to sound ignorant, these dishes become more unappetizing when combined with the smells of rotting food; we want to eat the local food but without playing the food poisoning lottery.
We were dropped off at the Sofitel Metropole which was arranged by our local travel agent. We’d looked at many hotels before settling on the Metropole and although it was expensive compared to some other hotels, we were very happy with our choice. It’s situated in a great location and has a lot of character. Check-in was just a breeze and we got rooms in the Opera Wing which was fantastic. Honestly we much preferred the Old Wing for its old charm and history but it was more pricey and more significantly we wanted to stay on the same floor. We were invited to the Club Lounge for welcome drinks, handed our passports to the reception girl and a few minutes later we were escorted to our own rooms, all on the 5th floor. I’d say this is a 5 star property in every way. The staff were wonderful and very helpful. The rooms were well sized, looked recently renovated and were divine. The beds were the most comfortable that we'd ever slept in and they had L'Occitane toiletries. Though I’m personally very fussy about the cleanliness of hotel rooms wherever we go, I found our rooms at the hotel to be up to scratch. The bathrooms were lovely and they’d the deep roll baths with four feet along with a bowl of fresh rose petals!
We then met up one another at the back lobby and off we went to the Hoan Kiem Lake which is the focal point of Hanoi and once we've crossed the Huc Bridge (rising sun) we're met by the Ngoc Son Temple and its traditional surroundings, it seems like a million miles away from the noise and rush. The temple is a shrine to General Tran Hung Dao who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century. This is definitely a welcome break for those who have just arrived in Hanoi, like us. Back to the hotel, had a shower with warm water which was great, then we walked down the French Restaurant for dinner. For those who are wondering if there’s any dress code to this place, I’d confirm that they do require you to dress politely to get served in the restaurant. A metal plate would be placed on one side of the entrance explaining their policy. No problem at all as we were all in our best costumes.
After dinner, we took a stroll around the hotel, the pool, the bars and the shops, etc but as everybody looked pretty tired after a day of flight, we went back to our rooms, feeling excited for the following day.
We’ve just finished our trip in Vietnam, Laos and are still going on about our travels in Cambodia and then Thailand but think it necessary to share with you all when the memories are still fresh in mind.
As previously mentioned out here, I’m the trip organizer for my extended family and have taken great pains to make the trip as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for every member. Thank you very much everybody on this forum for your valuable suggestions and recommendations given while I was planning the trip. It’s your unbiased attitude to every single question that makes Fodors so worthwhile!
As soon as we touched down the Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, we were met by a friendly guy with a placard bearing our names which was so good. The drive to Hanoi winds along the busy roads surrounded by rice and corn fields with the workers all wearing conical hats, ponies pulling laden carts along the highway and kids riding their bicycles from school which were extremely impressive.
As you arrive in Hanoi, you're immediately met by chaos and it's hard to work out whether the city is charming or unbearable. On one hand, the busy streets are filled with friendly locals all willing to help, cooking local cuisines by the roadside and offering rides on the cyclos. On the other hand, the roads are packed with mopeds that crossing the street becomes an extreme sport, the locals throw waste food into the street every night to be cleaned by the night workers, the "restaurants" offer amongst other things: goat, dog, duck embryos and snake. Although we don't want to sound ignorant, these dishes become more unappetizing when combined with the smells of rotting food; we want to eat the local food but without playing the food poisoning lottery.
We were dropped off at the Sofitel Metropole which was arranged by our local travel agent. We’d looked at many hotels before settling on the Metropole and although it was expensive compared to some other hotels, we were very happy with our choice. It’s situated in a great location and has a lot of character. Check-in was just a breeze and we got rooms in the Opera Wing which was fantastic. Honestly we much preferred the Old Wing for its old charm and history but it was more pricey and more significantly we wanted to stay on the same floor. We were invited to the Club Lounge for welcome drinks, handed our passports to the reception girl and a few minutes later we were escorted to our own rooms, all on the 5th floor. I’d say this is a 5 star property in every way. The staff were wonderful and very helpful. The rooms were well sized, looked recently renovated and were divine. The beds were the most comfortable that we'd ever slept in and they had L'Occitane toiletries. Though I’m personally very fussy about the cleanliness of hotel rooms wherever we go, I found our rooms at the hotel to be up to scratch. The bathrooms were lovely and they’d the deep roll baths with four feet along with a bowl of fresh rose petals!
We then met up one another at the back lobby and off we went to the Hoan Kiem Lake which is the focal point of Hanoi and once we've crossed the Huc Bridge (rising sun) we're met by the Ngoc Son Temple and its traditional surroundings, it seems like a million miles away from the noise and rush. The temple is a shrine to General Tran Hung Dao who defeated the Mongols in the 13th century. This is definitely a welcome break for those who have just arrived in Hanoi, like us. Back to the hotel, had a shower with warm water which was great, then we walked down the French Restaurant for dinner. For those who are wondering if there’s any dress code to this place, I’d confirm that they do require you to dress politely to get served in the restaurant. A metal plate would be placed on one side of the entrance explaining their policy. No problem at all as we were all in our best costumes.
After dinner, we took a stroll around the hotel, the pool, the bars and the shops, etc but as everybody looked pretty tired after a day of flight, we went back to our rooms, feeling excited for the following day.
Dec 2nd, 2009, 05:36 PM
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Totally agreed, Elainee. The rooms in the Old Wing are somewhat smaller than those in the New Wing, but honestly I'm dubious if they're more stuffy.
@scomars: Thanks for your kind words. Will try to report back ASAP. It's now our Halong bay trip.
@scomars: Thanks for your kind words. Will try to report back ASAP. It's now our Halong bay trip.
Dec 2nd, 2009, 05:40 PM
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Sleeping was just too lovely and it was a battle just to open our eyes and greet a new day. The night’s sleep was uninterrupted and like a death and the morning a rebirth... As I looked out of the windows, the sun was shining promising a beautiful day. The clouds weren’t in the sky but were swimming in the horizon which was a perfect sight. After we’d had breakfast on the hotel Club Lounge which was pretty good and the staff couldn’t be more helpful, we waited together at the hotel lobby for pickup to Halong Bay, which frankly had caused us a few headaches in the planning stage. Everyone we’ve met that has been in Vietnam says your trip would never be complete without seeing Halong Bay. That’s being said you’ve a huge headache of choosing a reliable junk boat to tour this World Heritage Site. Frankly I’ve read a number of stories about rats and cockroaches in the cabins, holes in the boats, no lifejackets on board, food poisoning or even traffic accident, etc. As a result, choosing a reliable boat had consumed much of our time. We consulted Mr. Dinh Bach at Vietnamstay.com about this matter and were recommended the Bhaya Cruise, which turned out to be fantastic value for money.
Once arrived, our first impression was what a beautiful part of the world this is. One of the nicest we've been to. We’d heard that the harbor was incredibly bustling with 500+ boats, people leaving boats, people getting on boats, food and drinks being passed which was chaotic but our experience was completely different. We were dropped off at a separate pier which was almost empty, incredibly quiet and escorted to Bhaya Café for welcome drinks. Boarding the boat, we were welcomed to the dining area and introduced by the Cruise Director to the crew on board who were well-groomed and smiley. The boat’s made of beautiful wood, all polished inside and a top deck to sit on. Felt like royalty and indeed I had to keep pinching myself to see if this was real. What followed was a delicious brunch which was more than plenty of Vietnamese food. All was fresh, beautifully presented and delivered in style. Then it was time for us to check our rooms. We were assigned to deluxe cabins on the second deck which came with a fully equipped bathroom, spotless basin and shower. There were 2 bottles of fresh water and a massage menu in each room. The windows looked over the sea which was just gorgeous.
We then chugged slowly passed towering mountains of all shapes and sizes disappearing into the still deep water, reflections, mistiness which added to the beauty and created layers of mountain ranges and shapes in green to blue to grey to white tones. We stopped at the Vung Vieng floating fishing village and saw lots of weird and wonderful fish and crabs, lobsters etc all swimming around in little enclosures. The helmet crabs were the wildest. Then it was free time to either kayak or swim on the beach. Some of us including the husband, son and I kayaked which was good fun because we were on the waves, and then we paddled under a rock into a sheltered lagoon that was really clam and flat and our voices echoed all around it. The weather was pleasant. We were all then offered cocktail drinks and attended a cooking demonstration conducted by the chef and one of the crew members. After enjoying what they’d just made, we were given a recipe so that we could cook the food on our own when we got home which was lovely.
Our evening meal was even more delicious, very fresh and nutritious with tons of food. At least 7 courses were served and we’d lovely chats and wines with one another. We didn’t retire until late that night.
The next morning we woke up early, stepped up to the deck and joined the Tai Chi exercise. Tea and coffee were served with wonderful flavor. We finished the morning exercise when the sun started shining which was divine. We snapped a few shots before heading out to the beach for one other swim.
After breakfast, we’d a visit to the Surprise Cave which completely lived up to its reputation and was perhaps the biggest and most spectacular we’d ever seen, huge chambers and huge stalagmites and stalactites. It felt like each of the karst formation had its own legend and story. As we’d read quite a lot before leaving home, we were well prepared for what we’d see in the cave: thousands of tourists. But on the contrary, the cave wasn’t very busy which, according to the guide, was because we visited the cave in the morning while most other groups did it in the afternoon.
We were back in Hanoi in the late afternoon that day, all in all everyone had been in good spirits and immensely enjoyed the trip so far…
Once arrived, our first impression was what a beautiful part of the world this is. One of the nicest we've been to. We’d heard that the harbor was incredibly bustling with 500+ boats, people leaving boats, people getting on boats, food and drinks being passed which was chaotic but our experience was completely different. We were dropped off at a separate pier which was almost empty, incredibly quiet and escorted to Bhaya Café for welcome drinks. Boarding the boat, we were welcomed to the dining area and introduced by the Cruise Director to the crew on board who were well-groomed and smiley. The boat’s made of beautiful wood, all polished inside and a top deck to sit on. Felt like royalty and indeed I had to keep pinching myself to see if this was real. What followed was a delicious brunch which was more than plenty of Vietnamese food. All was fresh, beautifully presented and delivered in style. Then it was time for us to check our rooms. We were assigned to deluxe cabins on the second deck which came with a fully equipped bathroom, spotless basin and shower. There were 2 bottles of fresh water and a massage menu in each room. The windows looked over the sea which was just gorgeous.
We then chugged slowly passed towering mountains of all shapes and sizes disappearing into the still deep water, reflections, mistiness which added to the beauty and created layers of mountain ranges and shapes in green to blue to grey to white tones. We stopped at the Vung Vieng floating fishing village and saw lots of weird and wonderful fish and crabs, lobsters etc all swimming around in little enclosures. The helmet crabs were the wildest. Then it was free time to either kayak or swim on the beach. Some of us including the husband, son and I kayaked which was good fun because we were on the waves, and then we paddled under a rock into a sheltered lagoon that was really clam and flat and our voices echoed all around it. The weather was pleasant. We were all then offered cocktail drinks and attended a cooking demonstration conducted by the chef and one of the crew members. After enjoying what they’d just made, we were given a recipe so that we could cook the food on our own when we got home which was lovely.
Our evening meal was even more delicious, very fresh and nutritious with tons of food. At least 7 courses were served and we’d lovely chats and wines with one another. We didn’t retire until late that night.
The next morning we woke up early, stepped up to the deck and joined the Tai Chi exercise. Tea and coffee were served with wonderful flavor. We finished the morning exercise when the sun started shining which was divine. We snapped a few shots before heading out to the beach for one other swim.
After breakfast, we’d a visit to the Surprise Cave which completely lived up to its reputation and was perhaps the biggest and most spectacular we’d ever seen, huge chambers and huge stalagmites and stalactites. It felt like each of the karst formation had its own legend and story. As we’d read quite a lot before leaving home, we were well prepared for what we’d see in the cave: thousands of tourists. But on the contrary, the cave wasn’t very busy which, according to the guide, was because we visited the cave in the morning while most other groups did it in the afternoon.
We were back in Hanoi in the late afternoon that day, all in all everyone had been in good spirits and immensely enjoyed the trip so far…
Dec 3rd, 2009, 08:03 PM
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What a wonderful report. We are also considering the Bhaya Cruise. Do you happen to remember the price? Do you think one or two days would be preferable? We are also trying to decide on how many days to devote to Hanoi itself. Any recommendations? I am looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Enjoy the rest of your holidays.
Dec 4th, 2009, 06:00 AM
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Hi everybody,
Many thanks again for your lovely words. When writing a trip report, one never knows if it would be of any interest to someone
@dgunbug: We spent two days out the bay and personally thought it was perfect. Some of the others were booked for three days. But, from experience, never take a day trip because it takes almost 3 hrs to the bay and another 3 hrs for the way back to Hanoi.
Regarding the price, terribly sorry I can't remember it exactly. Will find the receipt and get back to you shortly.
@Marya and others: Hope you'll enjoy our upcoming parts.
Many thanks again for your lovely words. When writing a trip report, one never knows if it would be of any interest to someone
@dgunbug: We spent two days out the bay and personally thought it was perfect. Some of the others were booked for three days. But, from experience, never take a day trip because it takes almost 3 hrs to the bay and another 3 hrs for the way back to Hanoi.
Regarding the price, terribly sorry I can't remember it exactly. Will find the receipt and get back to you shortly.
@Marya and others: Hope you'll enjoy our upcoming parts.
Dec 4th, 2009, 06:07 AM
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We had the whole following day to discover Hanoi by ourselves. The capital city of Vietnam is described as ‘bustling’ by our guidebook and to be honest, we found it to be noisy (the boys wished someone could give them some earplugs . We're by no means the fans of honking which is literally constant here. The roads are tiny. In the Old Quarter, it’s a single lane that will fit one car or several motorbikes. And it's ceaselessly packed. And everyone just sits on the horn which never seems to let you cross the street (as we observed, traffic lights are routinely ignored). Everyone is racing to fill every bit of empty space between the vehicles that litter the road. The sidewalk space here serves as both parking lot for the motorbikes and overflow display area for storefronts forcing pedestrians to walk in the street, while motorbikes fly past on one side. We learned the trick is to walk slowly staring straight ahead while the bikes part on either side of us as we slowly make our way to the other side of the street.
Despite the dim picture we may have painted of Hanoi from a traffic perspective, the city is fantastic. People are friendly. Tourists are here and there, but not everywhere. The pretty lake, the pulse of the Old Quarter, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - satisfyingly communist (we queued for over an hour for the opportunity to be quickly ushered past the body which was immaculately preserved and guarded on all sides. No talking, no stopping), the Presidential Palace (where we got to see the modest lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh), the Museum - amazingly modern and tasteful, the traditional mountain house on stilts that he’d built in the grounds, the Buddha trees he planted and even the one hundred year old fish that were still swimming in the nearby lake. The Temple of Literature was steeped in history. It was the first University to open in Vietnam in 1448 and was dominated by the Chinese who ruled the country for almost 1.000 years. The place was full of students touching the heads of the stone tortoises for luck in their upcoming exams.
Museum of Ethnology
The afternoon visit to the Ethnology Museum was the highlight as anticipated. It’s a huge centre outlining the origins and lifestyles of all the major ethnic minorities dispersed through the country and their languages, clothing, artisan specialities, food, customs and entertainment specialities. Very well presented and with original artifacts and cleverly constructed imitation housing. There was also an interesting exhibit on Vietnam during the time of the Subsidy Economy, from 1975-86.
Water Puppet Theatre
Not to be missed while in Hanoi is definitely the water puppetry which is as bizarre as it sounds. It started when puppeteers from the Red River Delta decided to soldier on entertaining in spite of the annual floods. Now it's performed daily with wooden, mechanical puppets operated by puppeteers hidden behind a mesh screen, thus creating the illusion that the puppets are floating on water. They introduced all of the traditional musical instruments and characters that were used by Red River Delta fishermen since ancient times to portray sketches and scenes of village life. There were sketches of typical stuff like ‘Boy riding a Water Buffalo’ and ‘Catching Frogs’. The puppeteers themselves are really talented, since they’ve to control various puppets using bamboo sticks in the water. The puppets look pretty lifelike, especially the river fish, and all in all it’s a great outing for the two 5 or 7 year old boys. For us, it probably went on about 15 minutes too long, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
. We're by no means the fans of honking which is literally constant here. The roads are tiny. In the Old Quarter, it’s a single lane that will fit one car or several motorbikes. And it's ceaselessly packed. And everyone just sits on the horn which never seems to let you cross the street (as we observed, traffic lights are routinely ignored). Everyone is racing to fill every bit of empty space between the vehicles that litter the road. The sidewalk space here serves as both parking lot for the motorbikes and overflow display area for storefronts forcing pedestrians to walk in the street, while motorbikes fly past on one side. We learned the trick is to walk slowly staring straight ahead while the bikes part on either side of us as we slowly make our way to the other side of the street. Despite the dim picture we may have painted of Hanoi from a traffic perspective, the city is fantastic. People are friendly. Tourists are here and there, but not everywhere. The pretty lake, the pulse of the Old Quarter, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - satisfyingly communist (we queued for over an hour for the opportunity to be quickly ushered past the body which was immaculately preserved and guarded on all sides. No talking, no stopping), the Presidential Palace (where we got to see the modest lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh), the Museum - amazingly modern and tasteful, the traditional mountain house on stilts that he’d built in the grounds, the Buddha trees he planted and even the one hundred year old fish that were still swimming in the nearby lake. The Temple of Literature was steeped in history. It was the first University to open in Vietnam in 1448 and was dominated by the Chinese who ruled the country for almost 1.000 years. The place was full of students touching the heads of the stone tortoises for luck in their upcoming exams.
Museum of Ethnology
The afternoon visit to the Ethnology Museum was the highlight as anticipated. It’s a huge centre outlining the origins and lifestyles of all the major ethnic minorities dispersed through the country and their languages, clothing, artisan specialities, food, customs and entertainment specialities. Very well presented and with original artifacts and cleverly constructed imitation housing. There was also an interesting exhibit on Vietnam during the time of the Subsidy Economy, from 1975-86.
Water Puppet Theatre
Not to be missed while in Hanoi is definitely the water puppetry which is as bizarre as it sounds. It started when puppeteers from the Red River Delta decided to soldier on entertaining in spite of the annual floods. Now it's performed daily with wooden, mechanical puppets operated by puppeteers hidden behind a mesh screen, thus creating the illusion that the puppets are floating on water. They introduced all of the traditional musical instruments and characters that were used by Red River Delta fishermen since ancient times to portray sketches and scenes of village life. There were sketches of typical stuff like ‘Boy riding a Water Buffalo’ and ‘Catching Frogs’. The puppeteers themselves are really talented, since they’ve to control various puppets using bamboo sticks in the water. The puppets look pretty lifelike, especially the river fish, and all in all it’s a great outing for the two 5 or 7 year old boys. For us, it probably went on about 15 minutes too long, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.
Dec 4th, 2009, 07:23 AM
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Scheps - keep it coming! I'm really enjoying your trip report. As for Halong Bay - we never considered a day trip, but are wondering if it is worth extending the trip for 2 nights or just the one. I'm more curious though about how many days you would devote to time in Hanoi itself. Did you do a day trip out to Ninh Binh province and if so, do you think it is worth doing that if you also spend time in Halong Bay?
Dec 13th, 2009, 12:11 AM
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Thank you for the report. The puppet show was great fun. My favorite part was the fat boy swimming across the water doing the front and back stroke.
I enjoy Ha long bay so much that I want to go back and stay several days. I also considered Bhaya but the tourist information in the old quarter (next to the citibank atm) said the bhaya 3 is the newest and the best but they will not specify which boat until the last minute. I called Bhaya office on the phone as I saw a discount on the website but they wouldn't honor it and they were also booked the day I wanted to go. I ended up with classic which was good too but I am willing to try a different boat next time. I saw their boat on the bay and they were big. I am wondering did you feel crowded?
dgunbug, the Ninh Binh trip includes an hour bicycle ride which according to most was awesome. The boat ride was two hour long, it was a nice ride and would be more relaxing if the boat people didn't keep on pushing handicrafts and whatnot on us. We were warned by the tour guide earlier on so it did not come as a surprise. The two hour van ride to and from was boring and we were stuck in traffic. Hope this helps.
I enjoy Ha long bay so much that I want to go back and stay several days. I also considered Bhaya but the tourist information in the old quarter (next to the citibank atm) said the bhaya 3 is the newest and the best but they will not specify which boat until the last minute. I called Bhaya office on the phone as I saw a discount on the website but they wouldn't honor it and they were also booked the day I wanted to go. I ended up with classic which was good too but I am willing to try a different boat next time. I saw their boat on the bay and they were big. I am wondering did you feel crowded?
dgunbug, the Ninh Binh trip includes an hour bicycle ride which according to most was awesome. The boat ride was two hour long, it was a nice ride and would be more relaxing if the boat people didn't keep on pushing handicrafts and whatnot on us. We were warned by the tour guide earlier on so it did not come as a surprise. The two hour van ride to and from was boring and we were stuck in traffic. Hope this helps.
Dec 16th, 2009, 05:51 AM
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Hi all,
Our apologies for the delays. Yes, everything has been fantastic so far. Life is just too busy... but never mind, we're back with our tales.
@dgunbug: From experience, we'd recommend you to spend about 2-3 days in Hanoi only. We had two days to ourselves there and thought it was just enough.
We didn't make it to Ninh Binh but the Aussie couple we ran into in Hanoi raved about the bicycle ride in the countryside though the karst formations and caves were pretty similar to those in Halong Bay. Hope this helps.
Our apologies for the delays. Yes, everything has been fantastic so far. Life is just too busy... but never mind, we're back with our tales.
@dgunbug: From experience, we'd recommend you to spend about 2-3 days in Hanoi only. We had two days to ourselves there and thought it was just enough.
We didn't make it to Ninh Binh but the Aussie couple we ran into in Hanoi raved about the bicycle ride in the countryside though the karst formations and caves were pretty similar to those in Halong Bay. Hope this helps.
Dec 16th, 2009, 05:57 AM
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Now it's Sapa - the very north of Vietnam:
We were booked 3 soft sleeper compartments onboard the Tulico Train to Lao Cai which went well, but I think we all had difficulty sleeping - always waking up whenever the train stopped at a station.
The ride up to Sapa, although visibility was low due to the clouds, was spectacular. We got into Lao Cai around 5am something, it wasn't even sunrise yet and started to get cold... then one can see the silhouettes of the rice terraces, there were low-lying clouds... just perfect!
Our guide for Sapa, Tuan met us at the station, took us to the hotel for breakfast and check-in, then off we went on our trek to Cat Cat village. It was so steep but the beautiful waterfalls were a nice reward. The trek was fun, the sights were awesome and we loved the endless rice terraces on the way. We also got to see the Black H'mong traditional song and dance show, but something told me those on stage are not really tribal people but performers from town. They don't look H'mong at all. Not completely sure, that's just what I thought. FYI, ethnically about 90% of the country’s population is Viet, the rest are minorities. The most obvious minorities are usually the ones that reside in the northern hills because they’ve maintained most traditional dress and customs. In Sapa we saw many Dzao, notable for shaving the front of their head and winding the long hair in the back into a red sort of turban-kerchief. Sapa was also home to the Black H'mong people, who have cylindrical hats and use massive amounts of indigo dye. There were also Dzao with a different kind of headdress, and a smattering of White H'mong. There are 5 different categories of H'mong, but there are many more tribes, and each is a little different from the others. Most of them seemed to be sidelined by the local tourism development and earned their living by doing farm work, selling things to tourists and of course by allowing tourists to take their pictures. In spite of reading quite a lot before the trip, we hardly anticipated such ‘buy from me, you took my picture’ thing, which honestly didn’t bother us much since the salesgirls’ effort alone to follow us all that distance told us never to hesitate buying a few things from them.
The afternoon was spent on a visit to a local village called Ta Phin. The scenery was utterly breathtaking, the location completely isolated in the middle of the mountains and the way there was a real trek. Tuan took us to a local house where we were greeted by a woman in her colorful traditional costume. Tuan went out of his way showing us around the house, explaining everything that came into view as well as the local customs which were really impressive.
The next morning we headed out to Bac Ha Market which was colourful and well worth our effort rescheduling the itinerary. As we arrived quite early, we just stood around out front watching the town come to life. Slowly but surely people started to find their way to the streets and set up their stalls with food, traditional clothing, souvenir, tobacco and things for daily life of the locals. It was a gloomy day, the sunshine was lacking in the sky. The people were busy doing what they do best – buying and selling. Many of the local Flower H’Mong just kept to themselves and went on with their personal affairs, while the others clearly made an effort to sell their woven goods to us foreigners who were all busy taking as many shots as possible. It was amazing, everyone was warm and friendly. The little bundles strapped to the woman’s backs were so cute. Kids of all ages were such a pleasure to photograph as they just loved to see themselves in the camera. After each photo was taken, we always made a point to share it with the one who we snapped a shot of. Our boys got a kick out of getting to know the local kids and sharing the photos through the lens. Some spoke pretty good English while most seemed exhausted after a few words of greetings.
While at the market, we tried some snacks, sugar cane and then some fried sticky rice from some of the vendors who definitely got a kick our of seeing our reaction to the food. All in all the market is a blend of sounds, smells and colourful things to see that made it an experience not to be missed. If you're looking for a culturally-rich place, Sapa is the place to be! You'll just have to ignore all the tourists that are all over the area.
We were booked 3 soft sleeper compartments onboard the Tulico Train to Lao Cai which went well, but I think we all had difficulty sleeping - always waking up whenever the train stopped at a station.
The ride up to Sapa, although visibility was low due to the clouds, was spectacular. We got into Lao Cai around 5am something, it wasn't even sunrise yet and started to get cold... then one can see the silhouettes of the rice terraces, there were low-lying clouds... just perfect!
Our guide for Sapa, Tuan met us at the station, took us to the hotel for breakfast and check-in, then off we went on our trek to Cat Cat village. It was so steep but the beautiful waterfalls were a nice reward. The trek was fun, the sights were awesome and we loved the endless rice terraces on the way. We also got to see the Black H'mong traditional song and dance show, but something told me those on stage are not really tribal people but performers from town. They don't look H'mong at all. Not completely sure, that's just what I thought. FYI, ethnically about 90% of the country’s population is Viet, the rest are minorities. The most obvious minorities are usually the ones that reside in the northern hills because they’ve maintained most traditional dress and customs. In Sapa we saw many Dzao, notable for shaving the front of their head and winding the long hair in the back into a red sort of turban-kerchief. Sapa was also home to the Black H'mong people, who have cylindrical hats and use massive amounts of indigo dye. There were also Dzao with a different kind of headdress, and a smattering of White H'mong. There are 5 different categories of H'mong, but there are many more tribes, and each is a little different from the others. Most of them seemed to be sidelined by the local tourism development and earned their living by doing farm work, selling things to tourists and of course by allowing tourists to take their pictures. In spite of reading quite a lot before the trip, we hardly anticipated such ‘buy from me, you took my picture’ thing, which honestly didn’t bother us much since the salesgirls’ effort alone to follow us all that distance told us never to hesitate buying a few things from them.
The afternoon was spent on a visit to a local village called Ta Phin. The scenery was utterly breathtaking, the location completely isolated in the middle of the mountains and the way there was a real trek. Tuan took us to a local house where we were greeted by a woman in her colorful traditional costume. Tuan went out of his way showing us around the house, explaining everything that came into view as well as the local customs which were really impressive.
The next morning we headed out to Bac Ha Market which was colourful and well worth our effort rescheduling the itinerary. As we arrived quite early, we just stood around out front watching the town come to life. Slowly but surely people started to find their way to the streets and set up their stalls with food, traditional clothing, souvenir, tobacco and things for daily life of the locals. It was a gloomy day, the sunshine was lacking in the sky. The people were busy doing what they do best – buying and selling. Many of the local Flower H’Mong just kept to themselves and went on with their personal affairs, while the others clearly made an effort to sell their woven goods to us foreigners who were all busy taking as many shots as possible. It was amazing, everyone was warm and friendly. The little bundles strapped to the woman’s backs were so cute. Kids of all ages were such a pleasure to photograph as they just loved to see themselves in the camera. After each photo was taken, we always made a point to share it with the one who we snapped a shot of. Our boys got a kick out of getting to know the local kids and sharing the photos through the lens. Some spoke pretty good English while most seemed exhausted after a few words of greetings.
While at the market, we tried some snacks, sugar cane and then some fried sticky rice from some of the vendors who definitely got a kick our of seeing our reaction to the food. All in all the market is a blend of sounds, smells and colourful things to see that made it an experience not to be missed. If you're looking for a culturally-rich place, Sapa is the place to be! You'll just have to ignore all the tourists that are all over the area.
Dec 16th, 2009, 12:49 PM
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Scheps - You make everything sound so wonderful. We were in Cambodia last year and had so much fun photographing the people - especially the children who are so charming. We too shared our pictures with them. Sapa sounds fabulous. How many days were you there and what do you recommend? I have a bit of a fear going down steep hills at times (hard on the knees and ankles) Were most of the treks difficult? How did you find your guide? Do you recommend him and if so, how does one get in touch with him?
Where did you stay in Sapa and what do you recommend there? We are considering the Victoria, although I'm hearing mixed reviews. The Eco Lodge sounds great, but it seems a bit far out of town.
Looking forward to more of your wonderful report.
Where did you stay in Sapa and what do you recommend there? We are considering the Victoria, although I'm hearing mixed reviews. The Eco Lodge sounds great, but it seems a bit far out of town.
Looking forward to more of your wonderful report.
