On to Vietnam

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It’s been a while now since I was in Sapa or at least it seems like it although it’s only been a week. So much has happened since getting to Hanoi. However, I want to talk about Sapa before getting on to the rest.

I got up to Sapa after crossing the border from China at Lao Cai on June 1st and I spent three days just wandering around the area and getting used to Vietnam. The highlight was on the second day, when I rented a motorbike and spent the riding through the hills past water falls and small villages, but also down into the valley to see some of the tribal villages of the Hmong and Dzao people.

Sapa is only 50 kilometers or so away from the Chinese border, up in the mountains. The heat had been building as I headed south from Kunming and it was finally getting really hot by the time I got to Lao Cai. Sapa was hot, but the altitude took away some of the humidity and then everything cooled off nicely at night time.

The city is located on a mesa above three different valleys and each of the valleys contained a variety of tribal peoples and terraced fields of rice, watermelon and corn. Then the village itself had the feel of a village from the Alps with beautiful architecture and a slightly run-down feel.

I had been warned about the differences between Vietnam and China, as regards the culture and the people. The main difference seems to be that people are trying harder to sell things in Vietnam. Maybe more of their economy is linked to tourism and the dollar, but there seems to be a bit more hassling in Vietnam. But Sapa was a good intro, mainly because after a day or so, most of the sellers got to know your face and knew that you’d say no to whatever they are selling.

In the end, I can see why so many people enjoy Sapa. Even when it was hot during the day, it cooled down enough that I didn’t even need a fan at night. Plus it’s just lovely and relaxing.

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