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"Sa Pa - Insight into Ethnic Minorities... " a Sapa Travel Page by Brisvegaskid

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"Sa Pa - Insight into Ethnic Minorities... " a Sapa Travel Page by Brisvegaskid

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Brisvegaskid   
This will be a great story to tell...


Real Name: Sal
Lives In: Brisbane, AU
Member Since: Jan 04, 2007
VT Rank: 3260

 

Page Views: 507            Last Visit to Sapa: December, 2006      

Sa Pa - Insight into Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam

by Brisvegaskid - last update: Jan 4, 2007

Sa Pa & Trekking

Sa Pa is a fantastic place to visit if you are into being on the ground, amongst the local people. There are tours which will give you a number of options in approach - various types and degrees of trek, including or not, a homestay.

Sa Pa is about 380km from Hanoi and in the mountains where it is often wet with mist or rain, and can be cold. There are many many different ethnic minority groups who maintain their cultural integrity and independence in the villages around Sa Pa. Their diversity is remarkable.

Trekking, you will see the paddi fields, water buffalo and other farm animals, the village life as you walk through and lots of cheeky children in traditional dress. You will see women working with babies strapped to their backs, weaving, spinning, working in the fields, carrying baskets of goods..somewhere. You will see earthen floored bamboo homes, some with concrete floors.

Getting here, you take the overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. This is not hard to do. A bus then takes you 38km from here up the mountain to Sa Pa. This is in itself an experience...much to see on the way. The bus has to travel this road with people on foot, on pushbikes, on motorbikes and occasional other vehicles, notably large trucks. So it's a slow journey and takes about an hour and a half. There are a lot of suicidal children and kamikaze motorbikes to avoid.

Once in Sa Pa, there are many shops, the colourful markets and street vendors selling fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, flowers, and all sorts of other goods, including clothing, local handcrafts and jewellery.

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Comments for Brisvegaskid about Sapa
Greggor58 Fri Jul 17, 2009 02:11 UTC
 Great tips Sal....Sa Pa is definitely on the list of "where to explore" this January/February...Cheers!
dancinbudgie Wed Aug 20, 2008 06:15 UTC
 Great tips! You have really given some thoughtful advise. Thanks, Tracey
anoum Fri Nov 23, 2007 15:05 UTC
 I really like your tips, practical and concise.
magor65 Fri Jan 5, 2007 12:29 UTC
 I'm planning to visit Vietnam in 2008, so i've read your tips with real interest. Being hosted by a local family must have been an experience.

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