Sapa Villages: Lao Chai San, Giang Ta Chai, and Xa Xeng

Whoever said roosters’ crow at day break was wrong, they actually crow about two hours beforehand. I was about to get up and strangle it but then realized I did not want to be known as the guy who brought the bird flu to the US. So I tried to get some rest until others got up. That morning one of the villages gave me a hand carved dragon out of wood that I saw him working on last night. I also bought a handmade shirt from a 12 year old girl in the village. These are now my two most prized possessions, more so then my 50 inch plasma TV. No one has a shirt like this and if they want one it’s a long way to go to get one. It’s woven from yarn and cloth that they dyed in their traditional colors and got from their own sheep, no label on the inside of this one, this is the real deal, and quite a deal for about eight US dollars. My only regret on this trip was not getting a picture of me wearing the shirt and standing next to the young girl that sold it to me. But I was finding it hard to photograph them after a while. They are after all just going through their daily lives. I would not want someone standing over me with a camera all day. And last night I decided to set the camera down and focus more on enjoying the moment for myself rather than to try and capture it on camera. Besides the camera felt out of place here, this place was not about megapixels and batteries, this place is real. We ate, packed up, said goodbye, and headed out on the trail to the next villages. As I left I knew that it might be impossible for me to ever have an experience that tops this one in my lifetime.


This next part of the trail was rocky and steep so I took it slow and carful knowing that if I got hurt it was a good three to four days to any kind of civilization that had “medical” facilities. The trail did have small shelters along the way that had “clean” water and were manned by kids, however I played it safe and passed until we got to the next village.


As we walked along the mountain ridge we could look down upon the Lao Chai San village home of the traditional H’Mong people.




As we hiked, Nguyen told me how most of these fields used to grow opium and the famers made more money than growing rice. However the government cracked down on them and bought out their farms. One of his friends who was bought out got a lot of money from the sale, I don’t know the dollar figure, but it was enough to buy a few cars he said. However his friend had no idea what to do with the money, he did not know what to buy, and had no idea how to open a checking account. So he buried it in the ground. Around six months later when he went to dig it up the money had basically been destroyed by worms, and he was broke. Makes you wonder how many others had money but did not know what to do with it. Nguyen also told me that there used to be a few more structures around, however when the Chinese invaded they destroyed them all.


We then came to the bamboo forest, this was a very cool place. Well not really, the jungle coverings seemed to trap the heat in and I swear the temperature went up a few degrees as we entered.




There was also a very spooky screaming sound made by the millions of insects that feed on these trees. I don’t know the exact name of it but it translates in to English as the “Crying Bug”.


As we emerged from the forest we could see the village of Giang Ta Chai, home to the Dao people. You can tell the difference between the Dao and the H’Mong people in that the Dao wear red hats and the H’Mong people wear black hats.






The Dao people tend to have nicer homes and villages. The two tribes tend bring in the same resources, however the Dao people are much better at saving and seeing long term. And the Dao people also love to have their picture taken, for a price of course.


Digital camera, 200 USD, taking this picture, 4000 Dong, actually being here and experiencing this place, priceless.


She did not see me snap this one so it was free.




She was too busy working in the field to collect for this picture.




I hate to tell you this but this little guy is first a pet and then a meal.


I hate to tell you this but this little guy is first a pet and then a meal. No wait, sorry, wrong picture, she’s not a pet. OK, not a meal either.


We then moved on to a second Dao village. After a few hours of hiking we came upon Xa Xeng. These people were all working, mostly out in the fields.




However others were selling all kinds of things in their market. In fact one of them followed me around the whole village. It felt like I was in high school and shopping at a nice store where some crusty old lady watches you like a hawk so you don’t steal anything. However this was the opposite, she stuck to me like glue, wanting me to buy something from her.










And of course off in the distance, a government building to watch over the villagers.


We then made our way back to the town of Sapa. We made pretty good time hiking and had enough time to go up to the mountain pass before catching the train back to Hanoi. So we jumped on a motorbike and took off. The views were awesome.


If you follow the road off to the right you will reach Hanoi in five days.




The views were so amazing that even Nguyen was taking pictures.


Once we got back to Lao Cai we had time for a beer, three in fact. Nguyen really made this an amazing trip, I could not have found a better, more knowledgeable guide. He has also become a friend who I keep in touch with even today via email. Thanks for everything Nguyen! How hot was it? It was so hot and the sun was so intense that for only the second time in his life Nguyen got sunburned on this trip.


As night approached we headed to the train station in Lao Cai and went through the same routine, except Lao Cai was much less busy then Hanoi. I was exhausted in all the hiking I had done, all the experiences I had, and everything that I had seen. Yet my mind was racing to try and process everything, so sleep was hard, and I had yet to get a decent shower. I hoped to change that once I reached Hanoi in ten short hours. With the rocking and sound of the train I finally managed to fall asleep.


VIDEO: The Remote Mountain Villages of Sapa