Exploring different ethnic markets

Day 1:  Explore the life of ethnic people - Animal Market.
Our guide pick you up from Lao Cai station to restaurant for breakfast and we take a car to the market, on the way will see a beautiful rice terrace field and many ethnic farmer work on the farm . Arrival market you will explore very colorful in front of your eyes, they are Hmong, Dao, Tay...people, and then you can go to drink some corn wine and local food with ethnic people. Other side of market you see many kind of animal..buffalos ,hores, dogs,pigs, birds . lunch in local restaurant.
Afternoon we go to explore the basic life in villages of Hmong people,get in there home have a look they are so friendly to welcome and fantastic sceneries. over night homesaty or hotel.

Day 2: Explore flower Hmong - rice terrace fields.Rice terrace field
We continue to flower Hmong market it is so colorful from their traditional clothes, have a short walk to see what they do in market, drink , eat ,talking so noisy and looking for the love ( get married by kidnapping). after market we go to some ethnic villages on fantastic  golden rice terrace fields .
Afternoon we take the car to China - Viet Nam border gate and back to train station or Sapa ...end tour.

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Sapa market tour,Bac Ha authentic trekking tours

Day: 1. Ethnic market - flower hmong villages - homestay.
Our guide pick you up from Lao Cai station for then for breakfast and then take a car to ethnic market, on the way you enjoy beautiful rice paddy field and the guide give you alot informations about mountainous strange ethnic cultures, arrive market you have a short walk to visit market and explore the basic life of local people, you can take a seat to talk and drink some corn wine with them , an other side you will see many domestic animals such as buffalos, dogs, cats, chicken, horses, birds...the special is so colorfull of may kind ethnic people. Lunch in local restaurant. 

Afternoon we say good by the busy market to trek through flower Hmong villages, in there you discover the life of them and how they work on rice,corn fields with amazing terrace field goes  into many tourists and never forget....overnight Hmong homestay in Ta Van Chu village as well as enjoy diner and drink some corn wine with family.

Day: 2 . Dzao - Ha Nhi ethnic people - amazing rice terrace field.Rice terrace field
Afterbreakfast we keep going to Lung Phing valley, discovering black Dzao and Ha Nhi minority people as well as beautifull rice and corn fields, on the way you can see many fruit farm and school ,have a look and enjoy some fruit ,taking children pictures they are very happy when you take pictures from them it is also souvenir for them. Lunch and take a car back to Lao Cai city for Viet Nam - China bordergate and go to train station for shower and diner before get on the train to Ha Noi.

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Silver water fall, Love water fall and Sapa villages tour

Arrive in Lao Cai around 5:00 a.m.Take 1 hour van ride uphill to the beautiful town of Sapa. You have breakfast at the hotel before having a 30 minute drive takes you to Tram Ton Pass at the height of 2,100 meters above sea level where great views are offered of the surrounding mountain and lush forests of the Hoang Lien National Park. From there you will trek an hour through forest, along Golden Stream to the Love Waterfall. It is the best place for relax in Sapa. Then return Tram Ton for a short drive to  O Quy Ho where you start to trek about 9km along the mountain trails to visit Sin Chai village, home to Black Hmong, pinic lunch will be served along the way. Being transferred back to Sapa in the late afternoon.

Met up at your hotel in Sapa by local guide and then you first sneak through the market and leave the busy town behind. After a couple of minutes, you will follow a road going downhill to Cat Cat village. You will stop by a waterfall and a hydroelectric station for a while before you trek on a dirt trail through rice paddy terraces. You will also enjoy spectacular scenery while walking along a narrow river. You eventually arrive in Y Linh Ho village of Black Hmong minority, where you can take a rest while you are served lunch nearby the river. After lunch, you trek to Muong Hoa valley.

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Festivals in Sapa

You will have the opportunity to participate in the unique festivals of the people here. Each festival is a unique symbol for each ethnic, exotic and extremely interesting.
"Roong Pooc" Festival of the Giay people
Every year, on dragon day in January of Lunar calendar, the Giay people in Ta Van, Sa Pa district, they organize "Roong Pooc" festival to pray good harvest and good weather.
Although this is the traditional festival of the Giay people, it has been spreaded and become the common festival of the Muong Hoa valley for many years. In "Roong pooc" festival, in addition to the unique ceremonies, there are many games, dancing, and performing drums. It is very interesting.
“Nao Cong” Festival

On dragon day in June of Lunar calendar every year, the villages of the H'mong people, the Dao people, the Giay people are converge at the shrine in Ta Van to organize "Nao Cong" festival. Each family appoints a vice gerent(probably the husband or wife), irrespective of male or female and old or young. Just like "Roong Pooc" Festival , “Nao Cong” Festival is organized to pray good harvest and good weather. Besides, in the festival, the leaders will declare the general conventions and finish by the happy meals.

Tet Nhay ceremony
Tet Nhay is the important festival and prepared by the Dao people in Ta Van, usually held on the 1st or 2nd in Lunar New Year. The main content of the ceremony is to pray good people, good thing, "drinking water, remember its source". The sacrificial activities in Tet Nhay festival is extremely unique with 14 dances of some young men who is selected and the sacrifice is performed by shaman.
“Nhan Song” ceremony and “Nao Song” ceremony

This is the festival of the Dao people in Giang Ta Chai village, meaningful education to villagers prevention of deforestation. Currently, only years when the forests is suffered by many destructions, buffalo and horses are graze freely breaking gardening, crops. That's why the Dao people organize "Nhan Song" ceremony. In the ceremony, "Chau chieu" - the forest warder who was elected by the villagers, he will stand up to declare laws prevent deforestation and to punish those who violate. After discussing, that man will collect the opinions of the villagers into own conventions of the village and people voluntarily comply.
The H'mong in Sao Ma Ty, in Den Thang Ta Van as well as in Lao Chai, Hau Thao previously held similar ceremony called " Nao Song" that is held on Dragon day in January of Lunar calendar. The content of "Nao Song" ceremony is expansion the scope of regulation the Dao people. In addition to protection forest, against grazing cattle, and referring to the prevention of problem theft, crop protection, support and help each other,etc.
Quet Lang Festival of the Xa Pho People
Every year, the Xa Pho people is often held Quet Lang festival on Horse day or Goat day in February of Lunar calendar with the purpose of making people feel comfortable, crop grow, animal strong. In this festival, everyone contributes pig, chicken, goat, dog, rice,etc to worship the ghosts( in the concept of the Xa Pho people), the shaman make ceremony, the villagers dance and pray in happiness. At the end of the ceremony, everyone eats happily together. The food must be eaten all, do not bring in the village.
Gau Tao ceremony of the Hmong People

Gau Tao ceremony is the important festival of the H'mong people.
The festival is organized for the purpose of praying good thing or life. If some families doesn't have any child or have one girl or one boy, they will ask the shaman to organize ceremony in order to
have a child or more– that's ceremony of praying good thing.
If some families is often sick, weak child, crops and animals die out, they will ask the shaman to organize Gau Tao ceremony – that's ceremony of praying life. The festival is often held on the occasion of beginning of year.
Xuong Dong Festival
Xuong dong festival is held in the spring, in the morning of the 8th in Lunar New Year every year by the Tay people and the Dao people. The festival is started from land ceremony , water ceremony then conmunication ceremony with deities. Next, the festival has the interesting dances and folk music of the Tay and Dao people.

 

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Sapa travel information

With 25 ethnics living together, thanks to this, Lao Cai has become a diversity land about culture, history and tradition. It is a wonderful land for those who love nature.
Being one of highland provinces of Vietnam, it has attracted many people by pristine beauty of forest, animals, plants and lifestyle of the people here. Lao Cai has many historic sites, natural caves and agro-ecological zones.
Referring to Lao Cai, it can't fail metion to Sapa resort which is one of many famous tourist areas. Sapa located in the height of 1200 meters - 1800 meters, cool weather all year round, majestic forest, grandeur waterfall and the place of many traditional activities of ethnics as Sapa love market. If you are adventurous, Hoang Lien Son mountain range will be a interesting destination. Phan Xi Pang peak which is the roof of Vietnam and Hoang Lien natural protected area are also attractive places for you. The pair of international border gate Lao Cai (Vietnam) - Ha Khau of Yunnan (China) over Thi  Nam River is also an interesting tourist destination. Moreover, there are so many destinations for you to explore such as: Bac waterfall, Sapa ancient rocks, Ham Rong mountain, Co Tien mountain, Coc San cave, Ta Phin cave,etc.
Here are some pictures about a few of beautiful sites of Lao Cai:

It has not only many beautiful sites but also many weird dishes such as: "thang co", salmon, sturgeon, salted pork, "thit lon gac bep", seven coloured steamed sticky rice, "lon cap nach", San Lung wine, Bac Ha wine and so on for you to fill your stomach.

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Cao Son Market Sapa

Cao Son market is located in Cao Son commune, Lao Cai province. Visitors will have the opportunity to interact and learn more about the daily life of ethnic. In order to Cao Son market, visitors can follow several routes. However, if visitors want to have opportunities to cruise on the river and soak up the natural landscape, they will join tours on the Chay River. 

Cao Son market is the market of ethnic H’Mong, Phu La, Black Dao and Han living in 4 biggest villages of Muong Khuong. Market has only meeting on Wednesday.
In the fair, early in the morning, people from villages come to the market sequentially. They go into each group, in pairs and one by one. People use horses to pack the goods or use motorbike, bike… The girls of H’Mong and Dao wear pretty dress with delicate flowers, bright colors, which creates the charming picture. 
Like some other fairs, Cao Son market is divided into several zones. The item with flavor of mountains such as: vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, black mushrooms, honey, corn, house wares, jewelry… that gather into one area, arrange type of goods. Especially, tourists can see the range of brocade with vivid patterns. These products show ingenious talent of the H’Mong, Phu La and Dao women.
Visitors will easily be overwhelmed by some cuisines such as flavors of buffalo meat, horse meat and beef of the H’Mong. Moreover, tourists will enjoy Coc Dam, Coc Ngu wine. In the bustling atmosphere, visitors will have to sit and enjoy the ethnic cuisine of them. Coming to Cao Son, you will have opportunities to enjoy the cultural interference of some ethnic groups living along the Chay River.
Tourists can visit Cao Son market without entrance fee.

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Silver Waterfall Sapa

Silver Waterfall is far about 15 kilometers from Sapa toward Lai Chau; tourists take approximately 30 minutes by motorbike or bus to visit one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Vietnam. The scenery along the way, the pine forest, and the 'su su' spread over the hills. 

With more than 100 meters high, white water poured down the stream. Standing on Ham Rong Mountain, visitors will see the water flows down as silver so that people in here called the waterfall with the romantic name “Silver Waterfall”. Go over about 2 kilometers, tourists will come to Tram Ton where the mountain Fan Si Pan conquest begins to conquer the roof of Indochina. Continue the trip to Heaven Gate, visitors will find spectacular natural paintings with dense forest, far away is the little crooked path. And they will see the difference between the two provinces of Lao Cai and Lai chau. Sapa has the cool and pleasant air, in contrast, Lai Chau has climate as the summer. Guests can soak in the cool stream, throw away all worries and relax under the shade of forest in order to all sorrows go with Silver flows.

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Fan Si Pan Mountain Sapa

Hoang Lien Son is a mountain range in the northwest of Vietnam. The Hoang Lien Son has many celandine. The mountain is the kingdom of flowers: azalea, orchids, Hoang Anh, Bgonha, Estacola... Additionally, it has many wood species like pine oil, birds, partridges, bears, monkeys, chamois and the thousands of medicinal herbs.Hoang Lien Son range includes Vietnam's highest mountain: Fan Si Pan at a height of 3142m. It is considered as the roof of Viet Nam and Indochina. Fan Si Pan is the highest mountain in Hoang Lien Son range, the largest width of about 75km.

 It is concluded 3 blocks: Bach Moc Luong Tu, Fan Si Pang and Pu Luong. Tourists, who are adventurous come to Fan Si Pan, want to explore and experience the spectacular natural. On the holiday, people go there is huge. This place has natural conservation areas which includes temperate forests with bright yellow flowers and sub-tropical forest. Fan Si Pang is the place for 2024 plants, 327 species of animals including many species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Come here, you can see some animals. On the high point at 2963m has a milestone marking the conquering of the French in 1905. Climbing up a little bit more, tourists can see a huge stone blocks, located by a small stone. In order to climb Fan Si Pan, travelers need a license provided by Hoang Lien Son National Park Management. This license can be obtained in the morning when you start to climb Fan Si Pan. The fee tourists should pay that includes: -          Cleaning fees: 5.000vnd/day -          Forestfees: 150.000vnd/day -          Climbing fees: 30.000vnd/day -          Insurance: 5.000vnd/day Tourists need a sleeping bag that can be hired in Sapa about 120.000vnd at the tourist office. Sleeping on Fan Si Pan is always a problem when mountain lodging is very basic. Small groups (4-5 people) can sleep in the tents; the large group should be prepared camp. There are many different sizes and different prices. Camp for 2, 4 or 10 people, price is about 120-200.000 camp/day. You are permitted bringing camera.

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Ban Ho Village Sapa

Come to Sapa, tourists can climb Ham Rong Mountain, Cat Cat or Lao Chai- Ta Van of The H'Mong, Ta Phin village where The Dao live and go to Silver Waterfall, Rattan Bridge or ancient reef, the roof of Indochina-Fan Si Pan mountain. Sapa has one place that you should come and stay with home stay style. No foreign tourists before leaving Ban Ho village without leaving the emotional entries beacause the natural scenery is very fascinating and people is very friendly and hospitable.Ban Ho is far from Sapa town about 20 kilometers. 

It is divided into three areas: Ta Trung Ho, Xeo Trung Ho and Hoang Lien, which is place of the Mong, Dao, Tay. Have no specific price but guides usually pay 20.000vnd/people/day for accommodation. The owner doesn’t appreciate it as important; they bring foods and wine for tourists. Come to Ban Ho, you will be alive and living in the cozy ambiance and friendly family. Because the climate in Ban Ho is warmer than Sapa (between 18-250C), in the afternoon, tourists can enjoy yourself in the stream Lave, sight Da Nhay waterfall. After lunch, the hospitable owner will take guests to the Red Dao village on the mountain so as to bath with herbs. The herbs will be poured into wood tank. Tourists will dip into the tank and after 15 minutes the water has been drawn to refill new water. After that, tourists can feel well being, euphoria extremely. When the sun sets, you can walk around Ban Ho to see people weave brocade and can buy a plate with only 20.000 vnd that is wide enough to wrap around a skirt. At the weekend, tourists can sing with local people. Each region will bring the different games, dances and unique dishes to invites its visitors.  Ticket prices: 40.000vnd/adult

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Most of attractions in Sapa must see

1 – Sapa Town
Nested under the shadow of Fansipan mountain, Sapa Town beautifully sits on a hill top at 1,600m above sea level, viewing over the Muong Hoa valley. Being unknown until 1880s when the French arrived Sapa town was quickly became well-known for its natural beauty, fresh and cool climate. As a result, in early decades of 20th Century, It was built into a summer resort by the French with some hundred villas to accommodate their colonials to escape away from summer heat of cities in lower regions.

The resistant war against the French(1945-1955), caused a lot of damages and Sapa was almost isolated and forgotten until 1990s when tourism started again in Vietnam. Sapa woke up to welcome the first tourists in early 1990s and be developing into a large town to serve the booming tourism. Although experiencing such fast growing, the town is well maintained its own charms and resisted its harmony to the surrounding nature. From the top of Ham Rong Mountains a perfect panorama view of the town open wide with lovely architectures and buildings under the shades of pine trees which centered around the Church and market place.
 
2 – Cat Cat Vilage
Cat Cat is a village of the Black H’mong, about 5 Km west of Sapa Town. Located near the bottom of a deep valley right at the foot of Fansipan, the village is surrounded by high mountains and terraced rice paddies on hill slope. There is a waterfall near the village where the French built a hydraulic power station and It is really a beautiful sport. A short walk from Sapa Town to Cat Cat Village, especially in late afternoon to admire magnificent landscape is worthwhile.
 
3 – Muong Hoa River & Valley
Starting as a small stream of water from the foot of Silver Waterfall about 14 Km northwest of Sapa town, weaving its way along mountains’ feet southeast between the two mountain ranges. About eight kilometers southeast of Sapa town, the two mountain ranges open wider to form the Muong Hoa Valley which get wider and wider as it goes further south about 30 km. The Muong Hoa valley is famous for breathtaking scenery and is the largest farmland for rice growing in Sapa district.
 
4 – Y Linh Ho Village
Located about 7 km southwest of Sapa town, on the west side of Muong Hoa River. Y Linh Ho is a small commune composed by a dozen of small hamlets scattering on the very tough mountain terrain with high and steep mountains. There are some hundred inhabitants from the Black H’mong only living in this commune. They built their rudimentary houses on their farmland and mainly cultivate corn and dry rice on the steep hillsides. The only way to get to the commune is on foot from the main road. It is also the place where we start many of our hiking tours.
 
5 – Lao Chai Village
About 8 – 9 Km southeast of Sapa town on the west bank of Muong Hoa River, Lao Chai is a commune composed by three large villages with over 100 families of the Black H’mong ethnic. From a high point of the main road 8 Km from Sapa town, great view of the whole village open wide to offer the marvelous panorama of the village, backed by high mountains and facing the river. The H’mong people in this village experience rice intensive farming on the lower land near the bottom of the valley as main source of earning while growing corn on the mountain slopes at the back of the village.
 

 6 – Ta Van Village
Next to Lao Chai on the same side of Muong Hoa River is Ta Van village where the Zay and H’mong ethnic people live together. This is one of the best places to see the different traditional ways of living as well as cultural assimilation. The Zay live a sedentary style and always choose the low land near valleys’ bottom and river for growing wet rice while the H’mong prefer higher elevation for corn farming. Especially some decade ago when poppy cultivation for opium was not forbidden. Recently, the H’mong changed from sifting into sedentary way of life they gradually move to lower land and learn many things from others. At this moment Ta Van can be reach by car, Jeep, mini van. However a trail up and downhill from Y Ling Ho through Lao Chai to Ta Van offers superb and romantic rout to hikers.
 
7 – Su Pan Village
Also located along Muong Hoa Valley like Lao Chai and Ta Van but Su Pan commune can be referred to as “mountainous commune”. Occupying the highland on the east side of the main road about 17 Km from Sapa town, Su Pan including 4 small hamlets of the Black H’mong and Red Zao looks down to the Muong Hoa Valley and is one of the poorest commune to Sapa due to the thin and poor soil. Walking uphill from the road, one can see rudimentary houses built on the rocky farmland where the locals cultivate corn for their staple food.

8 – Giang Ta Chai Village
Opposite to Su Pan on the other side of Muong Hoa River and valley is Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Zao ethnic, nested under shade of the trees and bamboo hedges near a large and magnificent waterfall. The Red Zao people here built their houses on the rocky land and little bit reserved to outsiders. From the main road, a narrow trails as a string down to the river and a romantic suspension bridge cross to the other side, passing the foot of the waterfall to the village.
 
9 – Ban Ho Village
At the end of the motor way about 25 Km from Sapa town lies a vast and flat valley, circled by mountains and hills. It is Ban Ho valley home to the Tay ethnic. The Muong Hoa River winds its way around the village provide fresh water for 2 crops of rice and bean every year and it make the scenery of the valley more romantic. The Tay people possesses high rice farming technique and live sedentary lifestyle. Their villages are often very large with hundred households. Their houses are impressively built on stilts in unique structure to form superb dwellings. It is also a very good village for experiencing home stay.
 
10 – Thanh Son – My Son – Nam Cang Villages
Lying at the southern edge of the district, about 35km from Sapa town, these three villages each consist of about 10 to 15 families are among the most remote villages and home to the Xa Pho, a very small ethnic group populated as few as nearly 4,000 in Vietnam only. Till nowadays these people rarely contact with people from other group and most of them can speak their own slang only. However schools were built in these villages recently and the children now go to school. The Xa Pho in these villages are among the poorest people in Vietnam due to backwards farming technique. They mainly live on slash and burn agriculture, hunting, gathering forest products such as bamboo shoot, mushroom. For about 10 years up to now, some projects and programs have been carrying out here in order to help villagers to handle better farming technique to improve their life but it will take time. A tough trail which takes about 5 to 6 hours walk from Ban Ho village which offers fabulous scenery and a chance to explore, meet and witness the amazingly hard life of the Xa Pho in these villages.
 

 11 – Ma Tra & Ta Phin Villages
Lying some kilometers east of Sapa town lies a large oval shaped valley which is home to the H’mong and Red Zao of Ma Tra and Ta Phin Village. Following the main road from Sapa to Lao Cai for 4km, one can enjoy the panorama view of the whole valley, stretching for about 12 Km with some low hills in the middle to divide the valley into two parts. The closer part to the road is area of Ma Tra village and the further one is Ta Phin village where the Red Zao and Black H’mong share the land. The H’mong occupy the higher land on which they built narrow terraced rice paddies while the Red Zao cultivate larger and flat fields around the center of the valley. From over 10 years ago, a 15km motor way was built to connect the center of the valley with Sapa town and it takes only half an hour. However, It is much more interesting to follow the trail which run on high elevation around the valley for a real life discovery.
 
12 – Silver Waterfall & Tram Ton Heaven gate
Following the main road 4C 14km further north is the famous Silver Waterfall and 4 km more is the highest mountain pass of Vietnam which is called by locals Heaven Gate. The road ride offers great view of the magnificent Fansipan on the other side of the valley with immense lush forest. Tram Ton pass is also an ideal point for enjoying breathtaking scenery of the west side of Fansipan which is very different from the east side due to the different climate.

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