Why Go? A landscape of towering evergreen peaks, fertile river val- leys and
scattered hill-tribe villages, sparsely populated northwest Vietnam is the country's
...
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Northwest Vietnam Why Go? Hoa Binh ........................ 118 Mai Chau ....................... 118 Son La............................ 119 Tuan Giao....................... 121 Pa Khoang Lake ............ 121 Dien Bien Phu ............... 121 Muong Lay .....................124 Lai Chau ........................124 Sapa...............................125 Lao Cai...........................132 Bac Ha ...........................133 Ha Giang Province.........137
Best Places to Eat »
Sapa Rooms (p130)
»
Red Dao House (p130)
»
Viet Emotion (p130)
»
Ngan Nga Gia Huy (p135)
»
Café Pho Co (p139)
Best Places to Stay » Mai Chau Nature Place (p119) » Hmong Mountain Retreat (p127) »
Truong Xuan Resort (p137)
»
Pan Hou Village (p137)
»
Rocky Plateau Hotel (p140)
A landscape of towering evergreen peaks, fertile river valleys and scattered hill-tribe villages, sparsely populated northwest Vietnam is the country’s most dramatic and mountainous region. This is also the heartland of hill-tribe culture, and the region’s markets are enlivened by the scarlet headdresses of the Dzao women, the indigo fabrics of the sociable Black H’mong, and the Flower H’mong’s beautiful brocaded aprons. Sapa is a great base for superb hiking and stunning vistas of Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak, and from this old French hill station the fabled northwest loop road crosses high mountain passes to Dien Bien Phu, before crossing lush lowland valleys south to Mai Chau. To the northeast, Bac Ha is home to a fascinating Sunday market, and the incredibly scenic province of Ha Giang hugs the Chinese border. Public bus services and road conditions are improving, but many travellers explore the region by motorbike or 4WD.
When to Go Sapa °C/°F Temp
Rainfall inches/mm
40/104
32/800
30/86
24/600
20/68
16/400 8/200
10/50
0
0/32 J
F
M
Jan–Feb The coldest (and foggiest) months with temperatures down as low as 0°C in Sapa.
A
M
J
J
A
Mar–Jun The weather is often excellent, but rains intensify from June onwards.
S
O
N
D
Sep–Dec Settled weather and a good time to be around Sapa.
1 17 History
with limited autonomy in ‘special zones’, but these were abolished after reunification. Life for the minorities has always been difficult. Their most profitable crop was opium, but the authorities have clamped down and very little is now produced. Educational opportunities were limited, but new schools in remote areas now provide most children with education. Economic prospects remain limited, so many highlanders move to cities in search of work.
The history of the northwest differs to lowland Vietnam. The Vietnamese traditionally avoided mountains, believing the terrain was not suitable for large-scale rice production. For many centuries the area remained inhabited by scatterings of minority people, joined in the 19th century by migrants from Yunnan, China and Tibet. This was the ‘badlands’, a buffer zone of bandits between China and Vietnam. During Ho Chi Minh’s leadership, the North Vietnamese experimented
Dong Van Meo Vac Quan Ba Yen Pass Minh
To Kunming (260km)
CHINA YUNNAN
12
n ou M
So ng
Riv
YEN BAI
Tuyen Quang
er) Yen Bai
(Black R
iver )
Thuan Chau
Son La Viet Tri
PHU THO
6
Tay Trang
SON LA
0 0
ed
Da
279
Pa Khoang Lake
Thac Lake
(R
er iv
LAOS
g
eR air Cl
Tuan Giao
ns tai
6
TUYEN QUANG
on
oan gL ien
12
2
Sapa Tam Duong 70 (Binh Lu) Hoang Lien Fansipan National Park Chan So (3143m) ng LAO Nua 32 H H CAI
LAI Muong Lay CHAU (Lai Chau)
Dien Bien Phu
Lao Cai
Ga m
er
Sinho 4D
Hekou
Ri v
er)
Pa Tan
Muong Te
Tram Ton Pass
River
So (Blac ng Da k Ri v
Huong Su Phi Xin Man Bac Ha HA GIANG Bac Ngam
Chay
Thac Bac Lai Chau Waterfall (Tam Duong)
Yen Chau
Song Da Reservoir Moc Chau
100 km 60 miles
Ba Vi National Park
Xa Linh
Hoa Binh Mai Chau
Northwest Vietnam Highlights 1 Walk misty mountain
trails through sublime scenery and hill-tribe villages around Sapa (p125)
2 Escape from busy, busy Hanoi by trekking, kayaking and biking in the Mai Chau (p118) region
3 Make for the minority markets – a blaze of colour when the Flower H’mong are in town – around Bac Ha (p134) 4 Negotiate Vietnam’s
newest travellers’ frontier, the improbably scenic
6
mountains and valleys of Ha Giang (p137) province
5 Explore the bunkers, museums and war memorials of Dien Bien Phu (p121), the end of the road for the French in Vietnam
NORTHWEST VIETNAM
4C
Ha Giang
