Sapa, in the northern province of Lau Cai, has a charm and magic only found in fairy tales. Hidden in the clouds it weaves a spell that enchants all who make the 10-hour trip from Hanoi. Taking the bus from the Vietnamese capital city is a memorable journey through lush mountains and paddy fields that glisten and sparkle in the golden Asian sun. For those who prefer the overnight option you can go by train to Lao Cai and onto Sapa by motorbike for US$5 or on the local bus.

Returning to any place you have fallen in love can often be a shock, particularly in South East Asia, where things changes so fast. Sitting on the back of a motorbike, hair streaming behind me while swirls of mist enveloped the Honda Dream, I tried desperately to keep my hands warm. As we took yet another hair-raising bend a group of Hmong girls, jewellery swinging from their ears and neck and their hands stained from the material dye, appeared out of the mist in their indigo blue hill tribe clothes and carrying baskets full of corn. Hmong women believe silver in the shape of a choker keeps the evil spirits away and that the circular shape they wear day and night around their necks protects their souls.

Every Hmong female has a pair or several hoop earrings and the type of metal defines her family’s wealth. Solid silver says she is from one of the wealthiest hill tribe groups, tin is medium to badly off and a hoop from a coke can denotes the individual is not only poor, but usually a beggar. These girls had huge silver chunks of jewellery and despite having their bare feet bound in blue cloth they were clearly well off. Laughing, a sign of shyness in South East Asia, they turned away on seeing me and disappeared down a narrow path, leading to a more remote section of the mountain range. There are some 400,000 Hmong living in nine different provinces in Vietnam. But it’s Sapa where most people first meet the Hmong tribe. Sapa, a French Hill station, suffers up to 200 days of fog a year and has been attracting visitors for about nine years.

As the bike bounced out of yet another pot hole little seemed to have changed in the five years since I was last here, except for a bridge being built across the water. I remembered with amusement the hours spent rescuing the local bus or pushing a vehicle that had found the fast flowing water too much and become stuck.

But, as I reached the town, I realised the once picturesque place had become one massive construction sight to cater for the swelling number of tourists. Hotels were being built everywhere. In the centre of town where the red Dzao minority people used to gather every Saturday night for their “traditional love market” a big, ugly concrete hotel had been built.

Traditionally red Dzaos and Hmong arrived at around 10pm from all over the region, to sing love songs and woo local girls with the aid of tape recorders until 3am. The Hmong, Red Dzao, Tay, Nung and Day ethnic minorities are very shy and were forced to move due to tourists and the continual invasion of a private moment. The whirl of cameras and the blinding light of flash guns going off every five seconds had all been too much. A decision was made to move the meeting place to a secret location about 25 kilometres away. It was tragic to see shabby fruit and vegetable stores around a concrete monstrosity and replacing the love market. It was if the heart of Sapa had been torn out, because of our own insensitivity and the general attitude of “it’s our holiday and we’ll do what we like”.

Picking up my bags I found a guest house on the edge of town overlooking the valley, an ideal place to hike out to the villages or explore the town further. Sadly, everywhere I went tourists were having an extremely negative impact on these incredibly friendly people. Not only did I find litter everywhere, but the young Hmong girls who enjoyed playing and laughing with tourists were much more standoffish. I felt a fear had crept in and that the once warm welcome to visitors of “jolie” (French for beautiful) was more remote and distant. The girls no longer held your hand or hugged anyone. I asked them what was wrong and one girl explained that “some tourists ask for very strange things and nothing we are selling”. Another took my hand and looked at me with huge, sad eyes. Sensing her fear I didn’t persist with my questions — her eyes said it all. It was tragic that in a few years abuse had become a problem.

It is strange but also reassuring in a country that is becoming more western daily, that these Hmong and Red Dzao women’s attire has remained unchanged for more than 300 years. This was partly due to the high mountain range they live in that previously made contact with strangers extremely rare, but also their belief that their attire is an important statement indicating how powerful, independent and different they are from us. Not only do they sell their own style of clothes, but also use old material from their traditional ruffled and brightly patterned skirts to create indigo shorts with pull strings and western style shirts.

In shops along the main street women make purses and strap over bags from off cuts for a few dollars. Nothing is expensive, not even the Western style shirts, which cost less than US$5. Be warned, you may become as indigo-stained as the Hmong if you don’t handwash the garments a few times before wearing them.

Most of the women and girls walking around town live in bamboo or, increasingly, freeze block-style houses outside Sapa, with one room for the whole family. To see a typical village requires trekking for at least two to three hours. Staying in a Hmong village requires first registering with the police. If this is ignored the families are heavily fined or given a hard time.

Seeing village life that has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years is fascinating, but it should be done in a sensitive and considerate way. If a hill tribe man wishes to marry a girl he will kidnap her and then negotiate a price with old French gold and silver coins — they still exist in bag fulls but the Hmong keep them well hidden from Westerners. The marriage ceremony is simply lots of drinking and usually takes place between the ages of 15 and 20.

Funerals are a different matter and in most cases are an elaborate affair. The women sing for three days, stroking the body while it slowly goes green and the men eat and drink rice wine around the kitchen table. The body is not buried until the last member of the family pays their respects, which can be up to a week if they live in remoter parts of the region.

Trekking around the villages I tried to find out how the elders viewed their changing circumstances. Some felt tourism brought much needed economic opportunities for them. Others felt it was leading to commercialism, prostitution, HIV/AIDS and a cultural exchange that may destroy who they are and, with it, the reasons travellers visit Sapa.

One old Hmong woman summed it up by saying “you are all strangers to us and some of you are very strange”.

Cultural Considerations

Do not poke cameras, flash lights or videos in the faces of hill tribe people. Ask if you can take a picture first and where possible get an address and send a copy back. The Hmong treasure any pictures sent back.

If taking night shots use fast film, say 1600 ASA, instead of flash or a long lens to avoid destroying the paddyfields.
Take all rubbish with you when trekking, in particular used tampaxes. Dress appropriately when trekking and get permission to stay in a village house, however remote, before leaving town. Vietnam is still a communist country and the police fine anyone breaking the laws. This can be very expensive and unpleasant for the family in question. Holding hands, hugging and embracing is a sign of friendship not an invitation for unwanted propositions. If you go out with a local girl she is seen as second hand goods and will have no chance of marrying anyone in her community if she has been caught dating a westerner.

FACT FILE

Getting around: Vietnam is very bureaucratic and travel can be time consuming. If your time is short it is worth booking a tour. See TNT Magazine for details.

Visas and paperwork: You need a visa and this costs £40. Make sure you have a spare photo on arrival in Vietnam.

Climate: The best time to go to Vietnam is tricky. When it’s hot in the south it’s cold in the north. If you are plan to travel the length of the country then travelling between December and May gives you a good mix of weather.

Money: It is best to take US dollars.

Staying with the hill tribes: Costs US$5 per night in some villages. Some villagers will invite you as a guest.