This is Lao Chai, the hamlet in the valley belongs to Sa Pa town, where the H'mong minority people leveled mountain slopes by hand to make space for cultivating rice-fields and lots for housing. On my way trekking down, I met this little H'mong girl going uphill toward Sa Pa town. She walked as quickly and easily as we descended the hill. She still have 7km to complete before arriving her destination. In Vietnam, to encourage one's into a challenging path, they said "solid feet on soft rocks". Whether proverb is correct or not, they have to accept the dark destiny.
Sa Pa ? or Chapa as originally named ? is a hill station lies in a nice valley (elevation 1600m), nicknamed The Roof of Vietnam. It is 390 km from Hanoi and near the border with China. It is the most famous hill station in North Vietnam with many old hotels built by the French in 1922. It is very foggy in Sa Pa early in the morning, especially between November and February and during this time it is cold (down to zero degree Celsius). Every 20 years or so people in Sa Pa can see snowfall (about 15 cm thick, the last one happened in January 2000). This is the land of H'mong and Dzao people, the largest and most typical groups in the region. Most of them are poor and the old women are well known for their way of selling souvenirs. The best event in Sa Pa is weekend Love Market on Saturday night (after 21.00 pm).The Black H'mong lives highest in the mountains, and are renowned for their musicality, songs and word-play. The women wear tunic-style dresses of hemp fabric, dyeing with natural indigo to a deep purple-black. They wear strips of indigo cloth as leggings, and stunning silver bangles around their necks and arms.
Ngythanh, again your work has immediately caught my eye. This is a beautiful shot. I am encouraged to take a look at all of you work in your portfolio. Keep up the excellent work.
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