Vietnam Trekking
Price upon request
Mountain Tribes and Markets of North Vietnam
Overview | 5N/4D Tribes and Traditional Markets
The mountainous Northwest of Vietnam is not only dramatically beautiful, with towering peaks and dramatic tumbling rice terraces, it is also home to a plethora of colourful tribal minority groups that have largely retained their traditional ways of life. This a land for trekking and cultural discovery.
Sa Pa, a hill station town founded by French colonials as an escape from the heat of Hanoi and the Red River Delta lowlands, is a charming alpine outpost complete with Catholic church, French colonial-era architecture and surrounded by pine trees. In the centre of town is a bustling market which attracts tribal people from the nearby villages to trade agricultural produce, creating a kaleidoscope of colourful costumes.
Sa Pa's market is also famous for being the place of courtship, known as the Love Market, where young men would sing romantic songs to woo the girls of their affections. Nowadays tape recorders have replaced the vocal cords, however.
The biggest ethnic group in the Sa Pa area are the Black Hmong, who wear intricately stitched costumes dyed with indigo. They are also great silver smiths and the women are usually heavily laden with neckbands and bracelets.
Other tribes in the area include the Red Dao (pronounced zow) whose women-folk shave their foreheads and wear brilliant bright red headdresses with woolly baubles dangling from them, the White Tai, Flower Hmong, Lao Leung and Sapho - the poorest of the local groups.
There are many villages in the northern region that hold weekly markets, drawing tribal folk from all around, including from across the border in China. THese provide some of the best opportunities to see the extraordinary array of colourful costumes worn in the mountains. A photographer's eden.
Access to Sa Pa is best achieved by overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, a trading town on the Chinese Border, from where it is a scenic one and a half hour drive winding up towards the sky.
Note: it can be cold at night in the highlands - bring warm clothes.
Notes
This is module that can be incorporated into a Symbiosis tailor made holiday to Vietnam that can be adapted and tailored to meet your dates, preferences and passions. Please contact one of our bespoke holiday planners to create the ideal itinerary for you.
5N/4D Tribes and Traditional Markets
This package is a combination of a stay at Topas Ecolodge, where you can explore the nature, the peace and the stunning views over the mountains, and an unforgettable encounter with the various tribes in their colourful traditional dress, enjoying the fresh smell of exotic herbs and spices, sharing the abundant rice wine and purchasing some local souvenir products in their food stalls.
Sample Itinerary:
Day 1: Hanoi - night train to Lao Cai (-/-/-)
Board the night train from Hanoi's northern station to the town of Lao Cai. located on the China border, departing at around 9pm.
Day 2: Full day visit to a Market - Topas Ecolodge (B, L, D)
The train arrives at Lao Cai Station approx at 5h30 where our guide and driver are waiting. Enjoy your breakfast in a local restaurant in Lao Cai. Then set off by car from Lao Cai to one of the markets, depending on which day you arrive. There are the markets of Ban Cam (Tuesdays), Lung Khau Nhin (Thursdays), Can Cau (Saturdays) and Bac Ha (or Muong Khuong or Muong Hum on Sundays), all located in the surrounding mountainous area, 70 – 90 km from Lao Cai.
All of the markets are colourful with many different hill tribes living around the market, gathering during the morning. They come to the market not only for purchasing their local products, but also as a weekly social event.
In the mid afternoon, drive up through the dramatic mountains to Topas Ecolodge. Check in to your bungalow and enjoy the views over the valley and to the mountains around. Enjoy dinner in the lodge's restaurant.
Day 3: Topas Eco-lodge (B,L,D)
Today is at your leisure. Take walks through the rice terraces to visit local hilltribe villages or just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Day 4: Topas Ecolodge - Sapa - Lao Cai (B,-,-)
Morning at your leisure at Topas.
Then at around 11h30, take the Topas Ecolodge Shuttle bus to the old French Colonial era hill station town of Sapa. Afternoon is at your leisure to visit the town. At 17h30, you will take the shuttle bus back down to Lao Cai ready to catch the night train back to Hanoi.
Day 5: Arrival in Hanoi (-,-,-)
The train will arrive in Hanoi around 4h30 am. End of trip.
Note: It is possible to change the market day to day 3 if there is no market on day 2. In that case you will take the Topas Ecolodge shuttle bus directly from Lao Cai Station to Topas Ecolodge, and have the whole day 2 relaxing at the Lodge.
Includes:
- English or French Speaking Guide during excursions
- 2 nights twin shared accommodation in Topas Ecolodge
- Return Livitrans train ticket Hanoi – Lao Cai – Hanoi (soft sleeper in 4-berth AC cabin)
- All land transfers as indicated
- All indicated meals (B as breakfast; L as lunch; D as dinner)
- All entrance fees to the indicated places
Excludes:
- Insurance
- Pre and post trip accommodation
- Private expenses
- Drink and Beverage
- All other services not mentioned as included
Topas Eco Lodge
Topas Eco Lodge is located 18 km from Sapa, deep in the Hoang Lien Mountains, overlooking the entire valley populated by the ethnic minority villages of Ban Ho and Than Phu, 400 meters below.
The ecolodge consists of 25 individual lodges placed in a circle around the hills. From the lodge there are breathtaking views across the scenic valleys below, which are home to villages of the Tay and Red Dao (pronounced "zow") minorities.
The restaurant is an old traditional Tay stilt house. It was carefully moved piece by piece from its original site and reassembled at the lodge with more equipment to meet modern standards while respecting its original and historical qualities. 
All the meals are served in the lodge’s restaurant. The food is served either as a set menu or buffet. It’s all Vietnamese food cooked and served by minority people from the surrounding villages.The restaurant and reception can cater for up to 50 guests at a time.
Topas Eco Lodge is based on sound ecological principles, including:
Topas Eco Lodge was also constructed by local builders, skilled architects and experienced trades-people.
Room description:
25 bungalows constructed from locally quarried white granite and roofed in palm thatch. Each bungalow features either a double or twin room and a private balcony with magnificent views over the valley.
How to get there:
From Sapa, the nearest town to Topas Eco Lodge:
It takes about 45 minutes to drive from Sapa to the Ecolodge. Despite the fact that some parts are dirt road it is an interesting journey. On the way you will see daily life in the rice fields, minorities on their way to Sapa to sell handcrafts, vegetables, the picturesque view of Muong Hoa valley and more.
Hanoi:
Trains are running daily from Hanoi to the mountainous town of Lao Cai. From here, it takes an hour to drive to Sapa, the town nearest to Topas Ecolodge. These trains run day and night. The night trains provide a very good standards of soft sleeper berths - you can depart from Hanoi around 21:00 and arrive in Lao Cai next morning at 05:00. There are many other departures and arrival options.
* NOTE. Prices indicated on this website are shown as a guideline only and may be subject to currency fluctuations, banking fees and other changes outside our control. Pricing information is available in
other currencies.
