This is Lao Chai, the hamlet in the valley some 7km from Sa Pa town, where the H'mong minority people leveled mountain slopes by hand to make space for cultivated rice-fields and lots for housing.
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.
Thanks for the detailed write up, which has really enhanced the appreciation of the your capture. This is really a very beautiful place, tranquil and serene, blessed with the bounties of mother nature. I am sure you had a great time wandering around those terraced farms and the lovely mountainside. regards, anurag.
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