Tribasia Blog

Northern Vietnam is full of surprises. When you think you have come across all the minorities in one given area, you quickly realize that you are short of a few.

The official number of ethnic minorities recognized by the authorities (54) falls short of the real-life picture. One grouping often hides many different sub-groups and cultures.
Although they might not exist in the official eyes, these minorities still lead their day-to-day life.

Before leaving Sa Pa, we ventured north, towards Lao Cai. We were convinced that we had seen all the minorities in Sa Pa's immediate vincinity: Black Hmong, Red Dzao, Dzay and Xa Pho.

We were proven wrong when we came across a different sub-group of Dzao people living in a hamlet, 18 kms north of Sa Pa. As they do not speak English and we do not speak Dzao language, we could not establish the name of this sub-group.

These Dzao people use different stitching patterns and headdress from the Red Dzao.
They wrap their head in a colourful material adorned with flowers and arranged in a conic shape. We were happily surprised to come across this village and be kept on our toes in our tribal quest :))

Sa Pa region is not only full of 'ethnic' surprises but also surrounded by magnificent landscapes. Every curve on the mountain road unveals landscapes more spectacular than the ones you previously saw.

We leave Sa Pa with great memories of its ethnic diversity and natureal beauties. Soon it will be time for us to leave Vietnam altogether.

Labels: Black Dzao, ethnic diversity, mountains, nature, northern Vietnam, Sa Pa

After much trekking, it was time to hire a bike again to cover the 55 kms from Sa Pa to Lai Chau district to discover its colourful markets and minorities.

The road from Sa Pa to Lai Chau crosses the highest mountain pass in Vietnam, the Tram Ton at over 1,900 metres, and therefore offers unique views of the mountain range and Vietnam's highest peak, the Fansipan. From afar, mountains proudly show their natural curves with curly green vegetation rolling down their sides, in contrast with the sharpness of cultivated fields down the valleys at their feet.

Amid such natural beauty, the destruction caused by recent mass public works is a sore sight.
Mechanical digger arms are like abscesses on the scenery. We all know it takes billions of years and a succession of natural phenomenons to make up a mountain; it seems so fickle that an army of excavators could turn it to ruin for the sake of a modern age in less than a year!

Going back to the local people, touch wood, local cultures have not so far been as negatively impacted as the environment they live in, although they directly suffer or benefit from its changes.

It is really striking how ethnic minority groups differ from one distric to the next. On the one hand, Sa Pa area is mainly populated with Black Hmong and Red Dzao as we recounted in the last few posts. On the other hand, Lai Chau district is the home of Lu people as well as Black Dzao and Red Hmong. We are aware that all these names sound rather similar except the colours are mixed up but once you see these groups in real life, there is no confusion possible!

In terms of traditional outfits: the Lu are recognizable with their wide black headdress with colourful teasels at each end and their blackened teeth -although the practice is now less common among younger generations.

The Black Dzao of course wear black linen/cotton clothing but what makes them unique is their headdress again. They sport a silvery inverted spiral on top of a solid black base, sometimes covered by a cloth, particularly under the sun as it gets very hot! They are tenacious but not aggressive in their endeavors.

Red Hmong contrarily to their name cannot be spotted because of their red clothing but the way they hold their hair in a giant swirl around their head. It provides their hair with so much volume that any shampoo manufacturer would die for it. We do not have the secret to their hairdressing but we will sure try and find out! Red Hmong are more aggressive than the Black Dzao when it comes to interacting and communicating but we are now used to their ways... although still not to their dogs :))

After so much excitement discovering new faces, the road works spoilt a bit the fun for us. With so much sand, mud and big trucks with blind drivers on the road, it was inevitable that we would have a difficult time riding. And we did! We ended up slipping on the road surface, luckily at low speed, and with a few scratches but we are well. After a few days' rest, we will be back on track!

Labels: Black Dzao, Fansipan, Lai Chau, Luzon, mountain, northern Vietnam, Red Hmong, Sa Pa, Tram Ton Pass