Tribasia Blog

On 12th June, we went riding around Dien Bien Phu as planned. Although many minority villages can be easily spotted from the road, not all are within reach. You often have to ride up dirt roads and zigzag to avoid holes and rocks before getting anywhere close.

Thai villages are easier to visit as they are often based alongside main roads, in the valley.
We rode more than 25 kms away from Dien Bien towards the Lao border. We crossed a Thai settlement and decided to enter by crossing a suspended bridge.
Although our visit was unnannounced, we felt welcome. A group of young Thais invited us to share some sour mango. They were curious of our appearances and laughed at the pictures we made of them.

However, within 15 minutes of our arrival, two policemen, probably residing in the village, asked us to leave. We are still not sure if we were beyond permitted land or too close to the border for their taste but we had to comply.

On the way back, we spotted a Hmong village sitting on a hill top. How did we know it was a Hmong village? Well, because Hmong women were waiting down the dirt track at the foot of the village. Besides, even from a distance, the houses' structure looked very much typical of the Hmong (compacted mud walls, etc.).
We decided to venture into the village. This is not a decision we took lightly as Hmong villages are ALWAYS populated with rabid dogs.

We were lucky enough this time that dogs gave us a break. We were able to chat with a few Hmong women sitting in front of their houses with their young children. The Hmong of this area adorn their black headdress with colourful pompoms (mostly pink or orange), a colourful top whose long sleeves' pattern (stripes) differ from that of the body (flowery motives) and a black silky skirt.

We then headed back to Dien Bien for a well-deserved rest. On 13th June, we have to wake up very early...

Labels: Black Hmong, Dien Bien Phu, North Vietnam, pompoms, Thai Tay, villages

At first sight, the namesake capital of Lang Son province (northeastern Vietnam) is not a pretty town. Many travellers only pass through it with a view of crossing the border into China, or vice-versa. However, if you linger long enough to discover its sights (beautiful caves), markets and meet the locals, you might feel drawn to linger a little more!

Historically, Lang Son and its region suffered a lot during the -last- Chinese offensive in 1979. Luckily for its inhabitants, relationships between Vietnam and its northern neighbour have much improved and trade boomed.

The main ethnic groups in this area are the Tho, Nung, Man and Dzao.
Intermarriage between ethnic groups, mass education and 'modern' lifestyle have eroded traditional ways and tribal cultures. As a result , we only witnessed older Nung women still dressed in traditional attire: long silky dark trousers worn with a long sleeve indigo Mao-style top and their hair tied in a crown shape. Younger generations all wear western-style clothing.

We left Lang Son after an overnight stay to go to Cao Bang province where we have just arrived today. The town is peaceful and its markets packed with local fruit and vegetable stalls. We bought 2 kilos of lychees to up ou Vitamin C intake, watch this space ;0).

We'll need all the vitamins we can get as we are off very early tomorrow, 6th June, to our first Montagnard market by riding out north!

Labels: China, Lang Son province, Markets, North Vietnam, Nung

Yesterday we went back trekking north of Sa Pa (North Vietnam) with the hope of spending more time in a Red Dzao village located at the top of a mountain, at around 1800 metres' altitude.

We met again some of the Dzao women we encountered a couple of days ago. Many of them are now busy working in the fields with their families. A lady explained to us that for a period of roughly twenty days, they have to work very hard to finish off replanting all their land plots and increase the chance of having a good harvest (around August-September in this region). During this time, she mentioned that she is in the fields by 6 am until 6 pm with 1 hour break at lunchtime.

Planting and replanting are a collective affair and we witnessed dozens of people in some plots: the bigger the family, the faster the work can be done. In comparison with the Philippines' terraced fields, North Vietnam's ones tend to be much bigger in surface area: mountain slopes out of which they are carved being less steep, it provides locals with more farmable land.

An issue that we observed during our stay here is that an increasing number of young Black Hmong and Red Dzao -in particular- gave up on farming in Sa Pa neighbourhood and instead opted for 'tourist money'. It can seem easier at first as you sure earn more from selling crafts but it means an increasing number of locals are dependent on this sole source of income. When the low tourism season comes or if sales dry up, we are not quite sure how they make ends meet.

In terms of landscape, the contrast between the ocre colour of terraces which have just been ploughed and the bright green of the ones used for replanting crops is amazing. The whirl pattern created by this maze of terraces just add to the breathtaking views in Sa Pa District.

Labels: North Vietnam, Red Dzao, rice planting, Rice replanting, rice terraces, Sa Pa District