We spent two days driving through the mountains in Sapa, our mouths dropped, gawking at the beauty of the scenery. The mountains were lined by bright green terrace farming and the valleys seemed to never end. We visited three different mountain villages and went to a couple of very vibrant markets.
First of all, the north is fabric heaven...as is the rest of Vietnam come to think of it.
The walk through the Red's Village (red referring to the particular tribe characterized by the red fabric they wear on their heads) was an interesting experience for a couple of reasons. Firstly, when tourists arrive, all of the women are waiting and they come right up to your window waiting for you to get out so that they can crowd around you and take you through their village, making sure they each get a chance to speak with you personally in the hopes that before you leave you will buy something from them.
One lady, of 21 years, spoke very good English and caught both my Mom and I's attention and affection. One topic our conversation with her was about the course of action with all the women when tourists arrive. She had met and chatted with so many tourists over the year that she found it actually embarassing that everyone hearded around cars and followed the tourists through the village. She explained that she would much rather sit and sell their items, but that once on woman stands up, the rest of them feel like they all need to compete. She said she could read on tourists faces that they found this overly imposing (mind you, we are in their villages in the first place). She said that by actually speaking with the tourists about life in her village and life in their own countries, she not only improves her English, but actually ends up receiving monetary help from more tourists than the others. Just to hear her make conclusions about the whole process was so moving because it really made me not only admire her strength and smarts, but see how tourism affected the dynamic of things in villages.
Another topic of conversation was about arranged marriage in their village. Being 21, she is considered past the age where she should have been married and have kids. She explained that she just does not want to get married and does not feel right about the process of arranged marriage. Dealing with how angry and confused it made her mother and grandmother is only one of the difficulties of this choice. She explained that she wants to focus on learning about life, talking with tourists, working on her English. She does not want to get married because she is not ready to and does not feel like it is a duty she would be able to fulfill at this point in her life. Although she says she will never leave her village because of the commitment she has to take care of her family and help in the with the chores, she has the strength to find her individuality amongst it all.
Her knowledge of English, intelligence and confidence in herself is something that was incredibly impressive and impactful. How hard it must be to stand up against her family and believe in herself is beyond strong. If only this girl was able to be given the opportunity to study and focus on her own development, she would just flourish.
After the 'Red village' we visited the 'Black village', again characterized by the black cloth they wore on their heads.
The next day, after a wonderful night at 'The Victoria Hotel' (wow) sitting fireside and chatting, we visited the famous weekend market put on by the 'Flower' village people. It was crazy busy, full of colours, amazing fabrics, tons of food vendors, and animals everywhere. The hustle and bustle of it all made for some incredible photo opportunities.
All in all, the visit up North is something that every visitor to Vietnam should experience. It is beautiful and cultural.
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