Sitting over a plate of pancakes, travelers are apt to discuss the development of the tourism industry in the northwestern region of Vietnam. Throngs of adventure-seekers trek through gorgeous valleys and visit dazzling Montagnard markets. Travelers with limited time can get a taste of the region with a trip to highly touristed Sa Pa or Mai Chñu. More time allows detours off the standard track, leading to worlds that are remote in a way no map can define. Beyond the city of Sa Pa, the Hoàng Liˆn S£n Mountains present some of the most desolate territory and challenging travel opportunities in Vietnam. Every additional kilometer that you venture is more rewarding than the last. The roads wind through a magnificent array of highland populations, free from the chemically dyed kitsch and the tourist-chasers that are now part of the package in more touristed destinations.
The northwest affords a look at the Vietnam that has yet to reap the benefits of modernization. Many of the region’s people struggle to survive on less than a dollar a day. It is a landscape of tattered homes, limp ph and c£m signs, and pyramids of luscious fruit set along the roadside, all of it simmering with a flavor distinctly different from anywhere else in the country. Local Montagnards coax water buffalo through soft, lush hills and over unforgiving mountain tops. Grandmothers sit hunched over intricate embroidery in meditative concentration while grandfathers sit and puff away on bamboo water pipes. In general, life in the highlands runs differently than anywhere else in the country—we recommend that you go, but we promise not to be upset if you never return.
Lào Cai is one of two border crossings into Yunnan Province, China, and is the chief point of access to Sa Pa, the northernmost stop on most open-tour routes, and B c Hà, Sa Pa’s nearly untouched ...more
The common sentiment among visitors seems to be: “This place is beautiful—it had better not lose its charm.” Once a remote colonial hill station, Sa Pa is now the premier spot for weekend package ...more
Tourism is to B c Hà what God is to weekend worshippers—praised on market days and forgotten the rest of the week. One hundred kilometers northeast of Sa Pa, B c Hà (elevation 700m) recently ...more
The capital of one of Vietnam’s poorest provinces, Hà Giang bears witness to material poverty that lies in stark contrast with its wealth of natural beauty. Though situated on the banks of the L® ...more
The landscape between Sa Pa and i_n Biˆn Ph©—a succession of majestic mountains, ethnic villages, and gorgeous rice fields—is simply superb, bordering on surreal. Small detours and brief treks ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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