Ethnic people in Sapa, to provide you know the main ethnic groups are living in sapa town and the villages down in the green valleys around sapa.
The Hmong
Hmong people are a major group in Sapa, Hmong people are living uphill. Travelers are coming to Sapa, then village Cat Cat village where is home to Hmong people.
The Hmong, known for centuries in China by the name of Miao, used to be called the Méo in Southeast Asia. Numbering about three million, they are scattered over a vast territory stretching from southwest China (2 million) to north Vietnam (600,000), Laos (about 250,000), Thailand (150,000), and Myanmar (formerly Burma) (about 30,000).
The main subgroups present in Vietnam are the White Hmong, the Hmong Leng, Hmong Pua, Hmong Shi or Sheu, and the black Hmong. In Sa Pa, the Hmong Leng are the most numerous, some Hmong Sheu and Hmong Pe women – with their colorful skirts and double-breasted tops – come from the Muong Khuong district.
Originally, the Chinese Hmong populations used to live in the wide plains south of the Yangtse river. As of the 16th century, they started to migrate to the southeast under the demographic, territorial, and political pressure of the Chinese. During the first half of the 19th century, the Hmong left the Chinese territory and settled in neighboring countries. At the time, the great Taiping rebellion (1850-1872) was disturbing all of southern China (Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan provinces) causing long periods of famine that pushed numerous ethnic groups to go south. The Hmong entered the Indo-Chinese peninsula through North Vietnam, their presence near Lai Chau was reported in 1848. These successive waves of migration were probably facilitated by the Hmong tradition of shifting cultivation and their close contacts with the Chinese caravaneers who had been traveling for centuries through the mountains of southern Asia.
Today, the traditional agrarian economy is still based on family farms raising pigs, chickens, buffaloes, and horses, on food crops (rice, corn, manioc), and cash crops (cardamom and vegetables).
The traditional social organization of the Hmong is based on the clan. Each clan is made of lineages, all the members of which acknowledge a common founding male ancestor. In the Hmong household, up to four different generations may be gathered under the same roof. The household is the most important economic, political and ritual unit. The villages perched on the mountain slopes house, several clans.
Easily recognizable by their costume, the Sa Pa Hmong Leng – who do not call themselves Black Hmongs – still wear hemp clothes dyed with natural (black-blue) indigo. The women wear stiff indigo-blue turbans over their hair gathered into a bun. Nowadays, they hardly ever wear their batik or embroidered pleated skirts, replaced with short indigo pants. Only the collar, sleeves, and belt are embroidered with geometric patterns in silk. The White Hmong women from the Bat Xat district wear long black pants, fairly short-waisted double-breasted jackets, and cover their hair with colorful headscarves. The Hmong Pua, Hmong Pe, and Hmong Sheu women from the Bac Ha district wear similar batik skirts with an embroidered band. They are distinguished by the decorative patterns and shape of their aprons.
Dao people Dzao people – Sapa:
The Red Dao people’s s land is in a remote area, to discover the land Dao people, tourists should come to Ta Phin village where is the Dao people living around this land.
The Dao, known as the Man or Yao in southwest China for centuries, also number a few tens of thousands in Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (formerly Burma). The Dao-Mien settled in Vietnam two to three centuries ago, depending on the area. One of the Dao’s specific cultural features is their traditional writing system using Chinese characters. Preserved texts make it possible to trace their origins back to the provinces of south China. Their Taoist religion is also based on texts. For major Taoist ceremonies, the ritual space must be surrounded by painted pictures of the divinities and celestial generals. As a consequence, the art of painting on paper and canvas survives among the Dao. Like the Hmong, the Dao build terraced paddy fields irrigated by a sophisticated system of canals around Sa Pa. They also have a reputation for pig and horse breeding. The different Dao groups from the Lao Cai province usually wear red headdresses or red pieces of clothing. The Dao (Ké Mien) from the Taphin and Tavan villages (Sa Pa district) wear flat headdresses, totally red, hung with silver coins. The headdresses of the Dao (Ké Mien) from the Muong Hum district (north of Sa Pa) are cone-shaped and made of red flowery material. The Bac Ha (Ké Moun) Dao enhance their turbans with red and pink wool or silk threads. The headdresses of the Dao (Iu Mien) from Van Ban district – south of Sa Pa – are decorated with red and yellow pompoms, and hang low down their backs.
Tay in Sapa:
Tay people are living in the valley – Ban Ho village, coming Ban Ho traveler will know about the Tay people’s culture, life, and daily activities. Nowadays, Sapa tourism opens for homestay in Ban Ho with Tay People, your request on Sapa tours to trekking here and overnight with Tay people in the house on stilt.
Tày grows rice in paddy fields, preferably in the plains and in the valleys. The villages consist of wooden or bamboo stilt houses and are often built near a stream or a river. The household is the basic economic unit and tends to be a nuclear family limited to close relatives.
The Tày, Giay, Nung, and Thai women wear brightly-colored jackets, – pink, green, or blue – double-breasted, often with contrasting braid at the collar. The tartan headscarf covers their hair gathered into a bun. Traditionally, each group used to have their own style of bun, held up with long silver needles, but the custom is vanishing
Zay people:
Ta Van village is the main home of Zay people, travel to here you will learn much more about Zay people, if travelers like to take experiences on the Zay’s community, should request homestay on house-on-stilt in Ta Van village with Zay people
Inclusion: Night train tickets, Tour guide, Transfer from Hanoi to Lao Cai station
Inclusion: Breakfast; lunch; dinner, Homestay in Ta Van, Entrance fee; Tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle pick up from Lao Cai train station to Sapa town
After breakfast, we keep the easy trekking through the rice terrace track to Giang Ta Chai village where is home of Red Dao people, and then to Su Pan village where the vehicle is awaiting for transferring back to Sapa town.
The afternoon time is free at leisure and explore Sapa town by self
Hotel overnight in Sapa town
Inclusion: Breakfast; Entrance fee; Tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle pick up from Su Phan village back to Sapa town, Hotel in Sapa
Inclusion: Breakfast; Entrance fee; Tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle pick up from Cat Cat village back to Sapa town and transfer to Lao Cai station and Night train tickets to Hanoi.
What’s included in this trip
What’s excluded in this trip
Hotels in Sapa | Homestays in Sapa |
We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.
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We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
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Sulaiman Pochee
Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.
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Impress Travel – Sapa tours offers classic and easy tours, trekking tours (easy trek, medium trek & hard trek) to discover the remote ethnic minority villages & adventurous tours to conquer Fansipan’s highest mountain peak or motorbike to travel around and mountain biking, market day tours, homestay with an ethnic family. For the most trusted and most saving for North Vietnam Tour Packages to explore Sapa Vietnam. Email: Sapatours@impresstravel.com & call to Mr. Alex Impress Travel Manager at his cell phone (+84) 9123 79 189