We met Thuy May in the hotel lobby at 9am to undertake a hike in the mountains above Sapa through 3 “minority” villages, the term they use to describe any of the tribal people who live outside cities and speak a language other than Vietnamese.
It was a hot humid day, and the trail was very rough in spots and sometimes muddy and steep, so even though it was reported to be only 6 miles, it felt tough to us.
Immediately on alighting from the van at the trailhead, we were surrounded by 20 or so women and girls wanting to sell us various woven and needlepoint items. Thuy May had warned us that if we engaged them at all in conversation, or responded to their questions, they would follow us throughout the entire day. So we ignored them or nodded “no” in answer to any questions, but still at least a dozen of them followed very closely, crowding us and repeatedly asking “Where you from? What your name? You buy from me?” After about 30 minutes, all but one dropped off and went looking for better prospects.
One, who Bob and David labeled “The Minder” followed us the entire day – 6 hours – offering a hand to help us on rough terrain, trying to point out things to us, and even Thuy May couldn’t communicate with her as The Minder spoke no Vietnamese. It made us feel badly, and at the end of the day Lynn bought a small needlepoint purse from her.
We wandered through the Black H’Mong village of Lao Chai (so-called because their traditional attire is primarily black), had lunch in the Ta Van village where the Zay hill tribes live, and finally wandered through a bamboo forest and many rice fields to the Red Dao village of Giang Ta Chai where we again met our driver to return to the hotel.
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