1. In our country, there is only two seasons: rainy and dry. As usual, the nearer the rainy season draws, the hotter it becomes. Two years ago, I couldn’t bare the suffocating and stifling heat of those days so I decided to spend my holidays in Sapa, a northern highland of Vietnam.
2. It was a small county in Lao Cai province, located at the height of 4000 feet from the sea surface, with the annual average temperature from 60 to 65 F. That highland geography was mainly mountain, which was the homeland of different Vietnamese minority races, such as: Mong, Tay, Giao, Gay, … Each of them had their own language, customs, culture, and they all contributed to a diversified vivid cultural picture. 3.
Intermingling in charming peaches forest, located many villas in both ancient and Western modern style, which made the county have an appearance of a European town. Further to the west of Sapa was mountain Hoang Lien Son, where it was always foggy in the early morning. These natural and artificial beauties were the advantages for that small town to develop its tourism. In the mind of people who were living there, the market was not only for exchanging goods, but also for interchanging community relationships and cultural activities as well. Coming to Sapa in the market day, we could see stores full of merchandise, anything from fruits to colorful Mong’s traditional garments, young men and women in their best dresses seeking for their ideal lovers. Days after days, years after years, the market cultural had become a meaningful and exceptional part in the life of Sapa’s residents.
4. A day in Sapa consisted of four seasons: morning was spring, noon was summer, afternoon was fall, and evening was winter. Perhaps, that’s why, almost a century ago, French had selected Sapa as a place to build villas for relaxing and sightseeing, where people could admire the scenery of clouds embracing mountains, and mountains being hugged by smoke. That imposing and fascinating view was the endless inspiration for many poets. Moreover, Sapa now still remains many legends of silver water falls, smoky bridges, … Generations had passed by, names of lands and villages might be changed, but the Sapa inhabitants were still living there, sons inherited from fathers, trying to preserve their ancestor’s properties.
Mountains and forests provided them with food, fruits and even shelters. 5. According to Mong’s tradition, young girls, who had just attained womanhood, had to embroider their own dresses for their wedding day. It was to evaluate a woman not only for her outside beauty but also for her skill. In the old days, garments had used to be weaved and decorated very simply.
Then thanks to the steady improvement in techniques, the Mong now can create a diversity of colors from the natural materials collected from woods and mountains, hence their garments have became more and more attractive with brilliant colors and delicate craft skills. 6. It seemed that both nature and people had created the entire picture of Sapa, which was to so gorgeous that it made the tourists amazing. Parts of that incredible picture were its streamlines and perilously high tiny bridges. They were also the attraction and adventure which we were provided in the trip to Sapa. Not far from the town’s center, located a small village named Thanh Long, which still remained its wild appearance from the ancient time.
The villagers there were extremely hospitable. We all went into the kitchen, cooked our favorite foods. In a warm atmosphere, everyone shared the intimate friendship; even you were a foreigner, you also tried to cook, make your own meat role – a local special dish – and enjoy the highland living. 7. In Mong Hoa valley, which was not far from Sapa, intermingling in the step-shaped fields was a 2000-acre antique stone field, which had been discovered and studied since 1925. Archaeologists had proved that it had been the heritage of the primitive Vietnamese.
The field consisted of more than 200 pieces of stone in different sizes; the biggest one was 45 feet long and 20 feet wide. There were many valuable historical sculptures found on those stones, such as: scene ries, decoration arts, images of house, activities in village, and other symbols suspected as primitive characters. It was possible an entire portrait of a primitive society, in which there was development and decline, hope and desire toward a peaceful life of prehistoric people. 8. A trip to Sapa, even though we couldn’t admire the scenery of falling snow, was still worthwhile for us. With its moderate weather, diversified cultural activities, beautiful landscapes, historical vestiges and hospitable residents, Sapa was indeed an ideal arrival for anyone who attempted to escape from the noisy and dusty city, and look for a wonderful natural environment.
For poets, it was music, poem and inspiration; for people who were living there, it was homeland; and for tourists from other places, it was a beautiful exploration. The impression of Sapa will stay in our memory as an endless long poem of nature, culture and rustic inhabitants.