The Songs of Sapa

MY EYES OPEN TO COMPLETE DARKNESS; SCREECHING VIETNAMESE OPERA IS BLARING FROM THE SPEAKERS ABOVE. WE ARE ON A RICKETY OVERNIGHT TRAIN FROM HANOI TO LAO CAL BORDERING CHINA, IN NORTHWEST VIETNAM. IT’S DAWN AS THE TRAIN PULLS INTO THE STATION. STILL HALF ASLEEP, SUZANNA AND I SHUFFLE OFF THE TRAIN AND FOLLOW THE CROWD ONTO A MINI VAN, BOUND FOR SAPA.

Fully awake now, I wipe the fogged up window with my sleeve. I can hardly wait for the sun to rise, but for now I allow the mist to tease me with small glimpses of Sapa’s breathtaking landscape — sharp, steep mountains painted with luscious green cascading rice terraces, home to the farmers who shepherd their buffaloes across its steep winding roads, and the ethnic hill tribes whose villages dot the valleys and hills. These villages belong to the Hmong and the Dzao, ethnic minorities who live in the verdant valleys and villages that surround Sapa. They have their own native language but most can also speak Vietnamese, French and very good English.