Hmong and Giay Villages

It's an extraordinary thing being able to traipse through the villages and see close up the lifestyle of the people in the Muong Hoa Valley. Our guide, a local Giay, made this all the more revealing and interesting with stories about his people and their quite rapid development over the past decade.

We were dropped at the head of the valley near the Hmong village of Lao Chai and fooled a steep dirt road to the valley floor. From the vantage point above the river head you could see the whole complex of the village, river, rice terraces and mountains. Each village has four principal public buildings - the party building, kindergarten, primary and secondary schools set in different parts of the valley. A walking and vehicle track snaked its way past houses and fields for as far as the eye could see. This was to be the pathway for our journey.

It was far from a long or strenuous hike - just 6kms - but we still felt pretty tired by the end. Whether its the altitude or all the stop/start, it's hard to know.

Harper loved all the animals we saw along the way including water buffalo, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, a mountain rat, dogs and the odd cat. He couldn't stop talking about all the buffalo poo (buffalo chocolate as our guide referred to it).

At one point we stooped to watch a local craftsman making bracelets from steel, copper and silver. His skill in twisting, winding, moulding and crimping the three metals together was great to watch. Of course, a purchase soon followed and Harper ended up with a keepsake of his trek.

Harper tried his hand at corn threshing at another stop; while at a school stop Phil played a soccer 'happy sack' game with a group of kids.

Lunch consisted of a stopover at a 'homestay' house in Ta Van village. This was the home of our guide's cousin and was perched with a wonderful view back down the valley. On their porch we helped ourselves to plates of chicken legs, fresh rolls, cucumber, tomato, bacon and pineapple. Plus a cold beer for good measure! Ah, life's tough.

The home was modest but our lunch prompted reflection on their perspective on the world and the pride they have in their lifestyle. You can't romanticise it as being 'idyllic' but the connection to the rhythms of nature and ability to bridge the old/new world is compelling.

The only annoying part of the walk was the constant presence of local village women trying to hawk their wares. When you show no interest in a purchase they simply follow your every step and try to engage in conversation about where you come from, your name, etc etc. our guide's tip at the start of the day worked to a degree - say no and don't engage them. Buy only form the official village stores (there's one every 400m or so). Which leaves a bit of a puzzle as to why this behaviour persists. The only explanation we could see is that some village groups are disciplined in how they go about interacting with tourists and others have a more predatory, free for all view. As the groups cross into each other's territory, it all gets a bit messy for the 'foreigner'.