The northern provinces of Vietnam, northwest of Hanoi., are where many of the ethnic groups live. Like ancient cultures everywhere, the traditions are fast disappearing… victim to TikTok, young people moving to big cities for factory jobs for what they hope will be a better living, and tourism.
The landscape is stunning and beyond my photography skills to really do justice. Limestone mountains, deep narrow valleys, emerald green rivers, rice fields (now past harvest) climbing up terraced hillsides. Tucked in between the mountains: small villages. The roads are narrow with mile after mile after mile of hairpin hilly turns. It was easy to sit with a hot tea and just take it all in.
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The area is hugely popular for motor biking due to the curvy hilly roads, I guess. There are zillions of tour groups on the road, sometimes maybe a dozen or so to a group. A local driver from the tour company (you DEFINITELY do NOT want to drive these roads yourself!) and then a tourist on the back. There are so many of them that people have made a business of renting out hammocks by the hour to weary cramped up bikers
Local driving etiquette is you toot your horn 2-3 times when passing. Lanes are only suggestions…which is pretty interesting on these narrow curvy roads, particularly when trucks try to pass. Or when a herd of water buffalo are headed home.
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There are numerous ethnic groups throughout this area. They have slightly different customs and architectural style to houses. They all have different traditional dress, but it seems that they may save it for special occasions like weddings. Sometimes I felt the women may wear just the skirt or just the top of the traditional clothes.
Some groups I’ve managed to recognize: The Zao, who immigrated from China as early as the 13th century, with their intricate needle point.
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The Muong with their indigo dyed shirts
The Hmong men are instantly recognizable dressed all in black with a distinctive cap.
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The women in the markets are in bright colorful multi-layered dresses. It seemed to be a skirt with on or two aprons and a belt. Nearly all the women wear colorful headscarfs and not the traditional conical hat, called a non la, handmade out of palm leaves. Our guide said that ethnics do not wear that hat. And when I noticed that you never see the women’s hair: “because it’s dirty.” He said that for so long they did not have access to soap and water, so regular bathing is not in their culture. Maybe. But it was one of those times when I suspected there is a slight superiority by people in the city vs the ethnic people. However he did point out in one market something that looked like a black pea pod, saying that before shampoo this was used (somehow) to clean your hair and make it black.
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The groups all have their own language which they use at home with friends and family. Most speak Vietnamese when out, although supposedly many older people can only speak their ethnic language.
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I was able to go inside the home of two Hmong families. This, and their daily lives in my next OTRWJ.
Janice
