Sa Pa is known for its iconic rice paddies, lush valleys and mountain peaks. It holds the highest point in Indochina, Mount Fansipan.
Sa Pa attracts people from around the world and it’s home to 6 ethnic groups: H’mong, Red Dao, Dzay, Tay, Xa Pho, and Vietnamese people. Each ethnic group has a different language, culture, and traditions. No one is the same. Small villages are scattered throughout the valley. We did a three day trekking trip through the Lào Cai province where I was able to see what life is like for the hard working Hmong people who live in this region.
We started from the town of Sa Pa and hiked through the Muong Hoa Valley, through villages and rice terrace fields. We were able to see up close how the farmers tend to the rice fields while passing happy cows, buffalo, horses and pigs. Children playing knee deep in the mud of the rice paddies, catching frogs and insects.
We had lunch at a small family owned restaurant and then made our way up the mountain to our home stay for the next two nights, and that’s when I met Dinh, who is an absolute light beam of a human being.
Dinh is a 22 year old mother of two. Well, she thinks she’s probably around 22 years old, her family cannot read or write and didn’t document the year she was born. Dinh was raised in a small Hmong village behind the mountains that surround Sa Pa. There are no motorbikes or cars, no electricity, no internet and no school. Her village speaks their own variant of Hmong and going to school to learn Vietnamese or English is rare and expensive although it is the only way to find work outside of the village. Dinh was able to attend a small school to learn English outside of her village.
“I took a road 3 hours down and 4 hours up to go to school. I have to get up very early in the morning because I don't have a clock. I don't know what time is, and need to be in school at 7:30 AM, so I just listen to the rooster crowing in the morning. I have a total of 6 friends. We go to school together, but because of the difficult road, 3 of them quit and didn't go to school anymore. Only 3 of us continued to study. I really wanted to continue studying. Because of my family's difficult circumstances, I had to drop out.”
Young Dinh
“After I finished school I loved sharing my traditional culture. I went to learn how to become a tour guide in Sapa for 6 months. Then Covid comes. I have to go back to my village during the covid pandemic. There are many difficulties, no money, no food, clothes…I got married when I was 17 years old. My husband's family is a poor family too. 9 people. My grandmother, my grandparents, my parents, my husband, 2 children and me”
Dinh’s family arranged her marriage at the age of 17 in exchange for a small amount of money for food from her husband’s family. Marriage around 14 years old is common, with girls having their first child around 15-18 years old. What’s not common is marrying outside of the village, which is what Dinh did. Dinh married her husband and moved into his family’s home, about a three hour walk away from her village. This is considered an extremely shameful act. Dinh faces rejection from her village and is not welcomed back because she married outside of her village.
“Because of the difficulty and had to help my family with food, in 2 years of covid I had to carry my child every day to work in the fields, but only 1 bowl of rice a day. it's very tiring, and I shed a lot of tears, my 2 children are very cold, they have no clothes, milk, diapers, I'm so sad. but since I know groups on Facebook about charity, I joined the group asking for clothes for my kids. Since then we have had some warm clothes to wear.”
One day she met a kind woman in the field that owns a homestay and provides trekking experiences for tourists. She offered Dinh a job and would pay her in money, not rice. Dinh took up this opportunity and continued to practice English.
“Working at a Homestay and the money I earned is very little, not enough to buy rice, food, blankets, mattresses because it is very cold in the mountains and my family really needs those things. Because I want to have a warm family, I really want to build a bigger house to be enough for my family to live in”
While working at the homestay, Dinh met and became close to an American woman who wanted to support Dinh and her family. This generous woman created a Gofundme page and raised enough money for Dinh to start her own homestay.
“I’ve had a difficult life but it’s the kind people I’ve met that helped me. I don’t know why I’ve met so many kind people”
Dinh is probably the most positive and hard working person I’ve met. The odds are stacked against her but she powers through with unwavering bravery and grace. I’m in total awe of her. All that’s good in this world is on her side.
As soon as Dihn knew she’d have enough to support her family she adopted seven young girls from her village to live with her and attend school. Dinh provides their clothing, their school fees and their food. This gives these young, bright, beautiful girls a different shot at life; one with autonomy, opportunities and hope for a better future.
Money from around the world came in and Dihn was able to build a beautiful homestay in Ta Van and now hosts tourists, teaches them about Hmong culture and provides trekking trips through the valley.
Dinh has high hopes for her girls and this homestay. Although she received a large donation a few years ago and continues to run the homestay, money is tight. Dihn cannot afford the school fees and the cost of food for all seven girls. I want to help Dihn and the oasis of hope she's created in Sa Pa. I can only do so much on my own at this time of my life. Based on the support I’ve received from this blog, I know there are generous and kind hearts that want to help a good cause. So, if you are willing and able to donate to Dihn here is the link to her original gofundme page. All donations go directly to Dihn and the girls. I can promise, from the eye opening experience I had at Dihn’s homestay, every dollar is significant.
Alister is volunteering at the homestay and giving English lessons to the kids
After Dihn’s homestay I had one more day in Vietnam before I head out to Chaing Mai, Thailand. Mount Fansipan was calling me and there was no way I’d leave this part of the world without making it to its peak. Lloyd, Jake and our new friend Alister, who had been volunteering at Dinh’s homestay, got up at 4am to hike the 3,147.3 meters (10,326 ft) tall mountain. You are not allowed to hike Mount Fansipan without a guide, so we found an incredible Hmong woman to guide us up the mountain. She does this multiple times a week and knows the trail like the back of her hand. Most people will take two days to hike the mountain, but because we only had one day we decided to do the 14 mile, 4,360ft elevation gain in under 12 hours. My knees would disagree, but it was totally worth it.
We started beneath the clouds and ended up above them, began with the sunrise and ended with the sunset. It was the perfect end to my stay in Vietnam. I said goodbye and a thank you to the boys. Lloyd and Jake will continue to travel south in Vietnam as I begin my Thailand journey. These experiences are better shared and once again I am blessed to travel with open minded, bright, and deeply kind people. I have so much respect for these two. Vietnam wouldn’t have been the same without these guys and their deep admiration/interest for the country - plus making me laugh and sharing good music.
A quote from my journal: “I’m leaving Vietnam with a stronger intuition, a better idea about how the world really is, and a greater desire to put more good into it”.
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