TaPhin: Where Life Goes by Different Rules

There is a road in SaPa that goes all the way from the mountain down to the valley. I once called it the stairway to heaven. If SaPa is the stairway to heaven, TaPhin is heaven itself! 

We left SaPa on Monday morning and arrived in TaPhin village before noon. The car dropped us off near the entrance of the village in an area known as Doi Mot, or the Commune One. We walked down the valley, crossed a river and trekked up the mountain for about 30 minutes to get to where four home-stay owners run their businesses. The scenery was breathtaking. 

We spent the whole afternoon meeting the owners, touring the homes, asking them about the challenges they are facing, inspecting the capacity and potential development of the homes, and talking to them about promotional and marketing strategies. 

We split up into three groups in the evening to stay in different homestays in Doi Mot, in order to experience what tourists experience when they stay in those homes overnight. I stayed at Ms. Ly May Lai’s house and got to meet her family and extended family who were visiting from China. I offered to help prepare the dinner and May Lai showed me how to clean the pumpkin leaves before she cooked them.

Fresh and local aren't just trends here!

The process of preparing meat is very different from what we are used to in Vancouver. Even in scratch kitchens in North America, things are not as ‘from the scratch’ as are in the village! I didn’t expect the pork and chicken to come out of beautifully sealed packages, but I was still surprised when they just grabbed them from outside, killed them in the kitchen, clean and cut them, and then cook them right away! When I told my host that my family eats rice, I was asked if we have a rice field!

Preparing dinner

Getting ready for dinner

We spent the whole evening cooking on one stove at the corner of the house. There are usually two stoves in each house in TaPhin: one for cooking and one for preparing the herbal bath. May Lai was sitting by the stove the whole time and cooking the dishes one after the other. When one dish was done, it was put into a plate and sent to the table, but no one started dinner until all the dishes were done and placed on the table. The process of preparing ten different dish on one stove and in one pot took about an hour. The whole family then gathered around the dinner table and rice and alcohol were served.

Herbal baths

Even though I was planning to have a herbal bath, I was too tired to stay up late that night. May Lai’s house has two guestrooms. Since I was the only guest that night I got the whole room to myself. The room had 7 beds in a row with red/pink flower patterned blankets. A blue mosquito net was hung on top of each bed, and there was another door at the other side of the room which opened to the washroom and herbal bath areas. I called it my own en-suite shower room. 

Bamboo bug!

Roosters woke me up at 4:30. This was not my first time away from home opening my eyes in an unfamiliar environment, but it sure was the most authentic one. Outside the glassless window chicks and piglets were playing; the sound of a woman singing in the distance had added a mysterious feeling to the foggy view of the valley; and the smell of the burned bamboos in the fireplace was like no other worldly smell. Even the big bamboo bug that May Lai’s father had found outside and brought in didn’t look scary anymore! The time had slowed down letting me grasp and take in this new experience. That morning as I walked down the valley and crossed the river through the fog, I knew I was a different person; I had seen the heaven. 

Ms. May Lai and Hedieh

(Written by Hedieh Ahmari, student volunteer)

A Night in Taphin

A key objective for this trip is to, once again, bring the women entreprenuers of TaPhin back to Hanoi to meet tour operators.  We did this last October and have found some success in operators sending tourists to the Taphin homestays. 

There is a reason why people enjoy staying at these homestays and last night I had the pleasure of staying at the homestay of Ms. May Kieu.  I met May Kieu on our last trip, she has a quiet demeanour and a smile that lights up a room.  She is passionate about her homestay business and always ready to share her culture and engage in a participatory experience.  

She spent time showing me some of the items she plans to take to Hanoi and how she makes them.  Each is hand embroidered and each section has meaning, some show girls and boys, some have trees and flowers.  The piece is then sewn together with a sewing machine.

Showing me how she makes wall hangings

Her homestay is beautiful, with private rooms, platform beds, full washroom with heated shower and a kitchen with a huge fireplace.  All of this makes for a comfortable atmosphere. 

Beautiful Fireplace for Cooking

One aspect that is special about these homestays is the fact that the villagers grow almost everything they eat.  It puts 100 mile diet in a whole new perspective.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of rice which came from their fields, grated pumpkin and steamed pumpkin leaves from her garden out back and chicken which was brought in the house squawking at 7:00pm and we ate at 8:00pm.  During dinner she informed me that she also keeps chickens specifically for eggs and grows carrots and eggplant for additional vegetables.  I noticed a shelf full of pumpkin leaves on one side of the room, she said that those ones were no longer good and will be fed to the pigs.  When it comes to food waste, there is very little.

But that was not the best part of the evening.  That came when her husband, Loua, went out to their beehive and collected fresh honey.  This honey was bottled to give as a gift to one lucky tour operator next week in Hanoi. I had never tasted honey fresh from the hive and was able to sit and pick pieces off from a huge bowl with her mother-in-law and grandma.  It was delicious!

Enjoying Honey

It is this kind of experience that tour operators look for and they are fortunate to have May Kieu and the other Taphin homestays providing such a great product.

For more information on May Kieu’s homestay visit www.taphinhomestay.com and the Taphin homepage at http://www.taphin-sapa.info/ 

Submitted by: Stephanie Wells

One Month Countdown!

One month countdown before the CBT Vietnam Team from Cap U board the plane to Vietnam! 

When the Capilano University team met last week our arms were just recovering from the visit to the travel clinic. Now with the shots out of the way and the rest of the necessary preparations from our checklists nearly completed we went full speed ahead with completing the itinerary.

The itinerary is packed full of things including; gathering supplies in Hanoi with the help from Hanoi Open University student volunteers and funding from PATA, riding a motorcycle to Tavan with a stop in Lao Chai, continuing with the CBT Vietnam project planning and building strong relationships with the Black H'mong communities in Lao Chai, taking the night train to Sapa where we will spend the week before we host the ladies of Ta Phin back on the night train to meet with tour operators in Hanoi. We also have an exciting pottery crafting experience planned in Ba Trang village, for these amazing women, that will ensure they return to their own village inspired with a special self made souvenir in hand.

Let us not forget that we have planned many meetings including community meetings and meetings with the Sapa Government, tour operators, teachers, and follow up meetings with the homestay owners and village CBT Management Board Members.

Ta Phin is open for business!

Meeting with homestay owners and CBT Management Board in Ta Phin

On Thursday morning, homestay owners and a few other residents with close ties to the tourism industry met with the Ta Phin CBT Management Board. It was a great meeting with incredible outcomes. The packaging and pricing that the Board had drafted was modified with feedback from the homestay owners and approved by everyone who was present. The group also approved a penalty in case of complaints to ensure quality control would be maintained. The group also prepared for Sunday’s private sector workshop.

Meeting with homestay owners and CBT Management Board in Ta Phin

CBT Management Board in Ta Phin taking great leaps

CBT Management Board meeting

On Wednesday evening, we held our second meeting with the Ta Phin Community-Based Tourism Management Board. The focus of this meeting was to make some decisions at the CBT Management Board level that would be brought to the homestay owners on Thursday morning. The Board worked through a number of issues, and the meeting was very productive.

We covered five key items:

1. Product pricing: The CBT Management Board was working on creating a list of tourism products available through the homestays in Ta Phin, and setting a fixed price for each. This will allow them to market themselves to the tour operators in Sapa and Hanoi more effectively, and be able to sell package tours through the Board. The group generated pricing for each of their products to be presented to the homestay owners for approval.
2. Fee for CBT Management Board: In order for the CBT Management Board to be sustainable, we are concerned that the work is being done on a volunteer basis. The group agreed on a percentage for each product offering that would be allocated to the Board in order to ensure ongoing operations and to contribute to community projects. This percentage will be presented to the homestay owners for approval.
3. Charity donations: In the past, the community had a box for receiving charitable donations from tourists for making improvements in the village, but it was not well managed. However, it generated quite a bit of revenue when it was in use. The Board would like to initiate a process for charitable donations.
4. Quality control: In this type of situation, it is important to have a strong degree of quality control. If a tour operator has a poor experience in one homestay, it negatively impacts every other homestay in the village. The Board discussed how they would manage complaints and also considered the creation of an exit survey to gain a better understanding of tourists’ experience in the village.
5. Regulations for tourists: In order to ensure a quality experience, a set of regulations was drafted for the process off tourists coming to Ta Phin. The possibility of creating a leaflet to share this information was discussed.

The Untold Sapa: Why Lao Chai is the Next Frontier for True Cultural Immersion

For decades, international travelers looking for the ultimate trekking experience in Southeast Asia have had one specific route drilled into their minds: the classic three-hour trek descending into the valley of Ta Van.

Let's be completely honest. Because of this, Ta Van has seen incredibly rapid development. It is bustling, it is lively, but for the intrepid traveler—the one who truly wants to be cultured—it can sometimes feel a bit too polished.

But what if I told you that along that very same famous trail lies a hidden gem that most tourists just walk right past?

Welcome to Lao Chai. For many years, this breathtaking area has merely been a pitstop—a place where tour groups pull over to have lunch in Vietnamese-owned restaurants set up along the trail, snap a few quick pictures of the quaint Black Hmong village communes, and leave.

But a quiet cultural revolution is brewing in the highlands. If you are an American or European traveler craving raw authenticity over tourist comfort, here is why Lao Chai needs to be on your radar right now.

The Untamed Soul of Lao Chai: The Blueprint of an Authentic Hmong Experience

While the rest of Sapa charges forward into modernity, Lao Chai is standing on the precipice of a beautifully sustainable cultural awakening. Here is what makes this corner of the valley entirely unique:

1. The Raw, Unfiltered Black Hmong Heritage

Unlike other villages where traditional clothes are only worn for evening performances, the Black Hmong of Lao Chai live their heritage every single second. Their clothing is an exquisite art form—deeply indigo-dyed hemp fabrics detailed with intricate, geometric batik patterns. The people here possess a fiercely proud, independent, yet deeply curious character. They aren't looking to change for tourists; they are inviting you to understand their world.

2. The Birth of True Hmong Homestays

Up until recently, there was yet to be a network of true Hmong homestays in Lao Chai for the bold traveler. But history is changing. Following the enormous success of the community-based tourism project in Ta Phin—where Capilano University and Hanoi Open University built the capacity of Red Dao residents to run highly successful homestays—the expertise is moving to Lao Chai.

Over the next two years, an enthusiastic partnership between the Sapa Authority, international experts, and the local Lao Chai Hmong community is focusing entirely on homestay training and development. This means when you visit now, you aren't staying in a commercialized hotel disguised as a rustic lodge. You are stepping into the birth of genuine, community-owned Hmong homestays designed to preserve the integrity of the village while welcoming you as family.

3. Hearth-Fire Gastronomy

In a true Lao Chai homestay, dinner is an unforgettable ritual. You will sit on low wooden stools around a central, open hearth-fire inside a traditional timber house. The food is delightfully rustic: Men Men (steamed ground corn, the traditional staple of the Hmong), wild mustard greens foraged from the edge of the rice fields, and locally raised pork smoked over the kitchen rafters. It is smoky, earthy, and intensely authentic.

Unmissable Off-the-Beaten-Path Experiences in Lao Chai

Trace the Ancient Stone Paths

Instead of sticking to the main muddy trekking trail where the tour buses drop off crowds, ask a local Hmong guide to take you through the interior maze of the village communes. You will walk past ancient wooden houses, watch elders crushing indigo leaves in stone mortars, and see children playing among the giant water buffaloes against a backdrop of steep, towering green terraces.

Partake in a Traditional Textile Workshop

The Hmong women of Lao Chai are masters of wax-resist batik and indigo dyeing. Sitting down with a local artisan to learn how to draw traditional patterns using hot beeswax and copper pens is a meditative, sensory experience. Your hands will be stained blue by the end of the day, but you’ll take home a piece of fabric that carries a thousand-year-old story.

The Adventurer’s Dossier: Essential FAQs

When is the absolute best time to catch Lao Chai in its glory?

To see the landscape at its most dramatic, visit during September to early October when the rice terraces turn into a blazing amphitheater of gold just before the harvest. If you prefer lush, vibrant green shades and mystical, misty mornings, May to June is an absolute dream for photographers.

How do I get to Lao Chai from Sapa Town?

Lao Chai is located roughly 4 to 5 miles (7 to 8 km) from the center of Sapa town. While many tourists trek down as part of a massive group, the best way for independent travelers is to hire a local Hmong motorbike taxi (xe ôm) or a private car to drop you off directly inside the village, allowing you to bypass the crowded upper trails.

Is staying in Lao Chai expensive?

Not at all. Because this project is deeply rooted in community-based tourism, the pricing is incredibly fair and directly benefits the local families:

• An overnight homestay (including a massive communal dinner and breakfast): $18 to $25 per night.

• A traditional Hmong textile workshop experience: $10 to $15.

• A simple, hearty mountain lunch along the trail: $4 to $6.

How many days should I spend in Lao Chai?

Do not just do a lunch stop! To truly absorb the magic, plan for at least 2 days and 1 night. Arriving in the late afternoon allows you to see the village after the day-trippers have left, when the smoke from cooking fires rises through the thatched roofs and the valley plunges into a profound, peaceful silence.

Is it safe for solo and independent wanderers?

Lao Chai is exceptionally safe. The Hmong community is tightly knit, protective, and incredibly welcoming. Your main safety considerations are practical ones: the mountain paths can be incredibly slippery after a rainfall, so proper hiking boots with excellent grip are a mandatory requirement. Also, always pack a good headlamp, as village paths lack streetlights after dark.

Quick-Reference Local Insights

• Language Nuances: While the local people speak Vietnamese, their primary language is the Hmong dialect. Thanks to the ongoing homestay training programs, the younger generation of hosts speaks an impressive level of enthusiastic, conversational English.

• The Cash Rule: There are no ATMs in the rice fields. While you can pay for your tour or lodging online through certain operators, you will absolutely need physical cash (Vietnamese Dong) for buying handmade crafts, tipping local guides, or purchasing drinks at the village stalls.

• Cultural Etiquette Note: Hmong homes have sacred spaces, particularly the central pillar and the main altar. Always wait for your homestay host to invite you inside and guide you on where to sit. Respecting these boundaries shows the locals that you are there to honor their culture, not just consume it.