Ten hours away from the city lights of Hanoi lies the mountainous frontier town of Sa Pa, home to many of Vietnam’s ethnic minority communities. Just a short distance from the Chinese border, Sa Pa is a cultural hub for the region’s Hmong and Dao (Yao) minority villages. We spent the entire weekend here and hired a private guide to lead us through many of the mountainous hiking trails that run through Sa Pa, stopping to visit a few traditional village homes and families, while enjoying the breathtaking scenery.

Situated 1,600 meters above sea level, Sa Pa’s climate of cold mountain air and rolling fog offers a stark contrast to the rest of tropical/subtropical Vietnam

The quiet of village life in Sa Pa is a welcomed change from the big city

Kevin’s Mom buying some souvenir handicrafts from the hordes of Hmong children wandering the local market

Rolling hills lined with tiered farming slats

Up on the mountains, local villagers often act as porters and sherpas, usually in exchange for buying souvenir handicrafts

Dog meat is a common delicacy in Northern Vietnam; here, fresh slabs of dog hindquarters for sale at the local market