In the North of Vietnam, almost touching the Chinese border is the mountain town Sapa. You get to this place by taking the night train from Hanoi. And if you’re lucky like me, you share your hut with 3 Vietnamese men and 1 cockroach.
After a lousy night of sleep on the train, you get rewarded with magnificent views of the infamous rice terraces which are scattered all over the mountains. Arrange a trekking with one of the female guides of the Hmong minority groups and with her, 4 other women travel along. These nice ladies walk with you all day, tell you about their lives and even keep you steady on the slippery paths. At the end of the day they expect you to buy something from them. Get a useless $2 souvenir and everyone ends their day with a huge smile on their face.
