That's the bad news. There are tons of tourists in Sa Pa. We went during the off season and we were still constantly running into tourists. This was unpleasant for me because I hate being a tourist. Why?
Exhibit A: When Bryn and I arrived at the train station in Ha Noi, a man in plaid clothes walked over, looked at our train tickets, and started showing up to our car. At first we thought he worked for the train station. However, when we finally got to our car it was obvious that he was just a guy who wanted money. So that he would stop bothering us we gave him a couple bucks for pretty much showing us something we could have found ourselves.
Exhibit B: In Sa Pa, the majority of the ethnic groups are the Black H'Mong people. You could see H'Mong women strolling around the center in their colorful clothing, usually with a basket of goods on their back. We avoided them like the plague. They were constantly coming up to us wanting us to buy their handicrafts and when we refused they would take it personally. I really wished that I could simply have a normal conversation with one of them since their English was quite good. One time a woman came up to me and began asking about me and what I was doing. I talked with her for a bit hoping to God the ball wasn't going to drop and that this wasn't all a set up to get me to buy something. Of course it was. But I can't really blame her or any of the H'Mong people when selling handicrafts are probably one of their biggest sources of income.
Exhibit C: When heading back to Ha Noi, Bryn and I asked a security guard at the train station where we were supposed to go. It turned out that the train time had gotten changed and so he helped us change our tickets for the new time. Nice of him right? Except that of course he wanted money. So I paid him 50,000 and walked away fuming. I could understand the other people trying to get money out of me, but this was a security guard who worked for the train station.
That is why I hate being a tourist. Personal interactions are absent and instead what you get or opportunities to be taken advantage of. I would argue though that many times this is the fault of the tourist. If you come to another country and experience it from a distance like a Discovery Channel TV show all the while indulging in your own culture's comforts, all you are contributing to the country is money. Therefore, it makes since that the people there want to get money out of you. What else do you have to offer? Of course, many times it's impossible not to be a tourist, especially if your time spent traveling some place is so short. I guess, my only comment I can give on that is to realize your a tourist and what you're experiencing is a tourist's journey and not fully representative of the local's actual lifestyle or behavior.
Not that I'm so high and mighty and not a tourist myself. After staying in Sa Pa for a while I succumbed to eating Western food a lot (because it was available) and found myself acting curt with everyone because I assumed everyone was trying to rip me off. I was even a little snappy with the hotel staff who were actually very friendly. Finally, this broke down one day when one member of the hotel staff found out I spoke some Vietnamese and we had a conversation. Also, I would be naive to think that just because I live with a host family and have Vietnamese friends that I am not a tourist.
All in all though, the trip wasn't bad. It was actually quite pleasant. There is a reason why Sa Pa is a tourist hub and this is why:
The landscape in Sa Pa is simply breathtaking and you are able to access the countryside rather easily.
The first day there, we got into Sa Pa at around 6:30am. That day we went to a H'Mong village nearby called Cat Cat.
Later that day we climbed Ham Rong Mountain which features beautiful flower and rock gardens around the base.
The next day we rented motorbikes and drove to Silver Waterfall. In the first picture you can see a H'Mong girl behind Bryn who was trying to get us to buy something.
We also visited Golden Waterfall.
After lunch we drove around the country for a while.
That night at a pub we met a man from New Zealand. He apparently has a cafe in one of the H'Mong villages and lives next to a H'Mong family. Talking to him gave me a new perspective on the H'Mong people. He had a lot of admiration for them and was very happy living amongst them. Normall, I try to avoid Westerners in Vietnam, especially in tourist places. However, it is always great when you meet a really cool Westerner, someone who actually makes an effort to interact with the people and experience the culture.
So Sa Pa was good but it was also touristy. I would like to return sometime although I hope I don't return to find five-star resorts everywhere. But I guess if tourism is good for providing the local minority groups with substantial incomes, that is more important than me having a fun weekend away.
