Vietnam By Train: Part III

After returning to Hanoi from Halong Bay, we rode our first overnight train northwest to Sapa, the mountainous town famous for its proximity to Fansipan, Vietnam’s tallest mountain, and for the ubiquity of indigenous tribes.

Riding Vietnam’s national railroad is an experience in itself, and during my travels through the country, we slept on four trains. Cars range from whimsical, antique wooden boxes that look like something straight out of Darjeeling Limited to dingy, plastic cells with mattresses covered in hair.

True story—we found a bottle of warm urine resting on the windowsill in one of our rooms.

Once, our Vietnamese roommate snored louder than the locomotive engine. We also got screwed into paying the same for a six-bed car as others paid for a four-bed car. And unless you enjoy sleeping on a hard slab of plastic, stacked like Chinese businessmen in Kramer’s dresser, I suggest you always book a four-bed “soft bed” car.

Nonetheless, overnight trains are an efficient and fun way to experience the country. There’s nothing that says “I’m in Vietnam” quite like waking up at 6 a.m. to a touching story about Ho Chi Minh’s humble beginnings blaring from a speaker beside your head.

I arrived in Sapa, and walked out into the brisk mountain air. The town is frigid by Southeast Asia standards, and almost always foggy. Young Black Hmong women dressed in traditional woven dresses take tourists from the main town trekking through the villages that dot the mountainside.

Along the way, Hmong as well as ethnic Red Dzao villagers help you inch along the banks of terraced rice paddies. Small women with strong hands guided me along—a veritable giant compared to them—preventing me from falling face first into a muddy pool of water.

The villagers also try to sell you crafts—aggressively. Be prepared for a serious racket, although the people are equally helpful and welcoming as they are entrepreneurial. The prevalence of tourists has certainly changed the traditional way of life for the hill tribes, and one can make arguments that this is both good and bad.

Either way, most of the villages in the area remain outside the tourist path, and those inside it are trained businesspeople who are certainly doing well for themselves. Each of the villages closest to Sapa have many home stays, and by purchasing a $25 tour in town, you get a guide, a soft bed, three delicious meals, and an evening with a kind, welcoming family.