Walk in the Clouds

This little known destination is a delightful plate of surprises—from its magnificent sights to its delectable dishes

- By Angelo Comsti

Located in Lào Cai Province in the northwest region of Vietnam, the district-level town of Sa Pa, which is six hours away from the capital Hanoi, reminded me so much of Baguio back when green still covered most of the mountain than concrete grey. The natural backdrops couldn’t be any more picturesque, from the golden rice terraces to white-water rivers that snake through the farms and quiet rural territory. The calming sight of this piece of paradise already earned the place enough merit, but as it turned out, Sa Pa was just getting started as it rolled up its sleeves over three short days and showed me why it deserved as much appreciation as its more recognised neighbour, Ha Long Bay.

At first glance, Sa Pa seemed sleepy and void of any activity. But our itinerary proved otherwise.

Even before we dropped off our luggage in the hotel, we headed straight to the Cat Cat Village, two kilometres away from Sa Pa town. Named after a majestic waterfall that earmarks the suburb, Cat Cat was discovered by the French and later, converted into a vacation resort, preserving the tradition of the Hmong tribes that live on the land.

A casual stroll down the village had us immersed in the lifestyle of the locals, allowing us not only a peek into their actual households but also a taste of their food and livelihood. As we made our way through the walkable trail, we had to make multiple detours to appreciate the items that caught our attention— from colourful hemp jute fabrics and a bamboo root carved to look like their god of wealth, to smoked meats including the lon gac bep (pork belly), thit trau (buffalo) and the lap suon, which was akin to the Filipino cured pork, etag.