Bathing in Sapa

If you’ve had a day’s trekking in the hills beyond Sapa or just need to unwind the best way to is to soak your bones in a Red Dao ethnic minority herbal bath in Ta Phin village, says Duc Hanh

Sapa at the end of summer: The town is green, the air is clear, the sun is shining. Every tourist is having a hearty breakfast before heading off into the mountains to trek from village to village and discover the life of the local ethnic communities. Except me. I’m taking my time over coffee before ambling as far as the nearest xe om driver.

You see, I’ve visited the villages, bought the Jew’s Harp, watched the ethnic minorities dance, sipped on ruou with the old Dao men, walked on stilts and returned home with my H’Mong hat. This time, I’m here to relax. It’s been a long hot summer in the city and my body is aching just from the overnight train trip from Hanoi to Lao Cai.

VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam