On our way to the Sapa hills we met some fellow travelers that told us about Mao and the possibility of doing a homestay at her village, they gave us her phone number. We got to Sapa early in the morning after a long night train and waited for Mao, we met her in the morning ready and excited for a 5 hours trek to her village. A short, 32 years old woman with a genuine smile, colourful handmade clothes and silver earrings. She was so feminine and authentic that I immediately felt admiration for her, I liked her as soon as I saw her.
Mao lives in the village of Hau Thao with her husband and sons. They belong to the Hmong ethnic group of Vietnam. Sapa, located in the northwest of Vietnam, near the Chinese border, has become one of the country’s favourite tourist destinations. The actual town is full of guest houses, restaurants and shops but the surroundings are picture perfect. The scenery combines rice fields, mountain views and river valleys.
We stayed with Mao’s family for three days and two nights. We went trekking everyday, had lovely conversations while sitting in small wooden stools next to the fire, ate delicious home cooked-local food and drank some proper shots of ‘happy water’!
Mao expressed her own interest of having an online presence. Currently, she doesn’t get enough tourists to dedicate herself to the homestays so she works in the rice fields. After experiencing a brilliant homestay with her, we would like to support her and invite other travelers to walk to her village and learn about a simple way of life while appreciating the beauty of the area. You won’t regret it.
This is also created with the intention of letting other people leave reviews and comments about their experience with Mao, if you want to submit a post (photos, videos, text) you can email me at natyort*gmail*com
Thank you!
Nat