After an uncomfortable 12 hour ride to Sa Pa, we got off the train met with heavy rains. Of course this happens every single time we have a big trip I always leave the most important things back. WHY DIDN'T I CHECK THE FREAKING WEATHER? I packed two pair of shorts a pair of sweats and no sweater. It was a constant 50ish F degree. By the end of the trip, those sweats were pretty disgusting.
Arriving to Sa Pa I could see that it was an area that had been developed to accommodate to tourist. Lined were gift shops and restaurants that catered to all kinds of tastes. Hmong women followed tourist (not excluding us) telling them "Buy from me" while showing them different bracelets, earrings, bags, and other items. One moment that stood out to me was when Lena and I were at the market. As Lena was buying a scarf, a Hmong woman approached me and asked to buy some earrings. I told her no and started to look at the stand Lena was at when she says, "How can you buy those things that the Kinh took from us?" That right there took me by surprise and in many ways she was right. I ended up buying a pair of earrings from her but also troubled by her statement.
As the Hmong and other ethnic minorities are pushed further and further into the mountains (or forced to assimilate) how do they survive? In the case of Sa Pa, is it fair that their livelihood becomes dependent on this tourist economy?
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