Sapa Travel Expert, a local travel agency in northern Vietnam has released tips how to get fun with local people in northern Vietnam:
1.Follow the dining Etiquette while doing homestay
There is no doubt that if you do a real homestay, you will enjoy lots of fun. You are invited to mingle with local to cook, prepare the food and serve yourself. The rule of “bottom-up” is so strict that you have to follow until you are drunk.
2. Joining with local for their farm work
Leading a buffalo to plough the rice field, harvest the green tea or simply using the shovel to lead to water to your field, they are all difficult and offer lots of fun.
3. Playing with children in remote villages
Among all the activities, this could be the best. Your visit will be the highlight of the children. Simple games are really appreciated. Balloon or books are the best to give
4. Bargaining at a hill tribe market
As the local people such as Flower Hmong, Tay, Nung women who are the sellers in many of hill tribes market do not speak English, you are to experience the basic way of sell-buy with finger and signals of notes.
5. Doing Karaoke
The popularity of Karaoke is spreading out among many minorities including Giay and Tay tribes whose cultures are closed to Vietnamese. This activity will bring fun to both you and local people. Enjoy it even you are not a good singer.
6. Learning about Herbal Medicine
The local ethnic minorities in Sapa have a good knowledge of herbs that are able to heal. It is very easy to find some plants that can treat simple sickness such as headache, stomach-ache, flu. It is also very possible to treat liver, lung, heart diseases with some precious herbal. Hence, learning about herbal medicine will be very interesting.
7. Learning abou their odd traditions
The culture shock and culture exchange that you may acknowledge here in Sapa may astonish you very much. Once you know how the local Black Hmong got marriage 20 years ago, how Flower Hmong find themselves independent in the mountains…. Your senses of adventure will expose more and more.
