Hello everyone, I’m Anna Nguyen – who shares her travel experiences. Continuing the previous article, today I will introduce two famous places in Sa Pa: Cat Cat village and Ta Phin village.

These are two villages imbued with the culture of ethnic minorities, but each village will have its own unique beauty. For Cat Cat, this is probably a poetic village and imbued with the traditions of the H’Mong ethnic group. Located in Muong Hoa valley in Lao Cai, Cat Cat village is covered by the green of mountains and forests, terraced fields mixed with the rustic and simple features of small houses built from wood. So, coming to Cat Cat, what can you experience? First, I will mention images of rustic houses. They were formed in the 19th century, with small house shapes and simple layout: the kitchen is close to the reception table, or the house only has 1-2 rooms for the whole family to sleep together. Even though it is so small, it is decorated with many flowers and trees placed on the roof, giving you a feeling of closeness to nature.

Next, you will admire the beautiful scenery when you reach the center of the village. Here there is a white, fast-flowing waterfall with gurgling sounds, giant watermills, a bamboo bridge precariously above the rolling waterfall or wooden swings. I recommend that you rent costumes from H’Mong boys and girls located right on the paved road I just shared above so you can take a photo in a place with so many virtual living corners like that. Next will be the wonderfully beautiful Hoa stream. Amidst the vast mountains and forests, the white, fast-flowing stream with gurgling sounds gives visitors a comfortable and pleasant feeling.

Not only stopping at discovering such beauty, we can also learn about the culture of the people here. In Cat Cat, most of the people living here are H’Mong people. They often organize activities such as traditional meetings and festivals to maintain and develop culture, as well as express the spirit of solidarity and cooperation in daily life, moreover, they often show affection and connect with the community through different songs and dances. Leaf trumpets, lip lamps, and flutes are considered close friends of H’Mong girls and boys.

Another point, when you come here, you can buy products made by people at stalls along the road or from H’Mong babies. These are delicate brocade weaving works with intricate patterns and eye-catching colors, so tourists always choose to buy them as souvenirs.

So what time should we go to Cat Cat village? As far as I know, the village is located in the Northwest high mountains, where the climate is cool all year round and the landscape is diverse in each season, so we don’t have to worry about the weather when coming here. If you go in spring, you will see peach and plum blossoms in full bloom. See the bright yellow mustard flowers in summer, the golden terraced fields in autumn and the white snow in winter. So what are you thinking about? Make an appointment and pack your backpack to go to Cat Cat.

Now this article is already long, so I will introduce Ta Phin version in the next article.