I just stayed few days around Sapa in north Vietnam during Tet festival. The weather was awful (fog, fog , fog), the light was perhaps the lowest i ever had in my trips... All the people i met were really nice ,even if the place is much more touristic than i imagined!
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
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During Tet, i was invited in many families to share some food (very good) , and "happy water" (very strong). In this house, there was also an old man living there, as vietnamese families all live together. He was taking care of the fresh pork sausages for lunch. But most of the time he was stuck to the TV.
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
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I met this Dzao woman in Sapa, like hundreds of local people, she tries to sell clothes and souvenirs to tourists. The day after, during a treck, i met her again in the hills! She invited me to her house, to share food. The only problem is that tribal people do not have the same perception of the distances as we have. For her, the house was just over a hill...in fact, we had to walk 3 hours to reach her house, on a muddy path! 3 hours of ice - mud- skating!
Once in the kitchen,she had the choice between dog meat and pork... She choose pork. Sometimes, i'm lucky!
She dreams about having running water and a fridge. She has television, she even borrow to the bank the money to buy it. It took her 5 years to pay it.
Red Dzao women shave off their eyebrows and foreheads as this is traditionally regarded as a sign of beauty. They wear bright red turbans. The wealth of the family is indicated by the amount of silver jewels she wears. They are famous for their embroidery skills. Many live in Taphin (or Ta Phin) village, not far from Sapa.
I met the same traditions i the Lan Taen tribe in Laos, but they wear blue clothes.
The Dao or Dzao are the 9th largest ethnic group in Vietnam with a population of 500,000. They belong to the Hmong Dao language group and are believed to have started migrating from China in the 13th century.
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
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Tet , the vietnamese new year is an impoortant moment in the life of the country. In the tribal north, people buy or still make new clothes they will wear the day after the celebration.
The Hmong still do their clothes, and use indigo plants to make the dark blue color.
If you touch indigo, be prepared to have the fingers blue for 3 days!
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
Tags: VIETNAM6615 vietnam viet asia asie Βιετνάμ فيتنام Vietname Wietnam Вьетнам ベトナム
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In North Vietnam, the temperature can be below zero! When i was there, the night, it was 0... No heating in the homestays, just a firewoods which makes more smoke than heat! And when you know that Hmong houses do not have any windows, but just a little door, i felt like a smoked salmon!
© Eric Lafforgue
www.ericlafforgue.com
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