The mountains of northern Vietnam are full of small villages where all varieties of ethnic minorities are scattered. They meet at least once a week to sell their goods at the market.
Having just seen the one in Bac Ha, we wanted to see something more different . So we headed to Lung Phin the same day, as the market also takes place on Sundays.
Lung Phin, a small mountain village
It takes about twenty minutes to get up to Lung Phin from Bac Ha (for a distance of 12 km).
We did this not without passing locals who had finished their shopping or sold what they had in Bac Ha and were returning home on foot, walking along the road.
So in awe of these people who have to walk miles, it was when we saw a little lady of a certain age that we decided to give her a little helping hand. Despite the language barrier, she quickly understood that we were offering her a ride with us, an offer that she quickly accepted with joy.
So there were three of us on the motorcycle for about 4 km, when she asked us to drop her off at a house located there by the side of the road. No words were exchanged, just a thank you with a smile, pleased with our help, and delighted by the grandmother who clearly appreciated saving us time.
We arrived shortly afterwards in Lung Phin and I was already captivated by this more rural atmosphere.
At the Lung Phin Sunday Market
Be careful not to confuse it with the other market in Lung Phin ; located closer to Ha Giang, some 300 km away.
This market in Lung Phin is located on the edge of the main road in the area, the same one we will pass through again in the early afternoon to reach Vinh Quang, our next stop.
Of course, we find the Flower Hmong , but also other ethnic minorities among those mentioned in the previous article ( see here ).
The atmosphere is relaxed ; a few glances are directed our way, but we don't feel spied on or stared at. We just happen to run into another couple of tourists—you guessed it—French (we're everywhere!!).
There too, although the place was smaller , we stayed for a little over an hour watching people trade, share a meal, and laugh. A pleasant time.
Right next to it you can see what appears to be the old location, being renovated or something, at least that's what the presence of a sign with the name "Cho Lung Phinh" suggests.
Next stop, Vinh Quang
Chronologically, we went to the market after Bac Ha, then we came back to Bac Ha, visiting the Hmong king's palace on the way. Then, I loaded the motorbike while Jitima did some more shopping, then we went to eat in a restaurant not far away.
It was already past 12:30 when we finally hit the road. 80 km of travel, this day to reach Bac Ha from Vinh Quang.
Concretely, as we had a little flexibility in our program, I had finally decided to cut the route into 2 parts, originally planning to go in one go to Ha Giang from Bac Ha, which would have made us 160 km.
With mountain roads, believe me, it's long. So, I looked at the map the day before and looked for a town where we could stop halfway. And bingo, Vinh Quang is our next stop.
After an hour of driving, we took a long 30-minute break, when we came across a group of children who started running after our motorbike when they saw us pass (what a long sentence!).
We were handing out some cakes that we had, they were, for the most part, overflowing with energy, curious about these two hotheads that we are, in the middle of the mountains of Vietnam.
A friendly, smiling granny also came to join the children, curious herself. Later, the whole family surrounded us.
The man, dressed all in black, seemed a little more shy, but tried to ask questions, but the language barrier was too strong, all that could be understood was where we came from and where we were going.
While Jitima was doing his series of sketches and drawings, I was taking pictures, I also helped a mother and her 2 little ones to restart her motorbike which had stalled not far from our position, a more than improbable situation in her eyes to see this unknown foreigner helping her!
Halfway, we saw the small town of Coc Pai in the valley opposite us. 20 minutes later, we were at the bottom. Shortly after, we repeatedly came across roadworks being resurfaced.
This 2nd part of the day is done along a river (a dam and a resulting artificial lake are located not far from Coc Pai), a fairly easy road, because if there are a few bends, the road remains mostly flat, unlike the first 40 km.
However, it will take us 2 more hours to reach Vinh Quang, around 17:30 p.m. The fault, among other things, is that my buttocks are becoming painful and forcing me to stop and take a breath…
Where to sleep and eat in Vinh Quang
Now we had to find somewhere to stay for the night.
Knowing that everything here is in Vietnamese, we had planned ahead by buying a small book with illustrations and Thai/Vietnamese translations.
Except that in the north, the language varies slightly… And the word in our book is not visible anywhere… So we used common sense and observation and concluded (especially after my wife remembered that this word seemed familiar to her) that such a building must be a hotel.
Without thinking too much, we stopped at the first hotel we came across shortly after our arrival, when we had just arrived in what must have been the centre.
Once settled in, the evening's mission begins: finding a restaurant … We walk along the street from our hotel, in the opposite direction from where we arrived a few dozen minutes earlier.
We continued on to a crossroads after crossing a bridge. Nothing we saw looked particularly exciting… But one restaurant seemed quite lively , so we decided to go in, and it was an excellent choice! We even decided to go back for breakfast the next morning!
What we remember about this place, besides the dishes which were the tastiest so far (and will be the tastiest of the rest of the trip in the end!), is this little gentleman with a really nice face!
He seemed very happy to welcome strangers into what we thought was his restaurant (although a priori, he is only an employee or possibly, the husband, but apparently, it is the wife who is in charge…).
And it goes without saying that they must not come across foreigners in Vinh Quang very often, given the looks we got...
After the meal, he invited us to have tea outside, while he lit his opium pipe, which remained very widely used throughout this northern part of Vietnam.
We didn't really discuss, due to a lack of mutual understanding, but we appreciated the gentleman's good nature!
In almost every restaurant you will see a bucket with a pipe ready and available for customers to smoke right after their meal.
We will then take a short stroll to digest our meal in this quiet street of Vinh Quang , just to walk a little, because the next day, we are once again facing a few hours of motorcycling!
