4 hours by the road from Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport is a border province of Vietnam: Lao Cai.
To a foreigner, Northwestern Vietnam may seem defined by the well-blazed trail of Ha Giang loop and the town of Sapa.
Having returned to the province for the third time, I’d say what makes Lao Cai special is its indigenous villages and the fleeting beauty of terraced fields that change with the seasons, tucked deep within mist-veiled valleys.
Below is my guide to Lao Cai, an invitation to see it beyond the tourist lens.
Wander inside H’mong village in Ta Van
Ta Van is home to several ethnic minorities, most notably the H’Mong, Giay, and Red Dao. Nestled in a lush green valley, Ta Van is home to the Giay and H’Mong people, its traditional stilt houses scattered amid the landscape. Steep mountains rise all around, their slopes etched with terraced fields that shift in colour with the seasons. Children, wide-eyed and curious, often run out to meet visitors, their excitement as genuine as it is infectious.
The village offers a scattering of homestays and hillside cafés, where the stillness of rural life stands in sharp contrast to the bustle of nearby Sapa town.
In July 2025, the South China Morning Post named Ta Van one of Asia’s most beautiful highland villages.
Unlike the busy, tourist-centric Cát Cát village, Ta Van moves at a slower rhythm, making it perfect for travellers seeking to escape the crowds and immerse themselves in authentic indigenous culture and untouched mountain landscapes.
Traditional handcrafts at Cat Cat village
While often described as commercialised, Cat Cat still offers a first glimpse into the rhythms of H’Mong life that only takes just a short, winding ten-minute journey from Sapa’s lively centre.
Here, traditional crafts endure: from cultivating flax for weaving, to silver carving, to intricate embroidery. Visitors can watch each piece take shape, hear the artisans’ stories, and understand the deep cultural meaning behind their work.
Silverwork, in particular, holds a special place in H’Mong life. Considered both adornment and talisman, silver is believed to protect health and happiness. Yet in all of Sapa, only around five artisans remain who still practice the traditional art of silver carving—and just two work at it full time.
Among them is Lu A Qua, one of the last master silversmiths in Cat Cat, who continues to keep this centuries-old craft alive.
Flavors of the Northwest
In the highlands, lợn mán (black pig) feeds on wild greens, forest grass, banana stems, and corn. The result is meat that’s firm, fragrant, and savoury, with a layer of fat that’s pleasantly crisp rather than overly rich, pork of lowland farms.
Often, the boisterous calls and laughter of Lao Cai locals gathered for nhau—the Vietnamese way of drinking and eating—are the clearest sign you’ve found a place that belongs to them, not the tourist crowd.
Beyond its indigenous culture and culinary delights, Lao Cai tempts with a stroll across the Ho Kieu Bridge into China, the flavours of Chinese-inspired cuisine, and a cable car ride to Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak.