Vietnam: Part 2

Prepared April 9 and 10, 2012, the Arabian Sea en route, Fujairah, UAE


March 21, 2012, Dien Bien Phu to Sapa:  The Road Trip from Hell

Northwest Vietnam from Dien Bien Phu to Sapa

Ending a night of unwanted karaoke and disco, compliments of the Muong Thanh Dien Bien Hotel, was a 6:30am wake-up alarm, quick breakfast, and checkout for the 233 mile (375km) road trip to Sapa.  The luggage was loaded, and we drove almost due north on National Route 12 toward Phong Tho, 99 miles (160km) north of Dien Bien Phu.  (Route 12 follows the alignment of roads and trails that were major supply lines for the Vietnamese Army during the attack on Dien Bien Phu.  Even on currently-improved roads, the trip is a vivid insight into the huge logistic effort the Vietnamese made to supply their troops.)  Traveling to the north end of the Dien Bien Phu valley in a light mist and fog, which eventually cleared, we began to climb up to the first of four passes that we would cross to reach Phong Tho.

The Muong Thanh Dien Bien Hotel

Home of Karaoke and Disco in Dien Bien Phu

Goodbye Yard Art Dragon

Yard art suitable for McMansion or other tasteless dwellings.

As we entered the first pass, it became clear why we had an all-wheel drive, beefed-up vehicle.  The good, two-lane road in the valley degenerated into a lane and one-half road of marginal quality, and the road cut often was impacted by landslides.  Further, large sections of the road were being reconstructed and/or relocated because of hydroelectric development in the valleys along the route.  This also explained why Tang, the driver, said it would take ten hours to reach Sapa (22mph!).

Lowland Valley Terraced Paddy Rice

Leaving the Valley Lowlands

We climbed up to the passes, then down to the new road cuts constructed into the side of the mountains, passing through major villages of Muong Cha, Muong Lav, Nam Cay, finally reaching Phong Tho, about  10 miles (16km) from the border with Yunnan, China at Pa  Nam Cum.  This entire area is mainly settled by ethnic minority people -- Thai, Hmong, Dau, etc.  Vietnamese are largely confined to the larger towns, such as Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau, Sapa, and Lao Cai.  Earlier, settlement had been concentrated in the valleys.  With hydroelectric projects, many people were relocated by the government  into larger village sites.

Hydroelectric Power Plant Under Construction

There are small minority settlements and homesteads along the road, and slash-and-burn agriculture is widely practiced on the hillsides.  Only at very high elevations and on extremely steep slopes do you see much native forest, although there are reforestation projects underway along the entire route.  Another sign of development is the widespread availability of electric power.  It seems that no matter how isolated the homestead or village, if it is accessible by road, there is power.  (Some villages and areas in this region are only accessible by pack ponies.)

Highland Settlement with Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

Since the 1970s, the mountains of northwest Vietnam have yielded more new species of flora and fauna than any other region in the world.  We saw a sample of this when some local boys tried to sell us a critter.  We had never seen anything like it, and until we get back to Kona and J can forward the image to the Smithsonian, it remains (at least to us) an unidentified critter.  In the market in Sapa, we also saw a number of pelts of animals that were unknown to us.

Name this Critter!

Song Bird For Sale Beside Road

Seller wanted VND 5,000,000 - NO DEAL!

This was not a road trip for napping - white knuckles, yes, but no napping!  (If you napped, you would not have time to pray before you died.) After crossing numerous land slides and driving on partially-completed road beds, we reached Phong Tho and stopped for lunch at the only restaurant deemed suitable for foreign tourists between Dien Bien Phu and Sapa.  Following our normal procedure, we asked our guide, Thuan, to order cooked, largely vegetarian, local dishes for us, and the food was not only excellent, but passed the 24 hour test. (If you are not sick within 24 hours, you are safe.)  Then, it was back in the SUV, and turning south on National Route 40, we passed Lai Chau, Tam Duong, then over the pass at Phan Si Pang Mountain (10, 328ft/3148m) and into Sapa at 5,250ft (1,600m), arriving about 6:00pm (total elapsed time ~12 hours).   Much of the last part of the drive over the pass between Tam Duong and Sapa was in light rain and fog.  Although the road was an improved, two- lane highway which even had guardrails, the intermittent rain and fog reduced visibility so the trip remained exciting.   This was not a boring road trip at anytime!

There Was A Road Here

Aftermath of a recent landslide

Express Bus -- We Took Turns

Over That Edge Is Where Mistakes Go

Our route north along Highway 12 and southeast to Sapa on Highway 40 followed one of a number of roads, trails, paths, and waterways used by the Vietnamese to supply their army fighting at Dien Bien Phu.  The difficulty and dangers posed to the tens of thousands of Vietnamese who drove trucks, pushed bicycles, rowed sampans, or manually pulled guns and ammunition along this route can only be dimly glimpsed from our drive, but there is no doubt that they faced nearly as many dangers as the troops on the battle lines at Dien Bien Phu.

National Route 40 Near Sapa

We arrived at Sapa, and proceeded to the Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa, where we were checked into a suite.  Having started the day at the Muong Thanh Dien Bien Hotel, followed by the road-trip-from-hell,  the Victoria Sapa was paradise.  We had tea and cakes, long luxurious hot baths to soothe the jarred and bounced body, and a wonderful night's sleep in the cool, if damp, night air of Sapa, where we would spend the next two days.

Sapa From the Victoria Sapa Resort and Spa

Welcome to the Sapa Resort and Spa

A bouquet of E's favorites -- Calla Lillies