Sapa...this is definitely my favorite place in Vietnam.
  Located in a spectacular fertile valley near the border of China, this is Vietnam's premier scenic destination in the northwest . The mountains are huge, the weather is great, and the valleys are covered with rice terraces and populated with small villages of ethnic minority hill tribes that are still relatively untouched by the outside world...but this is changing fast!
After an overnight train from Hanoi, I parted ways with my travel mates who are on an organized tour (read: Lame) and, as usual, went for the motorbike rental option to explore the way I want. My first morning, I rode the 25 miles or so to Tram Son pass, the highest mountain pass in Vietnam. After crossing over the pass, I was able to coast downhill for about 25 minutes without using the engine.  
The next day took me through an amazing valley road to visit different villages of H'mong, Zay, and Red Dzao peoples. While in the village of Ta Van, I met a young girl and her 5 month old baby from the Red Dzao tribe that had finished working for the day. She was on her way back home in the direction I was going so she offered me a souvenir and a chance to meet her family and see inside her house in exchange for a ride home. I was never so careful riding a motorbike knowing a 5 month old baby is on the back with no helmet! Ten minutes later, when we arrived in her village, she warned me "House is not nice, we very poor."  Well, she was spot on accurate with that statement! Her house was as simple as it gets.
There was no furniture except for some hard, bamboo-mat beds covered in mosquito netting. The kitchen was on the floor in one of the corners where two large pots sat on two buffalo-poop fired stoves. There were some family photos on one of the walls, and her father and some uncles were sitting around smoking a pipe while a few chickens and piglets wandered casually in and out of the house. True to her word, when my little visit was finished, she gave me this silly hat that represents the Red Dzao tribe and we said goodbye.
The next day, I went to the colorful Sunday market in Bac Ha. This is quite a social event for the locals as well as a good place to stock up on things like soap, shampoo, or water buffalos. The Flower H'mong women dress extremely colorful and it makes for great photography.
Well, this wraps up my visit to Vietnam so it's time for the next country, Laos.....