Following Red Dao women to explore Ta Phin village’s culture
Visiting Ta Phin tribal village and following Red Dao women, you will have experiences that are totally different from your normal Vietnam vacation package.
Mong, Red Dao and Giay are 3 ethnic minorities living in Sapa, Lao Cai. Each of them has their own cultural identities. For example, Ta Phin tribal village is habitat of many Red Dao people with a diversity of traditions and customs worth exploring
Travelling far from crowded cities, tourists are surprised at endless roads with yellow terrace fields along. Fields are winding around the foothills, making soft curves after one another leading to Ta Phin
From center of Sapa town, you can hire a motorbike to drive to Ta Phin tribal village which is 12 kilometers far from Sapa town. Make sure that you are capable of driving skillfully in order to enjoy the view while moving as there are many winding and rough slopes.
The first place to visit is Ta Phin Old Monastery which is home of 12 religious sisters of Catholic deported from Japan, drifting away to Lao Cao. Athough it was abandoned and became ruins, it is still appealing tourists to stop to admire the bold beauty of French colonial architecture behind the dust layer of time.
Going into center of the village, you should stop by a family to park your motorbike and then walk as the road is quite narrow.
When you reach the village, Dao people will welcome you with their friendly smiles and greetings. Then you will be introduced about their culture through the way they arrange their furniture.
Houses of Dao People fall into 3 categories namely house on stilts, mud house and half-mud house. However, the most favored house is mud house with 3 or 5 rooms.
There are oftern 3 generation living together in Dao people’s family. There are 2 kitchens with one is for cooking and the other is for heating in cold winter.
In several rooms in the middle of the house, it is not too hard to see fruits stored for use. In the garret, there are a lot of corns for use all year around.
Apart from growing corns and rice, Dao women also do brocade weaving and pick medical leaves in the moutains to sell to tourists.
A long time ago, Dao people used medicinal leaves to make bathing water on the last day of the year. Realising their medicinal treatment, a lot of people open bathing service and sell their leaves to tourists.
The bathing water is comprised of more than 10 types of medical leaves, sometimes 120 types.
According to Mrs. Ly Ta Me, people will put 3 kilograms of leaves in a big bin of 50 litters then boil it in about 20 minutes.
The water can be used to treat aching bones, fever or promote health of women after giving birth.
Especially, tourists after climbing Fansipan moutain can take medicinal bathing to eliminate muscle pains.
Nowadays, 1 kilogram of medicinal leaves cost 50 thousand dong. It is considered reasonable price for tourists.
In Dao people’s famililes, daughters have middle names such as Ta, Lo, San, Man and so on.
Dao people have their own way of naming their kids which is very interesting.
Dao culture is shown in people’s clothes. All clothes and scarves are made by local women.
It is believed by Dao people that their costume includes scarf, hat, shirt, trousers, belt and footwwear. A nice set of costume has 5 colours and the main colour is red.
Scarf which used to be decorated with flowers and was maily red in colour now has been made simplier for daily use
For clothes, the main colour is black blue. Decorated patterns are more sophisticated. Patterns in the edges of shirts are square patterns, pine trees patterns or canarium patterns
These patterns make costumes more beautiful and express natural harmony of local people.
With simple lifestyle from traditional wood stoves and close-knit families, Dao people are always welcoming tourists coming to visit. They are willing to approach new people and new things with the view to improve their living standards.
Book Vietnam package tour today to discover the culture of Dao ethnic and have a wonderful trip to Vietnam!
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