Local Culture

Cở Thị Giàng is a H'Mong woman of small stature and enormous presence. She hosts Lang Thang's three-day Sa Pa Village Trek from her home in Tả Van, and what guests pay goes directly to the villagers, through her.

Vietnam receives over 18 million international visitors a year. Most of them mean well. Very few of them think about what their visit actually does to the places and people they've come to see. This isn't a guilt trip. It's an invitation to trave l better — because Vietnam, more than almost anywhere in Southeast Asia, rewards the traveller who slows down, looks closer, and spends their money with intention. Here's how to do it. CHOOSE LOCAL OVER INTERNATIONAL The single most