Tay Ethnic Minority

History: The Tay are the earliest known minority in Vietnam, who are thought to have arrived from inland South East Asia about 500 BC. They settled in valleys in the north west part of Sapa. Language: Tay language belongs to the Tay - Thai language group. Their alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet devised in 1960, similar to the Viet alphabet. Costume: The traditional dress is made from indigo dyed cotton. It is usually plain, with little embroidery or other decoration.  The women wear a simple shirt with silver buttons down the front teamed with black trousers.  Both sexes wear colorful head scarves. Nowadays the Tay are often seen wearing Viet and western clothes. Social organisation: The Tay social system used to resemble a feudal society.  One man in each village owned the land, forest and rivers.  He ruled over the people living on that land. This regime appeared very early and ended in 19th century. Tay now live in villages of mixed ethnic groups, enter into mixed marriages and leave their traditional settlements to work in other areas.  They have adopted other elements of Kinh culture and of the Tai speaking people, are considered the most integrated into main stream Vietnamese culture. Birth: While pregnant and even after giving birth, the mother and father have to avoid many different things in order for both mother and child to be healthy, for the child to grow up quickly and strongly and to avoid evil spirits. When the new born is three days old, there is a ritual in honor of the midwife.  One month after the birth, there is a celebration and party to name the baby. Marriage: Young Tay men and women are free to love, but the decision to become husband and wife rests with their parents. The boy s parents need to know the potential bride s fortune so they can compare it to their son s.  To do this, they consult an astrologer who judges how well matched they are.  If the signs look favorable, the marriage can take place. After the wedding, the wife stays with her parents until she is pregnant. She will only go to live at her husband’s house in the late stages of pregnancy. Funeral: The funeral rituals are quite similar to Vietnamese. The funeral brings deceased s spirit to the world of the after life. Three years later, there is a ritual to bring the spirit to the ancestors and to end the mourning period. There is an annual day in honor of the deceased. Beliefs: The Tay worship ancestors, the house spirit, kitchen spirit and the midwife. Housing: The Tay live in houses built on stilts originally designed to protect them from wild animals.   Nowadays, they use the first floor for storage and cooking. When building a new house, the owner has to choose the right place very carefully.  Many factors are considered, including his age and horoscope. On the day that he and his family move to the new house, the head of the family must start a fire and keep it burning all night. Food: The Tay used to eat sticky rice most of the time, but now eat regular rice. For festival occasions, they make many kinds of cakes such as square rice cake (banh chung - symbol of the earth), round rice cake (banh day  - symbol of the sky) for the New Year Festival and pounded young sticky rice that is roasted (com) for the Mid Autumn Festival. Production activities: The Tay use traditional wet rice cultivation.  The rice is grown on the hills with very little water, which is well utilised using irrigation methods like digging canals and laying water pipes.  They produce high quantities of food by practicing such intensive cultivation methods.

Source: traveltosapa.com

Sapa Hotels

ROYAL VIEW HOTEL Address: Cau May Street, Sapa, Vietnam Phone: (84-20) 3872 989/ 3990 / 991 Fax: (84-20) 3872 992 One of the newest hotels in Sapa the Royal View Sapa Hotel has impeccable facilities and fantastic views. There are 24 rooms overlooking the valley and 18 rooms overlooking the garden and all are well furnished. There are electric heaters in all rooms and fireplaces in some. Location: One of the newest hotels in Sapa the Royal View Sapa Hotel has impeccable facilities and fantastic views. There are 24 rooms overlooking the valley and 18 rooms overlooking the garden and all are well furnished. There are electric heaters in all rooms and fireplaces in some. Royal View is ideal for those who like some luxury during their travels. The location and services have been carefully planned to allow guests to experience something different and unique in close harmony with nature and the local hill tribe people. Royal View Accommodation Individual controlled air-conditioning Satellite TV with international channels Private bathroom with bathtub or shower IDD Telephone and ceiling fan (available in Deluxe rooms only) Hair-dryer (on request) and balcony in room Tea/coffee making facility Mini-bar and heater Safe deposit box in room Royal View Hotel's Amenities Train station pick-up service. Foreign currency exchange TA VAN restaurant and TA FIN bar Vehicles for rent
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Bamboo Hotel Sapa The three star BAMBOO SAPA HOTEL, the only luxury hotel in North-Western Vietnam, opened in March 1995. Built as a traditional mountain chalet with accented wooden decor and a welcoming stone hearth fireplace, the Bamboo Sapa Hotel overhangs the village with great view to Hoang Lien Mountain range, blending perfectly with the natural surroundings.   The location and luxury services of the hotel have been carefully planned to allow guests to experience something different and unique, in close harmony with nature and with the local hill tribe people. Bamboo Sapa Hotel  is located in Sapa, 380 km (236 miles) Northwest of Hanoi, among the Hoang Lien Mountains, in Lao Cai Province, near the Chinese border. 1650 meters (5413 feet) above sea level, famous for its pristine environment, its unparalleled scenery and its cool climate, Sapa is home to more than 30 colorful hill tribes and close to Vietnam's highest peak, the 3143 meters (10311 feet) Mount Fansipan . .   Add: Cau May, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province, S.R. Vietnam Tel: (84.20) 3871 075/076/214 Fax: (84.20) 3871945

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CHAU LONG HOTEL Address: Cau May - Sapa Telephone: (+84) 20 871 245        Fax: (+84) 20 871 844 Chau Long Sapa Hotel can be found in a lane of Cau May street which is perched on a hill in this mountainous region. Location: Sapa is located in one of the most beautiful and unspoiled regions in North Vietnam, close to Chinese border. It's a quiet mountain town that lies at an altitude of about 1600 m, being a home to a great diversity of ethnic minority people. The scenery is a spectacular combination of high green mountains cuddled in clouds, scattered rice terraces and rich agricultural areas where the native inhabitants live and harvest their crops... Designed as a red-stone castle, Chau Long Sapa Hotel - New wing & Old wing, is ideally located at the quite side street, in the heart of Sapa town - home to many colorful native hill tribes, within easy walking to Sapa market and the Church. Chau Long Hotel offers to its guests and visitors magnificent views of the Hoan Lien mountains range, cuddled in clouds, and the view point to the highest peak in Indochina - Fansipan Mountain (3,143m) Chau Long Accommodation - Individual controlled air-conditioning - Satellite TV with international channels - Private bathroom with bathtub or shower - IDD Telephone - Hair-dryer and refrigerator - Personal safety box in room - Balcony and Heater - Tea/Coffee making facilities Standard (Run of House): Old wing features 2 spacious 26m2 rooms with double size bed or twin bed with a private balcony, overlooking Mount Fansipan. Superior: 18 rooms with twin/double beds offer a private balcony overlooking Muong Hoa valley & Mount Fansipan in 28m2. Deluxe: 53 rooms with queen bed and a private balcony overlooking Muong Hoa valley & Mount Fansipan, fireplace in room in 32m2. Quadruple: 4 single size bed, a large living room area with a writing desk and overlooking Muong Hoa valley & Mount Fansipan in 60m2. Suite: 02 suites with king size bed, a large writing desk. All Sapa Suites offer large living room with sofa, private balcony overlooking Muong Hoa valley & Mount Fansipan in 60m2. Hotel’s Services & Facilities - Transportation from Lao Cai train station to the hotel and back to Lao Cai - 24 hours front desk & 24 hours security team at the hotel’s entries - Tour information and booking, providing private tours in lao Cai and lai Chau provinces - Free internet service and Wi-Fi access in the lobby and restaurant area (also in the rooms from 2009) - Administrative assistance and flight/train reconfirmation and booking services - Express or regular Laundry service and free shoes cleaning service - Foreign currency exchange - Room service; Wake-up service; Postal service; Babysitting - Luggage storage Free parking
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VICTORIA HOTEL Built as a traditional mountain chalet with accented wooden decor and a welcoming stone hearth fireplace, Victoria Sapa Resort overhangs the village, blending perfectly with the natural surroundings. Address: Sapa District, Lao Cai Province, S.R. Vietnam Phone: +84 20 871522/ 04.933 0318 Fax: +84 20 871539/ 04.933 0319 Location: Victoria Sapa Resort, the only luxury hotel in the area, opened in March 1998. Built as a traditional mountain chalet with accented wooden decor and a welcoming stone hearth fireplace, Victoria Sapa Resort overhangs the village, blending perfectly with the natural surroundings. The location and services have been carefully planned to allow guests to experience something different and unique in close harmony with nature and the local hill tribe people. The location and services have been carefully planned to allow guests to experience something different and unique in close harmony with nature and the local hill tribe people. Victoria Sapa Accommodation: Individual controlled air-conditioning Satellite TV with international channels Private bathroom with bathtub or shower IDD Telephone and ceiling fan (available in Deluxe rooms only) Hair-dryer (on request) and balcony in room Tea/coffee making facility Mini-bar and heater Safe deposit box in room Superior: spacious rooms are at garden level, feature comfortable sitting area with sofa & writing desk in 25m2. Deluxe: rooms at second and third level feature a balcony, with sofa, overlooking Mount Fansipan in 25m2. Suite: Victoria suites offer a living room & a bed room with queen size bed en-suite; large balcony, Mount Fansipan view in 50m2. Victoria Sapa Hotel's Amenities: Train station pick-up service. Foreign currency exchange TA VAN restaurant and TA FIN bar Vehicles for rent Travel tour arrangement Bar/Pub/Lounge Tennis Court Visa extension and air-ticket booking service Facilities: Indoor-outdoor heated swimming pool, Sauna/Massage, Billiard table, Free use of bicycles, Parking. Services: Laundry services, Transportation facilities, Motorbike rental, Russian Jeep or minibus with driver rental, Hairdressing & Beauty salon, Souvenir shop, Postal services. Meeting room facilities (with capacity up to 100 persons)
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TOPAS ECO LODGE HOTEL Address: 24 Muonghoa, Cau May, Sapa, Laocai, Vietnam Topas Ecolodge is situated in the perfect location at two cone-shaped hills set deep in the spectacular Sapa valley of Northern Vietnam. Code words for our little place are simplicity, quality and character.Topas Eco Lodge provide daily transportation according to schedule from Sapa to the Eco Lodge. Even though the road is under constructing some parts are still dirt road. It takes about one to one and a half hour to go from Sapa to the Eco lodge. Despite the fact that some part are dirt road it is a interesting journey. On the way you will see daily life in the rice fields, minorities on there way to Sapa to sell handcrafts, vegetables etc. Topas Ecolodge is based on ecological principles. Here are a few of them: We have implemented a wastewater facility to avoid pollution of the local area We employ local people and use local products and goods in order to bring economic benefits to the local community We use solar technology to supply every lodge with energy and hot water Click here for the location of Topas Ecolodge Hotel. Topas Ecolodge Accommodation Individual controlled air-conditioning Satellite TV with international channels Private bathroom with bathtub or shower IDD Telephone and ceiling fan (available in Deluxe rooms only) Hair-dryer (on request) and balcony in room Tea/coffee making facility Mini-bar and heater Safe deposit box in room 25 bungalows made of white granite from a nearby quarry, and roofs thatched with palm branches. All bungalows are double or twin rooms Private balcony with a magnificent view over the valley Solar system for hot water facility Solar system that produce electricity for the bungalows Topas Ecolodge's Amenities Train station pick-up service. Foreign currency exchange Restaurant and bar Vehicles for rent Train tickets from Hanoi - Lao Cai - Hanoi: The price for a soft sleeper in 4-berth coach with air-conditioning is 23 US$/ way; 46 US$/ return. The tickets would be collected at our office in Hanoi or delivered to your residence or hotel. Pick-up from the train station: It takes 1 hour drive from Lao Cai Station to Topas Ecolodge: USD7/person by bus. Sapa office: 24 Muong Hoa Street, Sapa, Lao Cai Province Online Booking Room Rate All rates are in USD/night/double room, including buffet breakfast, 10% VAT &  5% service charges Package Price including for double room 2008: Overnight Full board (dinner on arrival date; lunch on arrival or departure day; breakfast the following day; additional nights full  board) Shuttle bus transfer Sapa – Topas Ecolodge return way according to schedule, Maximum of 2 children under 12 years old sharing the bungalow with the parents Extension of check out time is subject to availability and to be charged 25 % of the package rate until 6 PM. Extension till after 6 PM is to be charged full day rate Extra bed adds USD35 -/night Extra bed for children under 12 years old: USD25/night Children under 12 yso sharing parent's bed: USD10 Peak seasons surcharge: USD25/person. 24 Dec - 25 Dec 08: 1 night/person 31 Dec. 08 - 01 Jan 09: 1 night/person Check-in time at 13:00 or sooner, Check-out time at 12:00. Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Traveler's Cheques, Bank Transfer and Cash. All rates are subject to change without notice. These rates are available only for bookings made with hotels-in-vietnam.com and NOT available from the hotel directly.

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SAPA HOTEL Address: Ngu Chi Son Street - Sapa Town -  Lao Cai Province - Vietnam Conveniently located in the heart of downtown, next to Ham Rong mountain, with a beautiful Lakeview, Sapa Hotel is a desirable place for any tourists coming to Sapa to explore the natural landscapes of this area. Sapa Hotel is a 3-star hotel with up-to-date equipment and luxurious and perfect services. Its wonderful and romantic terrain - encompassed by a tranquil blue-watered lake at the front and the stunningly splendid Ham Rong mountain at the back - attracts a great deal of tourists coming to the town. Its outstanding French-style architecture harmonizes beautifully with the fascinating holiday resort discovered in the French colonial period. Sapa Accommodation Heater with individual temperature control Satellite TV with international channels Private bathroom with bathtub or shower IDD Telephone and mini-bar Electronic Card key system Executive writing desk with chair Hair-dryer (on request), shaver outlet, mini clothes line. Tea/coffee making facility Safe deposit box in room Superior: rooms with large windows for lake and Sapa view, sitting area with sofa set in 21m2. Deluxe: rooms with large windows for lake and Sapa view, sitting area with sofa set in 24m2. Royal Suite: rooms with large windows for lake and Sapa view, sitting area with sofa set in 45m2. Sapa Hotel's Amenities Train station pick-up service Indoor swimming pool Thac Bac and Cong Troi Restaurant DJ - Black Jack discotheque Fitness center, Sauna and Massage Foreign currency exchange Vehicles for rent Express Laundry & dry-cleaning daily Travel tour and ticket booking Souvenir/Gift shop Internet and Email service Business center service Online Booking Room Rate All rates are in USD, including 10% VAT &  5% service charges. Special discount for long-term staying guest. No extra charge for child under 12 sharing bed with parents. (without extra bed). Extra bed adds US$ 10/night/person. Check-in time at 13:00 or sooner, Check-out time at 12:00. Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Traveler's Cheques, Bank Transfer and Cash. All rates are subject to change without notice. These rates are available only for bookings made with hotels-in-vietnam.com and NOT available from the hotel directly.

Source: www.sapatravelguide.com