There are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam and the largest is the Kinh or Vietnamese which make up 87% of the population. The Hmong, Dao,Tay, Giay, Moung, Thai, Hoa and Xa Pho are the eight ethnic groups which live in Sapa in the mountains of North Vietnam.

The Hmong, who came from China 500 years ago, are the 7th largest ethnic group in Vietnam and make up 52% of the population of Sapa.

During the Vietnam war the Hmong fought with the USA and South Vietnamese against the North Vietnamese. When the War ended in 1973 many of them again left their country and escaped by boat or raft and went as refugees to other countries.

Many generations of the Hmong live together and the grandparents watch over the little ones when the parents are working in the fields. They use buffalo to plough the fields, and these animals are kept in an area that is attached to the house.

The Hmong usually live in hamlets which are made up of eight or more wooden houses most with a small vegetable garden . When building their houses the Hmong must follow certain rules. Hmong houses must face downhill and no two houses are directly in front of each other. They must also be built on ground their ancestors find acceptable. Most groups have a school, but traditionally the parents teach their children from a very young age.

Education is free and most of the young children go to school in the morning. The teachers at these schools are Vietnamese and the books are also written in Vietnamese, but very few Hmong understand or read this language. In the afternoon they help their parents in the house or the fields. Sometimes the children like to try to catch fish in the nearby streams.

In Sapa there are wet and dry seasons. The rainy season is from May to September with a maximum of 4723mm and minimum of 2064mm of rainfall. Because of the weather the Hmong can only grow one crop of rice per year which is enough to feed the people for six months. As the Hmong eat rice with every meal they then have to buy it from other areas. Every village grows

rice, leafy vegetables, beans, herbs and potatoes. In the markets the Hmong can buy and sell fresh vegetables as well as live chickens and dogs. There are tiny food stalls which sell bowls of steaming rice and noodles.

Hmong people must grow their crops on the side of mountains on terraces. They have a tradition called 'slash and burn' which is when they cut down the trees and set fire to the land before getting it ready to plants crops.

There are now an increasing number of tourists visiting Sapa and the areas where the Hmong live. Tourism is good for the area because it brings money and jobs, but the environment has suffered.