Sapa homestay and trekking with Nhu – Our awesome guide

Nhu’s phone number is: +84 (0)1694495127

Nhu was our guide on our last visit to Sapa and she is actually the reason I created this website. I really want her to have a good livelihood so she can improve the quality of life for her family (she is married and has two children).

After speaking with Nhu on the phone, we agreed that we’d meet at Sapa church (a famous landmark in Sapa) at 9:30 AM to discuss our trekking and homestay options. Right at the start, she made a very good impression and we requested 3 days trekking of 6-7 hours each day in the mountains (we were highly optimistic about our fitness level at the time) and 2 nights of homestay in her house. We also wanted breakfast, dinner and some lunch break during the trek. For all of this, she requested 80$ (40$ per person), which is obviously insanely cheap. We agreed to start the next day at 8:30 AM.

  • Views from the trek

On the day of the trek, we met again at 8:30 AM. Nhu came on time and had a basket with our lunch. Right from the start, she took us off road into a rice field. We walked for a few hours, crossing a river and a few small mountains with the most amazing views then stopped for lunch. Nhu made sandwiches for us all and we continued on the way to her village, crossing a few hidden villages in the mountains. It was really a great experience!

Nhu spoke openly about her life and her family which was a good way for us to get an inside view of the H’mong tribe’s daily life. They really live a humble life. She was also interested in our life and we had a great conversation along the way.

After about 7 hours of walking, we arrived at her small village located on a mountainside. Just to get to her house was a trek on its own :). Her house is very modest but exudes warmth and she has a lovely husband and two children. She cooked us an amazing dinner, one of the best we had in Vietnam. I think the pictures tell the story better than I can.

Unfortunately, when starting the trek I had a cold and we decided to return to Sapa in the morning. This was very disappointing for us as we would have loved to do more trekking and see more villages, but I was too weak and didn’t want to take a risk.

In the morning, Nhu cooked us an amazing breakfast and gave us two handmade wrist bands and a bag as a souvenir. Since we only did one day trekking and homestay, she requested only 35$ for both of us. And of course we gave her a tip.

A nice story:
When we talked with Nhu about the local H’mong tribe families, she said that the richest families are the ones with the cardamom fields that are passed down from generation to generation and they can make an income of 100,000,000 VND per year, which is about 375$ per month. So, I hope this website can help her and other guides join this “millionaire” club ;).

Nhu’s phone number is: +84 (0)1694495127

Che Che – Good humor and good coffee

We met Che Che in the center of Sapa while sitting by the main street for coffee. She was selling souvenirs and we advised her that there were too many people that sell those souvenirs and she should sell something different like coffee. We continued to chat for a while and had a great conversation and a good laugh. She has a great sense of humor.

In the end, she agreed that selling coffee was a good idea but she didn’t know how to write a sign in English to let people know that she was selling coffee. We offered to create a sign for her and that we would call her when it was done. We went to a supermarket and bought markers and paper sheets and made her a few signs that came out really nice. Unfortunately, we didn’t take pictures so you’ll just have to believe us ;).

After giving Che Che the signs, she was very happy and didn’t believe that anyone would do such a thing without requesting anything and we were also happy to know that she could use this to possibly earn more money.

A few weeks later, I called Che Che and asked her how the coffee business was going and to my delight, she said that on a hot day she sold ice coffee with success.

As you can understand, we didn’t do a trekking tour with her but she really impressed us and I feel that if you do take a trek with her you won’t be disappointed. So if you end up doing a trek with Che Che, please share your experience with us and send some pictures! And if you just want a cold coffee on a hot day, give her a call and meet her for coffee in Sapa!

Disclaimer: I don’t have a picture of Che Che. The picture I used is just one that I have taken during my visit to Sapa. If you meet Che Che, please take her picture and send it to me.

Che Che’s phone number is: +84 (0)984000391