Sa Pa is a town in northern Vietnam mainly known for it’s beautiful terrace fields and the mountain Fansipan, which is the highest mountain of Indochina (3.143 m). I went their for a hiking trip including 2 homestays at houses of Hmong people. This taught me interesting things about the Hmong.

To marry a Hmong girl you first have to kidnap her (no dating before). After 3 days at your parents place she decides whether she wants to marry you or not. If not, she is free to go home. This happens mostly between the ages 14 and 18. Beautiful girls get kidnapped up to 5 times before they decide for a husband. Our guide, a Hmong women , was 22 years old, happily married and mother of a 3 year old girl.

I asked her if she wants to see New York, Paris or any other city outside of Sa Pa. I would’ve guessed that she wants to, as her english was good and meeting people from all around the world must have made her curious.

She wasn’t interested at all.