No, this post is not about Jen. Though I’ve seen more of Jen sans pantalons than I’d like to admit.

Chances are, when you visit a traditional Vietnamese village, you will encounter the adorable, dirty, pantless village children on your journey. I used to have a tradition of sending my mom a postcard of such a scene, which I knew always made her inevitably cringe as she gazed upon their dust-smeared smiles. While in Sapa, we were not let down. Perhaps most importantly of all, I was very happy to find that they didn’t once approach us asking for money or candy but simply waved, grinned and yelled “HALLO!”

I’m glad to see the no-pants-dance is still going strong in Asian villages.

There are 15 separate groups of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, the most colourful of which can be found in the north of the country. While in Sapa, we had the opportunity to experience two separate groups of hill tribes. Each group has its own distinct style of dress, customs, religious beliefs and language (though the national language is officially Vietnamese).

Life for the most part is difficult for many minority groups. Education and health care rates remain lower than the national average, and most people live a rural, agricultural lifestyle. Women marry young and life expectancy is low. But despite this, everyone we crossed paths with seemed happy, healthy, good-natured with a great sense of humour.

The two groups we encountered were the Black H’Mong and the Red Dzao. Both groups farm and also sell their wares at the market in Sapa. Both have a vibrant, elaborate style of dress, with the Red Dzao known for their long, flowing headdress and their hair shaved back from their foreheads, and the Black H’Mong recognized by their indigo-dyed embroidered linen clothing and super-cool Fame-era leggings. Both groups are canny traders and are relentless in their selling tactics. It worked on both Jen and I as we walked away from the market with a few pieces of jewelry and trinkets. We also hiked through 4 different villages in the area and got to see first hand the simple way they live. Pretty cool.