Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [316]
From Lai Chau the route veers south, following the gently attractive Nam Na Valley: the higher slopes are farmed by groups of Black Hmong and Dao, though the valley floor is predominantly peopled with Thai villages of impressively solid stilthouses. Some of the White Thai communities in this region are surprisingly modern and orderly, as they are recent creations housing those whose original villages were affected by damming.
The far north | The northwest | West to Dien Bien Phu |
Muong Lay
Road and river track a wooded gorge before emerging at the confluence with the Da River near the town of Muong Lay, some 200km (5–6hr) from Sa Pa. The landscape to the north and south of town is some of the most rugged in the northwest, and thus prone to occasional landslides that can delay progress for long periods. After crossing the Da River the road skirts east of the town, past a T-junction where Muong Lay’s one street branches right to the market and an attractive hotel, while the bus station is further along on the main highway. Some years ago Muong Lay lost its status as provincial capital to Dien Bien Phu, since when it’s been in slow decline – some sections may even disappear altogether if plans for a second Da River dam go ahead. Today, however, it’s a small, sleepy town with no real centre, just tentacles of buildings stranded above the flood plain. One eerie sight is the shell of the former Cultural Hall that was gutted by a flash flood and now looks like some futuristic sculpture of concrete and weeds. For most travellers this is a one-night stop between Sa Pa and Dien Bien Phu; after a quick walk round the small market, where you can snack on freshly cooked rice cakes, and a wander through the Black Thai village on the hillside west of town, there’s little else to do – other than enjoy not being on the road.
Muong Lay boasts a surprisingly characterful hotel, the Lan Anh (023/385 2370, www.lananhhotel.com; US$11–20), set in a leafy compound down a sidestreet to the right beyond the market. It has over forty rooms housed in a few attractive wooden buildings, all fitted with four-poster beds: while the cheaper rooms can be cramped, the mid-range ones are roomier and a better option. The hotel can also arrange local tours of up to six days, though most popular is a half-day trip that takes in a Hmong village, a Black Thai village, and a half-hour boat ride. The town’s other accommodation option is the Song Da (023/385 2527; US$10 and under) on the main highway 100m past the T-junction heading south, but this would only appeal to those on a very strict budget. For food, the best place in town – in fact, the best place in the northwest, outside of Sa Pa – is the restaurant at the Lan Anh, which serves excellent northern cuisine at reasonable prices.
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The far north | The northwest | West to Dien Bien Phu | Muong Lay |
Trading places
Only in Vietnam can things become so confusing. A few years ago, the government decided to change the names of certain towns in the northwest region, which is not that uncommon. However, when places began adopting the old names of nearby towns that already had changed their names, travelling became much harder than it needed to be. While some signs have been slow to change, we use the new names.
In Lai Chau Province, Binh Lu has changed to Tam Doung, and Tam Doung to Lai Chau. In Dien Bien Province, Lai Chau Town has changed to Muong Lay Town, and Moung Lay to Muong Tra.
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The far north | The northwest | West to Dien