Lo Lo Chai Village

Lo Lo Chai sits at the foot of the hill at Lung Cu that marks the northernmost point of Vietnam, and it is a Lo Lo village - one of the smaller recognised ethnic groups in the country, numbering only a few thousand people in total, most of them in this corner of Ha Giang. The houses are built of rammed earth with tiled roofs and are cool in summer and warm in the cold months, which matters at this altitude. The village has developed homestays and a coffee house run in one of the earth houses, and the women's embroidered dress and the bronze drums used in Lo Lo ritual are still in use.

What you actually see

• Rammed earth houses - with tiled roofs, cool and warm by season.
• A Lo Lo village - one of the smallest recognised groups in Vietnam.
• At Vietnam's northernmost point - below the Lung Cu flag tower.
• Bronze drums in ritual use - alongside the embroidered dress.

When to go

September to November and March to May. A full day.

Honest expectations

This is a small community and visitor pressure at the flag tower next door is heavy. Homestays are simple. Winter is genuinely cold at this altitude. Photographing people needs asking.

Nearby

The Lung Cu flag tower is above; Dong Van is south.