Ta Van Village

Ta Van sits in the Muong Hoa valley below Sapa among terraced rice, and it is mixed - Giay in the lower village, H'mong and Dao on the slopes - which is normal in this valley and is often flattened in the marketing into a single ethnic label. It has become the standard overnight stop on the Sapa trekking circuit, with a large number of homestays ranging from families' spare rooms to purpose-built lodges. Along the valley floor are the Muong Hoa rock carvings, a national monument: several hundred boulders incised with spirals, figures and grid patterns of uncertain date and meaning.

What's there

• A mixed village - Giay, H'mong and Dao, not a single group.
• Terraced rice in the valley - the Muong Hoa ground.
• The standard homestay stop - on the Sapa trekking circuit.
• Muong Hoa rock carvings - several hundred incised boulders nearby.

When to go

September to November for the harvest; March to May for the water. Two days.

Good to know

The homestay scene is heavily commercialised and many are lodges rather than family houses. Guides sold in Sapa are not always from the villages. Persistent selling by women who accompany walkers is a known feature. Rain is frequent.

Nearby

Sapa is up the valley; Lao Chai is between them.