Sa Pa and the TPP

We took an overnight train north from Hanoi to Lao Cai, which is just on the border with China, and then took a bus up into the mountains to Sa Pa, a small mountain town about 1,500 meters above sea level. We are here for a few days to enjoy the scenery and weather mainly. Yesterday's high was 22 Celsius with sunny skies. Considering how hot it's been on our trip so far, this is a welcome reprieve.

The bus ride up through the mountains was spectacular, with views of terraced rice fields on the mountain slopes. Some of the slopes looked to be on 45 degree angles, with each terrace only a few feet wide. Harvest time is in a couple of weeks, so the rice fields have long green grass stalks.

Since it was cool here this morning, I had no excuse and went for a run around the town, something I haven't done since we left Vang Vieng in Laos a while back. I was reminded I do need to stay aware of my surroundings around here. Case in point, I was running along a walking path around a small lake in town when I heard a constant beeping behind me. I stepped aside to allow two guys on a motorcycle to ride by; the guy on the back was resting a few 20 foot pieces of re-bar on his shoulder. Catheleen and I were joking that like the movie "A million way to die in the West", you never know when you're going to get it.

One of the oddest things in this place is the constant presence of some very short women dressed in hill tribe outfits trying to sell their wares. They can be very relentless if you show any interest in their handicrafts. I often see tourists walking down the street with half a dozen hill tribe people following. It's the strangest thing. Some of them speak English fairly well and usually start off by asking us our names and where we are from, and they then try to sell us a hand woven scarf or perhaps a purse. Sometimes they travel as a family, with young children walking next to mother in similar dress, with mother carrying a baby on her back, or with a child carrying their baby sister or brother on their back. It all seems a little sad to me. The local tribes are quite poor, even by Vietnamese standards. The government and international aid agencies have tried to improve their lot over the years, but it takes time.

I spoke with the hotel manager, who has been living in Sa Pa for the last 17 years, and prefers the weather and easy pace of Sa Pa to hot hectic Hanoi. He said the traffic will likely get worse in Hanoi in the next couple of years. I asked why and he said that when the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) comes into effect, import tax on vehicles, along other items, will drop from close to 100% to zero, making imported cars less expensive. I didn't know anything about the TPP, but learnt it's a free trade deal under negotiation among 12 countries, including the U.S, Japan, Canada, Vietnam and some other countries. Funny that he would be speaking about a trade deal currently under negotiations in our home town in Ottawa, Canada. I have no idea if there will be an agreement; I understand negotiations have been going on for years.

Here is a mother and daughter, presumably hill tribe people.