Ha Giang is resilient, enduring many ups and downs with its hundred-year-old earthen houses and “cat-ear mountains”, which millions of gusts of wind have not been able to erode. On roads that weave out of sight, you may feel as if you are blending into the cliffsides. Like the locals who follow in their ancestors’ footsteps to walk daily to their fields, tending to the crops while waiting for the rare rains to nourish the corn and rice, you become part of this timeless place.

Here, you can step into any house, utter a simple greeting, and hear the homeowner reply with “chi pâu” (I don’t know). If you’re friendly, all doors will open for you. If you arrive during a meal, the host will invite you to join them. If there happens to be a village festival, you’ll be offered wine, a taste of various cakes, and an opportunity to listen to some folk songs. Listen to the distinctive music – it may captivate your soul and bind you to this region.