We are from the Hmong ethnic minority group all born in different villages of Sapa.

We  have  been  trekking  guides  in  Sapa  for  many  different  tour  companies  for  many  years.  Our  salaries  were  very  low  on  each  tour  so  our  aim  is  to  pay  a  fairer  wage  to  each  guide.

How   We  Are  Building   Our   Small   Tour  Company?

We are one of the smallest yet most experienced teams in Sapa, proudly representing the Hmong ethnic minority. We have  established a tour company to provide our guides  with  fairer  incomes  while  ensuring  quality  services  at reasonable  prices.

Our  mission  is to  work  independently, sharing our  extensive  local  knowledge and culture with  visitors. Sapa Weather Trekking guides  are  fluent  in  English, allowing  us  to  create  meaningful and  memorable  experiences  for  our  guests.

We  are  10  guides  from  Sapa in North Vietnam. Our Team-leader  is  Mai Giang  along   with   her  colleagues So, Su,Chu,Sung,Dua, Pang,Ly,Thi,Do, and Yang.

Hello, my name is Mai, and I am a proud  member  of the  Black  Hmong  ethnic minority. I was  born  in  Lao Chai  village, just 8  kilometers from Sapa Town.

When I was 8 years old, I couldn’t  read  or  write  and  spent  my  days  selling handicrafts on the streets of Sapa. My mother encouraged me to sell to western tourists to help support our family. As the eldest child in a poor household, I had many responsibilities, including caring for my two younger brothers, assisting my parents with farm work, and earning money for rice. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to attend school, even though I dreamed of studying like the other children I saw.

One day, while  selling  near  a  hotel, I met  a  kind  couple  from  Australia named  Laurel  and Daryl. They  asked  me  why  I  wasn’t  in  school  and discovered  I  couldn’t  even  read  or  write  in  Vietnamese. Touched  by   my story,  they  decided  to  support  my  education,  allowing  me  to  study  both  Vietnamese  and  English  in  Sapa. Without  their  help, my  life  would  have taken  a  very  different  path—I  likely  would  have  married  young,  as  is customary  in  Hmong  culture.

Thanks  to  their  generosity, I  graduated  from high school and have continued to  improve  my  English  with  online  lessons  from  Pam,  one  of  my  most  supportive  teachers. Pam  and  her  husband, Bob, not  only  help me  with English  but  also  share  valuable  life  lessons  that  have  shaped  my outlook.

In  2023, Laurel and Daryl  sponsored  my  first  visit  to  Australia.  I  spent  four weeks  with  them  in  Melbourne,  learning more  about  their  culture  and  way of  life. For  the  final  week  of  my  trip, I  stayed  with  Pam and  Bob  in Sydney, where  I enjoyed  a  wonderful  holiday  and  experienced  the  beauty of  their  city.  This  trip  was  a  life-changing  experience  that  deepened  my connection  with the  people  who  have  played such  a  big role  in  shaping  my future.

Today,  I  am  proud  to  serve as  the  team  leader  of  our  tour  company.  I created  our  website  to  connect  travelers  from  around  the  world  with  our unique  experiences. I  believe  in  the  power  of  education  and  technology  to open  doors, and I  hope  our  website  helps visitors  discover  the beauty  of Sapa  while  directly  supporting  our  local  community.

As  more  travelers  book  adventures  online, it’s  important  for  us  to adapt and  reach  out  to  our  customers. By  doing  so, we  can  ensure  fair wages and  a  sustainable  future for our  guides  while  preserving  the  rich culture  and  traditions  of  the  Black  Hmong  people.

In Hmong culture  girls  are  usually  married  at  a  young  age  of  15  to 17 years  old. The  girls  when  married  then  live  with  the  boys  family  where  she  has  a  home  and  land.  A   girl  in  a  Hmong  family  will  not  inherit  any   land  from  her  parents…..only  her  brothers. Boys  are  considered  more   important  than  girls. Today  many  Hmong  women  are   hard   working  and  marrying   young  is  hard  for  them  to  be  a mum and  look  after  their  family. They  find  it  hard  to  save  money  after  buying  food  and  clothing so  a   guiding   job   is  a   way   out  of  poverty  for  many  Hmong  families.

Sapa Weather Trekking  has  created   these jobs for  local  women   empowering  them  to  be  independent and  with  your booking our tour will make a better life for many families. You can have  a  unique  experience  with our  guides  while  sharing  their  land, culture and  family  life  and  knowing    each  guide  is  being  paid  a fair  wage..

Most  of  the  hotels  and  restaurants  are  owned  by  Vietnamese…not  local people, so  this  is  a  way  to  support  the  local  minority  people  who  live in the  surrounding  villages. Their  only  income  is farming, selling handicrafts  on  the street or tour guiding.