The northern province of Ha Giang, located at the highest latitude of the country, is popular for its Quang Ngan Waterfall, Than Thuy-Thien Bao National Frontier Pass and Dong Van Highlands, which are popular for camping and hiking.
We come to Ha Giang on a misty morning. The scenery is blanketed with peace and cold. But the romantic view of windy passes and mountain trails seem to be broken in our eyes when we see a couple, a drunken man with tottering steps followed by an austere-looking lady with a full backpack.
"They are Meo people. The women have to do everything, even mining and digging roads, while the men just drink with friends as they follow matriarchy," said our driver Binh while negotiating rugged boulders on a crumbled section of road.
About 20 kilometers from Dong Van district is Sa Phinh commune which is famous for its mountains, forests, hidden grottoes and caves, plum and peach trees, persimmon orchards and is home to ethnic H'Mong people. H'Mong are known for their agility on treacherous mountain roads and trails.
We reach the commune at 9 p.m. when the dewdrops are already sitting on the samu leaves. The market on that day is deserted. Only a group of children on the way back home from school gather around to gape at the tourists.
Seen from above, the Vuong family palace looks like an ancient Japanese or Chinese pagoda. Striking in the endless green of dense groves, this red-tiled building is surrounded by two layers of square stonewall.
Legend says that the house was built by Vuong Chinh Duc, a notorious drug baron.
Not as impressive as the luxurious design of so many modern buildings, the ancient house of the Vuong family arouses the curiosity of tourists because of its ancient architecture and the story of the drug baron.
The house is actually a complex of buildings as the baron had to provide rooms for many wives and servants and store weapons, drugs and food.
Vuong Chinh Duc led the troops that drove the French army out of Dong Van. After the victory, Duc appointed himself as king of the Meo people and became known as King Meo.
