Location Profile · 01

Tả Phìn — Where the
Dao stories are still told

Field notes from Sả Séng · Vũ Thị Nhật

Tả Phìn sits in a valley about 12 km from the center of Sa Pa — around 30 minutes by motorbike. It's one of the communes with the largest Red Dao community, and one of the places where the most traditional culture is still preserved in Sa Pa.

Talenam doesn't come to Tả Phìn on a tourist schedule. I come to stay — for a few days, a few weeks — long enough for people to know my name, for me to know theirs, and for the stories that are told to come out unscripted.

Who lives in Sả Séng

Sả Séng village (Tả Phìn commune, Lào Cai province) is where I often return. Here I've met people whose names, faces, and stories have become part of the Talenam journey.

**Auntie Chảo Lở Mẩy**, 59 years old. She has a warm smile and glossy black-lacquered teeth — a traditional mark of beauty that the previous generation of Red Dao women still keep.

**Auntie Chảo Mẩy Khé**. Every time we meet, I hear another story — about houses, about how the Dao live with the forest, how they live with each other.

**Chảo Mẩy Thanh**. A young Dao woman carrying forward what earlier generations left behind, in her own way.

Auntie Chảo Mẩy Khé embroidering by hand — Auntie Chảo Mẩy Khé embroidering. Every gold thread on the indigo cloth is a way that Red Dao culture is kept alive — not in a museum, but in the hands of people who are still living, still working, every day.

The Nôm Dao script still lives

The Red Dao here still use the Nôm Dao script — a writing system based on Chinese characters — in their rituals and records. In Sả Séng, I was fortunate to meet Master Chảo Vần Siệu, one of the few who can still write it.

He writes on wood, with ink and brush, the way he was taught by those who came before him. I won't share what the characters mean here — some things belong to the community, and only people from within the community are in a position to speak of them. But I can say this: in Sả Séng, that writing is still alive.

Master Chảo Vần Siệu writing Nôm Dao script on a wooden tablet — Master **Chảo Vần Siệu** writing on a wooden tablet. A scene most day-trippers to Tả Phìn never get the chance to see.

The Bắc Cầu ceremony

On one of my visits, the family of Auntie Chảo Lở Mẩy allowed me to be present at the Bắc Cầu ceremony — an important ritual in the spiritual life of the Dao people, held in her honor. Master Chảo Vần Siệu led the ceremony.

I won't describe the details of the rite here. But I can say that being present in that space, and seeing the reverence people give to one of their own, is a memory I've carried with me for a long time.

Master Chảo Vần Siệu leading the Bắc Cầu ceremony for Auntie Chảo Lở Mẩy in Sả Séng.

Early mornings in the village

But Tả Phìn is not only rituals. It's also the ordinary early mornings — people heading to the fields, feeding ducks, leading a buffalo along a dewy path. This is the rhythm I believe visitors will remember longer than anything staged for them to watch.

Elder Chảo Quẩy Vạng leading a buffalo to the field — **Elder Chảo Quẩy Vạng** leading his buffalo to the field. An ordinary morning in Sả Séng.

Feeding ducks beside the rice paddy — Feeding ducks at the edge of a rice paddy. This scene repeats every day — no one photographs it, unless someone sits long enough to notice it is worth photographing.

If you come to Tả Phìn

Distance: About 12 km from central Sa Pa, roughly 30 minutes by motorbike
Best seasons: September–October (rice harvest) and March–April (peach and wild plum blossoms)
Where to stay: Several homestays run by Dao families
A suggestion: Stay at least two days and one night — enough time to sit still, not just photograph and leave

What Talenam is doing in Tả Phìn

Right now, Talenam doesn't sell tours or services yet. What I'm doing is recording, telling, and building a long-term relationship with the community — so that when Talenam does have a product, it truly creates value for both visitors and the people who live here.

If you're interested in Tả Phìn and want to follow this journey, please connect with me through the Talenam Facebook page or email hello@talenam.com.

A Red Dao woman walking down a trail out of the village — An afternoon in Sả Séng.