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What starts at a Sunday-only mountain market unfolds into an intimate portrait of a remote village holding fast to its traditions.
The four-part series World Theme Travel’s Heart-Thumping Vietnam Mountain Trekking, Part 3, follows a route from northern Lao Cai to Son La. It quietly captures the lives and customs that lie beyond the usual tourist spots. The episode Remote Villages, In Search of Treasures!, airing on the 22nd, reveals another side of the northern highlands—markets, villages, and hands-on craft traditions.
The journey begins at the Bac Ha market in Lao Cai. Famous for opening only on Sundays, the market draws people from the surrounding mountain villages all at once. Stalls brim with everything from prized Bac Ha dogs to vividly colored sticky rice. It’s more than a marketplace—it’s where daily life, the seasons, and the local economy intersect.
Lee Chan-bin shadows a vegetable vendor through an entire day. Selling is just the start: he returns to the fields to harvest, cuts grass for the livestock, and only then sits down to eat with his family. That steady routine lays bare the rhythm of highland life. For travelers the encounter may be brief, but it carries the full weight of a hard, honest day.
The route then moves to Son La, where the first stop is Chieng Khoa Waterfall. This seven-tiered cascade is woven into a legend about three sisters. The terraced flow creates a mysterious, almost sacred atmosphere that goes beyond a postcard view. Tourists chatting and taking each other’s photos reveal the easy camaraderie that travel often sparks.
Next is Hang Tau village, a place only recently discovered on social media. Tucked into a basin, the village feels like time has paused. At a tiny entrance market, vendors grill cassava pancakes, a simple act that naturally brings visitors and locals closer. Sharing a bowl of black-bone chicken stew with a local couple, the crew experiences unpretentious warmth. There are no flashy attractions here—it’s that understated charm that lingers longest.
A night at a fog-draped mountain lodge deepens the mood. Falling asleep to hazy peaks seen through floor-to-ceiling glass and waking to clouds pouring down the ridgeline—the contrast between that quiet night and the dramatic morning helps viewers feel how time flows in the highlands.
The final stop is a Hmong village where traditional crafts are still alive. Lee Chan-bin joins villagers in cutting bamboo, soaking it, and pounding it into paper. He helps stamp floral patterns to complete traditional paintings, showing craft passed down by hand. These scenes go beyond a simple activity—they reveal the villagers’ determination and the everyday choices that keep tradition breathing.
From market routines to misty mountain views and hand-made traditions, Part 3 moves closer to the lives behind the scenery. World Theme Travel’s four-part series Heart-Thumping Vietnam Mountain Trekking Part 3, Remote Villages, In Search of Treasures!, airs on the 22nd at 8:40 p.m.
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