Life in the village 2026

A lighter post to give you a sense of the beauty of life in the villages. We had Saturday off between our travels from Yen Bai to Lao Cai provinces. So, I did a quick visit to my friend's in Ta Van village which is in the mountains outside of Sapa. Upon arrival I had a special lunch with the family and the local Shama. A Sharma is a special individual from the village who acts as an intermediary between the human world and the spiritual realm. They are believed to possess psychic abilities to communicate with spirits, often performing rituals for healing or good fortune. Photo of me with the Ta Van village Shama.

It was the annual rice planting season a few weeks ago in Ta Van. The rice fields are lush and green. Everywhere you look, there are hillsides, valleys and beautiful green rice terraces. More photos in the Google Photo link below. Ta Van & Ta Phin Villages

During my visit to Ta Van village I received an invitation to go to Ta Phin village. A young grandmother invited me to her village for lunch to say thank you for helping their grandson. We did surgery on him last year and he is doing great. Ta Phin is a Red Zao village about 20 kilometers from Ta Van village. Most villages have a tribal affiliation. Ta Van is a Black Hmong village, Ta Phin is mainly Red Zao. The minority groups still wear traditional clothing to represent their tribe.. Traditional Red Zao clothing:

Photo of mountains around Ta Phin More photos in Google Photo Link: Ta Van and Ta Phin Villages

During our visit to Ta Phin village the grandmother invited several other families with children with disabilities from the village. I did a quick phone (video) consultation with our Medical Director and we added 3 children to our list for Monday to be evaluated for surgery. More updates soon from our surgery week in Lao Cai province. Enjoy the photos. Spending time in the villages with the local people is amazing and everyone always welcomes you like family. The young grandmother who invited me to their home gave me a nice jar of honey that they harvested from the mountains. They said be careful this is real honey so just eat a little at a time. That's the way the people are in Vietnam. Welcome you into their home with open arms to share a meal like family. That's it for now, Bob McGarry