The beautiful landscape of Lào Cai Province, north of Vietnam

From Hanoi, I took a two-day trip up to Sapa, a place I had long been curious about. I was eager to see the iconic terraced hills along the mountains, layer after layer of green, carved by generations of agricultural tradition. It felt like stepping into a more rural, rooted part of Vietnam.

I spent the night in a homestay tucked deep in the hills. That night is etched in my memory... not because of the views, but because I was irrationally afraid of malaria. I don’t even think there was a real risk, but it was my first time sleeping in a net near the jungle, and I bundled up in layers of clothes, just in case. It makes me laugh now, thinking how paranoid I was, but back then, it was all so new... and that, in a way, made it special.