Bac Ha (elevation 900m), 144 km from Sapa, is a new paradise for tourists and you can see 10 Montagnard groups at Sunday Market, a weekly hill tribe event that draws locals in from all over the surrounding area.
Unlike Sapa, it is not staged for tourists and far fewer tourists make it up this way... It is warmer than Sapa and much less touristy than Sapa. The bad thing is the infrastructure in Bac Ha is not as good as in Sapa (hotel and power are in worse condition). Minority men are heavy drinkers and it is amazing to see groups of tribal women heading home, each one leading a horse behind her with her drunken husband on the saddle. Anyway, the people and landscape are far more interesting than Sapa. It may be nicer in the middle of the week but you can not go to any market and if you want to see Montagnard groups, you sometimes have to walk for 20 km.
Thank You, Onur, for your kind words, that encourage me more than any other medals or rewards. I will have some more on this topic to be posted. Please return to them, and comment.