I came to Lao Xa on a very ordinary day, but the feeling was anything but ordinary.

The small village is hidden in the Sủng Là valley, surrounded by rocky mountains and large stone outcrops stacked on top of each other. From National Route 4C, just turning into a small stretch reveals a completely different space - quiet, slow, and very "timeless".

In Lao Xa, what I like most are the wall houses that have been stained by time. Earth walls, yin-yang tiled roofs covered in moss, everything is not "new" at all but is very beautiful. It is a kind of beauty that becomes more valuable as it ages.

Not only does it have scenery, but Lao Xa also preserves a very special craft - the traditional silver casting of the Hmong people, which has existed for nearly 100 years. Watching the craftsmen work, I feel like I am witnessing a story being told through their hands.

I tried staying overnight in the village. There is nothing too comfortable, but it feels very real.
Sleeping in an old house, touching the cold earth wall, looking at the old moss-covered tiles… I naturally feel my life slowing down.

There are places that don’t require too many activities,
just being there is enough to feel worth the visit.

And for me, Lao Xa is such a place.

Source of images: Compilation