Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Have you ever picked up someone’s lost item?

A few days ago, a taxi driver gave a lost wallet to our family hotel. He said he had found the wallet in the back seat of his taxi after dropping off two foreign guests at the hotel in the middle of the night.

Inside the brown leather wallet contained more than 500.000 VND, along with a Vietnam SIM card, a credit card, and a driver’s licence of a British person named “Georges”.

After checking carefully, I found that there was no guest having that name in the hotel. I reckoned I would report this case to the local police. But first, I would like to see if I could contact Georges or not.

Based on the information on the driving license, I could only search out Georges’ home address in the UK. Honestly, at that time, I thought of God. I prayed silently in my mind: “God, please help me get in touch with Georges.”

Surprisingly, after a while, I somehow could find out a small phone number written on the backside of the sim card. I tried to call this number. At first, no one picked up the phone. Yet, about thirty minutes later, our landline rang. And guess what? The caller was Georges.

Over the phone, Georges admitted he had dropped his billfold when he arrived in Sapa at midnight. He didn’t know where he could look for it as well. I explained everything and told him to stop by the hotel to get the wallet back.

On that day, I was so happy because thanks to God’s support, I was able to return the lost wallet to its owner. I also thanked the taxi driver for being honest and responsible. He has really strengthened my belief that there are still many kind people around us.

Sharing with you all.

Wishing you an honest day.

Cheers,

An An

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Truc Lam Dai Giac Zen monastery is the first Buddhist monastery in Sapa, built in 2015. It stands on a hill on Dien Bien Phu Street. This monastery belongs to the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect.

The main hall of the monastery is spacious, with a simple design. There is a big Shakyamuni Buddha statue in the center of the hall. The Buddha holds a lotus in his right hand with a gentle smile. Besides the Buddha statue are the statues of Manjushri – the Bodhisattva of wisdom, and Samantabhadra – the Bodhisattva of kindness. This hall is where the monks, and nuns in the monastery, along with other Buddhists, practice sitting meditation. Continue reading Truc Lam Dai Giac Zen monastery →

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

How are you doing? Who do you often encounter on the streets?

I often run into some Hmong children who spend most of their time on Sapa’s streets. They are at the age of 1- 10, and most of them come from Lao Chải village.  

The Hmong children usually walk around the main streets in Sapa. With some souvenirs in their hand, they work as street vendors. The children approach tourists, and ask them to buy something. Sometimes, the begging action of these children bothers visitors.

Continue reading The Hmong child vendors in Sapa →

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

How are you? Do you like dragons?

Today, I’d love to share with you a story about a mountain located right in Sapa downtown. The mountain  reaches 1850m above sea level. People call this mountain “Hàm Rồng” as its peak looks like a dragon’s jaw. 

Continue reading A story about Mount Hàm Rồng →

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

How’s it going? Do you have any memories with traffic lights?

I remember, when I was a teen, my friends and I talked about traffic lights. We asked one another why Sapa didn’t have any. Some friends answered, “Sapa is just a small town. Only big cities have traffic lights”, while others replied, “Perhaps it would be hard to install traffic lights on the sloping roads in Sapa.” At that time, we all were curious to know where people would put traffic lights. 

Continue reading The traffic lights in Sapa →

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

How are you doing today? Have you ever seen black mustard seeds?

In Sapa, people often cultivate black mustard plants. This sort of plant bears black mustard seeds. 

Black mustard seeds usually have a dark brown colour. The seeds are smaller than sesame seeds, and look like tiny balls. Even so, these tiny seeds can sprout from soil and grow into black mustard plants with beautiful yellow flowers in large fields. 

Continue reading Black mustard seeds →

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

How are you? What have you recently planted?

Sapa is in springtime. I think this is the perfect time to plant something. 

Last week, I started my plant project by buying five strawberry mother plants. They are native to Mộc Châu, Sơn La. The plants already had some green berries. 

Continue reading Planting strawberries →

Sapa corner

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

How are you doing today? Have you done your Tet shopping yet?

These days, Sapa market is the best place to feel the cheerful and bustling atmosphere of Tet in Sapa.  

Like other Tet markets, Sapa market is where people can sell and buy essential things for the Lunar New Year. From kumquats, peach blossoms, and wild orchids to many kinds of fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats, we can find almost everything in the market.

Continue reading The Tet market in Sapa →