On the Road to Nong Khiaw: Hanging with the Hmong

To try and break up the long journey from Luang Namtha to Nong Khiaw we usually stop and explore a Hmong (one of Laos’ many minority people) village… 

Like many of Laos’ other minority people, most Hmong claim to have roots in Tibet and Mongolia. Unlike ethnic Lao, Hmong aren’t Buddhist and instead worship spirits.  Each village even has a few shamans, both male and female, always around to ward off those evil spirits. Traditionally, Hmong villages are built high in the mountains, usually 1000-1500 metres above sea level – the worst bit of real estate in my opinion- where it tends to be colder and rainier.  Two more interesting factoids about the Hmong people- First, player-hood traditionally was accepted in Hmong society with men having more than one wife (nowdays most men settle on one, official wife).  Second, there are several different ‘colours’ of Hmong- white, blue, and striped Hmong- with each group being classified based on the traditional clothing they wear.  Definitely an interesting culture!       

A typical Hmong village on the road to Nong Khiaw