Some journeys do not begin with big dreams, but with a very small wish: to have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear.

Amid the mist and mountains of Sapa, where children grow up with mud-stained feet and biting cold, there was once a Black H’Mong boy who walked barefoot on slippery mountain paths. He carried within him a quiet determination to change his life through education and an unbreakable will.

Today, that boy has not only found his own path, but has become a guide for others, leading travelers into the true heart of Sapa where nature, people, and life stories meet with honesty and warmth.

Ly A Pao – Back H’Mong Child Born Among the Mountains of Sapa

I am a Black H’Mong man, born and raised in Ban Ho Commune, a small village nestled at the foot of the mountains, surrounded by the majestic Hoàng Liên Sơn range in Sapa, Vietnam.

My childhood was deeply connected to forests, fields, mist, and muddy roads that became especially treacherous during the rainy season. It was not a gentle childhood described in books, but one filled with hardship, scarcity, and challenges yet also rich in love.

I was born into a poor farming family with eleven siblings. Life back then was extremely difficult. We lacked almost everything: food, clothing, and even the small things that many children consider normal.

Winter in Sapa is harsh. The cold cuts through the skin. Yet we had no proper warm clothes, no decent shoes to protect our feet. Often, even a full meal felt like a luxury.

My parents worked tirelessly, farming corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes, saving every small coin to raise their children and send us to school.

A Childhood of Hardship, Filled with Love

Despite the poverty, our family was full of love. We did not always eat well or dress warmly, but we grew up surrounded by care from our parents and from one another.

After school, my siblings and I would run to the fields to meet our parents. We excitedly told them stories from school simple moments, yet filled with childhood dreams. Those memories remain some of the warmest in my life.

As the eldest son and the most mischievous I had many responsibilities. I herded buffalo, cut grass, carried firewood, and worked the fields. I became familiar with hard labor very early, my clothes always stained with mud.

At school, some children called me “the mountain boy,” mocking my appearance and worn-out clothes. Those words hurt, but they also taught me resilience.

Because I spent so much time running in the fields, I was fast and agile. During school games, many classmates chose me for their team. From those moments, I learned an important lesson:

Every child has value if given the chance to shine.

A Simple Dream: “To Eat Well and Stay Warm”

I never dreamed of greatness. I only wished that one day my family and I could eat enough and wear warm clothes.

That simple dream became my strongest motivation to study. I believed education was the only way out of poverty.

I still remember my first pair of plastic sandals a gift from my teachers. It was the first truly new thing I ever owned. I wore them only to school, carefully storing them afterward. When my old sandals broke, I tied them together with scraps of cloth and wore them until they completely fell apart.

Those sandals were not just footwear. They were a memory, a motivation, and a reminder never to give up.

First Reward, Sapa Ethnic Boarding School

My persistence was finally rewarded. I earned a scholarship to attend Sapa Ethnic Boarding High School, a school reserved for the most outstanding ethnic minority students.

For me, it was a dream come true.
For my parents, it was immense pride.

I studied with all my strength, never forgetting my original dream. I completed high school and dared to dream bigger to study Law at university.

I wanted to understand the law, to help my family, and to protect people like myself.

A Broken Dream and Painful Choices

Life, however, did not follow my wishes. Due to financial hardship, I could not attend law university.

Instead, I enrolled in a vocational law program in Lao Cai, paying with what little I earned myself. After graduation, I worked briefly at the People’s Committee of Bản Hồ Commune.

But with my family still struggling and my siblings needing support, I had to give up continuing my law education.

It was a painful decision. But sometimes, we must sacrifice personal dreams to carry family responsibility.

Leaving Home, Starting from Zero

I left my village for Sapa town, starting life from nothing less than nothing.

I took my first job as a hotel housekeeper. By day, I cleaned rooms and floors. By night, when everyone slept, I taught myself English using an old phone and notebooks.

I joined every free English class taught by foreign volunteers at village homestays. I never missed a chance to learn.

For three years, my life followed one rhythm: work – study – sleep very little.

I slept only two or three hours a night. But I refused to stop.

The Reward of Persistence – My First Five Star Hotel Job

My English improved steadily. I was promoted to receptionist and eventually worked professionally at Pao’s Sapa Leisure Hotel a five star hotel I once never imagined entering.

That was when I truly realized:

A poor highland child can rise if they never give up.

Yet, deep inside, I knew something was missing.

I Was Not Born to Stand Behind a Reception Desk

The job was stable. The income was enough.
But my heart belonged elsewhere.

I wanted to tell the real stories of Sapa.
To share authentic local life.
To walk through rice terraces, villages, streams, and mountains.
To speak as someone born of these mountains.

I wanted travelers not just to see Sapa but to feel it.

Becoming a Local Trekking Guide Returning to My Roots

I left the hotel and returned to the mountains where I was born.
I became a local trekking guide.

Not someone reading scripts but:

• A guide walking through childhood memories
• A storyteller sharing real experiences
• Someone who knows every slope, stream, and harvest season

I guide travelers through:

• Sapa’s breathtaking rice terraces
• Peaceful H’Mong villages
• Local stilt houses and shared family meals

They experience the authentic cultures of:

Black H’Mong, Red Dao, Tay, Giay, Xa Pho
in Muong Hoa Valley the cultural heart of Sapa.

Travel Is More Than a Trip, It Is Healing

I believe travel can change people.
It helps them slow down, reconnect, and appreciate life.

Travel healed me too a child once hungry, cold, and insecure.

By honoring culture, nature, and real stories,
I changed my life and created livelihoods for my community.

Sapa – A Place to Breathe, Grow, and Become

Sapa is not just a destination.

It is a place to breathe, to learn, to grow.

I am here to share the true soul of Sapa
no embellishment, no performance, only truth.

A Heartfelt Invitation

If you love nature, exploration, and authentic culture,
let me guide you not just with my feet, but with my heart.

I am Lý A Páo a Black H’Mong child who once dreamed only of eating well and staying warm,
now a guide for meaningful journeys in Sapa local guide trekking tour .

If you have read this far, I believe we will meet on a quiet mountain path, among rice terraces and villages of Northwest Vietnam.