Cat Cat Village

Cat Cat Village is a small village located in the mountains of Sapa, Vietnam. It is home to the Black Hmong ethnic minority group and is known for its traditional culture and stunning scenery. The village is a popular tourist destination, offering visitors a unique insight into the traditional way of life of the Black Hmong people. Visitors can explore the village, take part in activities such as weaving and farming, and learn about the culture and history of the Black Hmong people. Cat Cat Village is a great place to experience the beauty of the Vietnamese countryside and to learn about the culture and traditions of the Black Hmong people.

Sapa cloud paradise – the pride of the Northwest mountainous region of Vietnam. It is no stranger to tourists. Amidst the majestic natural mountains and scenery. There is a small and beautiful rustic village that anyone coming to Sapa will definitely have to visit. It is the attractive Cat Cat village with simple wooden houses, small streams, murmuring colorful brocade and simple ethnic minorities.

Travel to Sapa, how can you not mention Cat Cat village. It’s a small poetic village in the middle of majestic mountains. If you have fallen in love with the rustic and simple beauty, along with the colorful culture of the highland ethnic groups. We would like to invite you to visit Cat Cat village on your upcoming trip to Sapa, Vietnam.

Not only making visitors fall in love with the majestic natural landscape. But Sa Pa is also known for the villages imbued with the culture of the highland ethnic groups, the most famous of which is probably Cat Cat village.

So what’s so interesting about this small village in the middle of the romantic mountains? Let’s explore with Origin Vietnam through this article!

1. General introduction to Cat Cat village tourism

Cat Cat village is located about 2km from the center of Sapa town, which has been the residence of the Black H’Mong ethnic people since the 19th century. Currently, the village has about 80 households living.

Each season, Cat Cat village is beautiful in its own way. In spring, peach and plum blossoms are in full bloom to welcome visitors. Summer is coming, the field of yellow canola flowers show off their ecstatic beauty.

Coming to Cat Cat in the fall, visitors can check-in with ripe golden terraced rice fields. Winter at Cat Cat is cold, if you are lucky, you will see snowflakes covered with white branches.

2. How Cat Cat Village is special?

Visit the village for its distinctive traditions and practices that have been lost in virtually cultural villages. It’s the closest and easiest hill trible village in Sapa. The footpath to the village has an amazing view. Just passing some sloop you will have a chance to fully discover this stunning village.

The road to Cat Cat is quite beautiful, you will go through the winding curves of the road, the two sides are terraced rice fields and houses. When walking down to Cat Cat, cross the sloping concrete slabs to the stone steps. Continue across the Si bridge to Cat Cat center, where the convergence of three streams: Tien Sa stream, Golden stream and Silver stream.

3. Houses in Cat Cat village architecture

Formed in the mid-19th century, Cat Cat village consists of many Mong families, who live on the slopes and gather together and plant on the hillside. Visiting the town, the residents of the city will find it strange with the wooden three-room. The wooden house is often called “House Presentation”, inside the house is quite simple with places of worship. There is a floor guard. The house has 3 doors with the main door in the middle.

4. Handicraft in Cat Cat Village

In addition to farming, cultivation on terraced rice fields. That is why people here are always good at cotton, weaving, linen, silver carving, and jewelry. Brocade made by the Hmong people only with four main colors: blue, red, white and yellow. Which have many shapes and patterns… with dye technique for dyeing from ash and forest leaves. The silver, bronze and aluminum products in Cat Cat are very rich and popular with jewelry. Such as a necklace, bracelet, ring,…

5. Traditional culture and costumes

Villagers still keep the typical culture with traditional Hmong costumes. Women still use cloth wrapped around the head to make towels, coats with embroidered neck collars. Belts are embroidered with fancy motifs with two heads. The skirt has a conical shape that is folded with a firm but firmly creased skirt. Men who still wear a hat made of linen, a shirt in the underarms, a long jacket on the outside.

The villagers kept the tradition of dragging their wives. If you fell in love with a girl, they would make friends by “pulling” the girl home and keeping her for three days. Then she agrees to be his wife, they will have a wedding or they will be friends again.

If you travel to the beginning of the year, you will be able to attend the Festival of Gourds organized to pray for or bless the people. In addition, All tourists book Sapa tours also enjoy watching the typical dances of the Mong people, Mong flute, tongue, and singing.

6. Special food need to try while traveling in Cat Cat

Cat Cat has a lot of dishes processed very unique to attract the attention of tourists. Such as Mong Mong, cider, wine, smoked meat, chicken soup, clones, bamboo shoots, corn tortillas, beans… If you take a Homestay tour, you will probably discover more Cat Cat food.

7. Interesting activities and check-in places in the village

7.1. The stone steps leading to the village

Stepping through the welcome gate, you will go on a small stone paved path, which is the stairs leading down to the center of the village. The street between the two blocks is lined with shops selling colorful traditional souvenirs.

Take a slow walk on this path and sometimes, stop to see the whole village from above. Your eyes will be surrounded by the valley scenery with simple, idyllic houses, and immense terraced fields.

7.2. Ancient house of the H’Mong people

The next place you cannot miss in Cat Cat village is the traditional houses of the H’Mong people. The whole house design is made of wood, with a shingle roof and sawn timber walls.

The feature of these houses is 3 doors with the main door in the middle. Do not be surprised to see that the main door is always closed and bolted. Because this door is only opened on special occasions. Such as weddings, funerals, and Tet holidays.

Upon entering the house, you will discover the worship space, the food storage floor, the bedroom, kitchen and living room of the owner. Take time during your trip to Sapa to admire the traditional cultural values ​​of the H’Mong people that are still preserved intact every day.

7.3. Green terraced fields as far as the eye can see

Terraced fields are the main form of agricultural cultivation of the people here. The green fields, winding around small houses, surrounded by rolling hills will be a sight you don’t want to miss in a Northwest trip.

In May – June, the terraced fields are green in the young rice season, and in August – September, they change their clothes to a shiny yellow color. These are the two most ideal times for you to explore Cat Cat village and check in with this beautiful natural picture.

7.4. Traditional craft villages

Another place you should not miss when coming to Cat Cat village is the display and sale of traditional handicrafts of the H’Mong people.

One of the famous heirloom villages here is silver and bronze processing. The talented hands of the craftsmen have skillfully created delicate necklaces, bracelets, rings and necklaces.

In addition, brocade weaving is an indispensable part of the life of the H’Mong. The most typical products are the spread skirts with the main colors of blue, red, white and yellow. Tourists coming here can also choose bags or purses with delicate embroidered patterns as souvenirs for friends and relatives.

7.5. Cat Cat village center

When you come to the center of Cat Cat village, you will meet a small bridge spanning a large field planted with many kinds of flowers. This is the “heart” of the famous virtual live photos in the village.

Continue walking around Cat Cat village, it is not difficult for you to see the giant water wheels made from bamboo crossing the Hoa stream. These reels use energy to supply water to crops and terraced fields.

7.6. Tien Sa Waterfall

The reason the waterfall is named Tien Sa Waterfall is because, according to legend, this is the place where fairies descended to bathe at the waterfall on beautiful moonlit nights.

The waterfall stands tall, the water pours white foam, creating a spring like the hair of the fairies. After a day of visiting the village, you can take some time to rest to enjoy the cool and pleasant atmosphere here.

8. Delicious dishes in Cat Cat village

8.1 Sapa specialties not to be missed

Sapa tourism has no shortage of delicious dishes and Cat Cat village is one of the places for you to easily enjoy Sapa specialties . Here are some delicious food suggestions for you to “fill” your stomach during your exploration:

Dried pork thorns

The lean meat of buffalo, pig, horse or goat is mixed with spices and then dried on the kitchen floor. This dried meat dish, if stored properly, can keep for many years with full flavor.

Grilled stream fish

Stream fish in Sapa has a characteristic delicious taste because it lives in streams at an altitude of nearly 2000 m. The fish is quite small, so it is usually braced with two bamboo sticks and then grilled on charcoal or deep-fried whole to keep the full flavor. This dish is often served with raw vegetables and a special kind of grilled dipping sauce, creating an unforgettable taste.

Frog cooked with bamboo shoots

This is a rustic dish of the H’Mong people. Frogs and bamboo shoots are both naturally collected from neighboring forests, so they are especially delicious.

8.2. Check in cafe at Cat Cat village

The experience of enjoying a warm, rich cup of coffee in the cold of Sapa is definitely an extremely interesting experience. We will introduce you to the most expensive cafes in Cat Cat village:

My House and A Phu’s House

These two cafes have the style of the Northwest mountains and forests, mixed with a bit of modernity. Located right at Cat Cat stream, My House and A Phu House are two shops visited by young people and “pocketed” with amazing check-in photos.

Gem Valley Homestay

This is a particularly interesting place, as it is both a homestay, a cafe, and the owner’s personal gallery. HAS a prime location right in the heart of Cat Cat village, just by looking through the window of this lovely cafe, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the poetic nature here.

The Haven Sapa Camp Site

The Haven Sapa Camp Site is located on Vong Canh Floor, near the path to Cat Cat village. This is a nice little hostel with a cafe in the courtyard. Here, you can sit and sip a cup of coffee and admire the terraced fields, clouds and mountains in the distance.

9. Top 10 things to do in Cat Cat village

1. Walk. Be prepared to explore Cat Cat in the most interesting way. Walking helps you admire the natural scenery, Sapa weather is also suitable for walking.

2. Take pictures of sparkling, splendid, picturesque hills and terraced fields.

3. Visit a house of ethnic minority people in the village and discover how the people live there. You will be surprised to see families with more than 10 members. Try to discover things in the house, such as rice mortar, you must have never seen before.

4. Visiting school, watching and playing with young children. Can bring a learning item for donation.

5. Shopping. Going deep into the village, you will see a lot of stalls selling handicrafts, cloths with colorful colors. In order to weave a brocade, Mong women can take about 8 months to complete.

6. Drink wine apples cooked by villagers for only 10.000d / cup and try the characteristic dishes of the villagers.

7. Watch the babies being carried on their backs to feel the peace

8. Take photos with Cat Cat Waterfall in front of H’Mong Cultural House. Beginning to the village you will cross the bridge over Cat Cat Cat stream and romantic Cat Cat waterfall. Waterfalls flow from the top of Hoang Lien Son Range.

9. Dancing with the villagers. You can watch dance performances at the Cultural Center. During community dinners, you can learn how to dance with local people.

10. Look at the rice mortar with the water of the Mong people working. The water flowed full of trough one end, the other end up high up, causing the water in the trough to fall out, the other end down to self-retarded rice mortar.

10. How to get to Cat Cat village in Sapa?

Cat Cat village is located in San Sa Ho commune, Sapa district, from the center of Sapa town to the gate of the village is just over 2km. You can choose the form of walking, can combine views of the mountains and admire the entire village from above.

On the journey to discover Cat Cat village. There are 2 roads that will definitely leave you the most impressed. This is the road to Cat Cat village and the terraced road from the gate of Cat Cat village leads to the entrance to the inside of the village.

• By Main road: It’s only 2 km drive to the village, you will not be impatient, instead you will be mesmerized by the scenery around it. One side is the identical high mountains, the other side is the Sapa valley that appears with immense terraced fields.
• By Stone path stairs: Stepping through the gate leading to the entrance of Cat Cat, you will be surprised by the wide stair path of just two rows of people and paved with glossy stones. The rather steep path between the two blocks creates a beautiful scenery.

Additionally, the road to the village is also an easy and interesting path for trekking sapa Vietnam. To get to this village is only 20-30m minutes walking out of Sapa center, along with the hike through mountains provides tourists a wonderful image of rice paddies, water fall, as well as water buffaloes grazing leisurely.

11. What to do, things to see & time to visit?

• Sapa tour trekking & homestay tours
• Culture exchange.
• Photograph hunting.
• Visit local family to know authentic of Black Hmong people daily life.

Quick tips

• Do not give money or candy for children. (mean the children they will not like to go to school) – If can so please give them some books or pencils.
• Do not put camera close to their face to take photo.
• Best time to visit (from April, May, June, Sept, Oct)
• Should not visit at weekend to avoid the crowded by other local and Chinese tourist.

Keep reading all things need to know before you go to Sapa from Origin Vietnam.

Origin Travel, local tour operators for eco-tourism in Vietnam, presents Cat Cat Village as a charming and distinctive destination to discover the beauty of Vietnam. The village boasts breathtaking mountain vistas, traditional settlements, and hospitable inhabitants, making it an excellent place to delve into the country’s culture and history. Whether you seek a serene retreat or an exciting escapade, Cat Cat Village guarantees an unforgettable experience.

Please drop an email to ruby@originvietnam.com or call direct to +84829098686 for All things you need to know before travel to Sapa.

12. Frequently Asked Questions About Cat Cat Village

Hopefully, through the above sharing, you have pocketed more experiences to make the journey to the romantic Cat Cat village to the fullest. Don’t forget to visit Origin Travel to book trip to Sapa, hotels, buy bus or train tickets for a convenient trip, maximize your savings and experiences.