Over the course of a month in spring 2018 we made our way north from the Mekong delta to Hanoi. From there we took an overnight bus to the mountain town of Sapa, close to the Chinese border. The region is home to the Hmong people, who have lived there for hundreds of years.

A small business had been started by a British couple to support Hmong women by having them act as walking guides into the surrounding valleys. We were introduced to Ying, a 26 year old traditional Hmong woman who had married at 16 and had five children. We bought food with her at the local market then walked with her for six hours up to her family home at the top of the valley, where we stayed the night. The following morning the three of us walked down the mountain and said goodbye. She had never been to school past sixteen but spoke four languages fluently. A remarkable experience.