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Tham Ma Pass

Sights - Tham Ma Pass

Tham Ma means horse killer in Hmong. In the days before cars and motorbikes when horse transport reigned supreme, this pass was used as a test by the local Hmong who would see if their new horse could get to the top. Horses that passed were considered good and fit for use. Ones that failed were either resold or used for food.

Today the sweeping curves, the descent from the mountains up so high (1500m above sea level) - Tham Ma has become a popular with tourists. There are one or two stalls selling handicrafts here.

Flower girls and flute boys

In recent years you can always find young ethnic Hmong girls with flowers (usually wasabi flowers or buckwheat) for photo opportunities. They pick the flowers they have grown early in the morning and then walk the up to 10km to the pass. Vietnamese like to have the basket to pose with for photos for a few minutes. This is why you always see full baskets - the flowers are only ever on loan and not really sold! You can also have a photo taken with the girls. They ask for $0.30c usually (10k vnd) per time. It is quite reasonable and this money goes directly to supporting their families.

More rare to see are young boys playing the traditional wooden flute for tourists. Again money goes to supporting families. While neither of these situations is ideal, money is always greatly received and goes 100% to the families of the children.