The Love Market

Synopsis : In the highlands of North Vietnam lies the remote town of Sapa, home to a mosaic of colorful hill tribes. Sapa opened to tourism in the late 1990's and now roughly 200 hill tribe girls aged 7 - 18 years live independently on the streets of Sapa to sell embroidery. A few years ago Australian film maker Shalom Almond visited Sapa as a tourist and became friends with four Hmong girls. The girls are savvy, street smart and dream of life beyond selling souvenirs. But how will these young girls survive the leap from remote tribal culture to 21st century Asia? Over the next three years Shalom returns to Vietnam with her camera to find out. Written by Shalom Almond