OUR DREAMY DAYS IN THE NORTHWEST
Our trips can last for weeks or months. There are times we don’t have a plan and just go with the flow. The most memorable and most recent trip for me is probably the road trip which lasted one and a half months. From Saigon, we set out to visit the Northwest region, then traveled to the Northeast and drove along the East Sea coastal road back to Saigon.
TRAM TAU - THE FIRST STOP
Tram Tau is a tourist destination not known by many people - and is sure to become a very new destination for avid travelers. Its main attractions are terraced fields and hot springs. Walking on the fields by day and soaking in hot springs by night are extremely refreshing experiences.
There is only one homestay located in a prime location by the Tram Tau hot spring. The narrow path to the homestay meanders along the terraces. The hot springs and the homestay are all well-planned and clean.
On the way from Tram Tau to Mu Cang Chai, we saw a beautiful stream and bridge and decided to stop to have a picnic lunch. We went down to the stream to wash the pork just bought along the way, searched for firewood to light a fire and used the rocks as our seats. It seemed like nothing could be more poetic.
A CRUISE TO THANH CHUONG TEA ISLAND
Going along Ho Chi Minh Road, passing Thanh An commune in Thanh Chuong for about 200 m, we reached Thanh Chuong tea island, a place not known by many people although local people have planted tea trees in this area for decades and the tea quality is perfect. Thanks to the beautiful and favorable location, the tea trees are hearty and healthy, grown without pesticides and stimulants. The fertile soil and fresh water also help tea leaves have a more pleasant taste after drying.
We arrived at the lodge at about midnight. Despite being very tired after a long day traveling, first we went to the tea tree hill nearby as we could not help wanting to immerse ourselves in the starry sky.
The next morning, the owner of the eco lodge took us to visit the tea island by boat. No words can describe our excitement when we were looking at the green tea trees. On the island there are several cafeterias so we stopped to drink tea, eat grapefruit and buy local tea packages to bring that elegant taste back to the city.
Y TY FAIR MARKET - THE HIGHLAND BEAUTY
When I first arrived in the highlands, I was overwhelmed by the colors and I couldn’t tell the differences between ethnic groups, but after nearly a month wandering the mountainous provinces and meeting many people, I gradually began to know how to identify them.
Ha Nhi people are an ethnic minority group with beautiful smiles, gentle and kind personality and simple but decent outfits. Every weekend, they sell vegetables from their gardens at the Y Ty fair market. Because they cannot speak Kinh language, they often sell things in bundles, or by tens, for an even price. For example, 10,000 VND for 10 persimmons, 10,000 VND for a bundle of vegetables, 5,000 VND for 2 baked honeycomb cakes (banh bo).
A Ha Nhi boy followed us. The boy was so young, small and gentle, but smart and enthusiastic. While his mother sold goods, he ran after tourists to work as an “interpreter”. After finishing our shopping, we bought him a toy and asked him to eat barbecue with us because we didn’t want him to develop a habit of asking tourists for money. Kindness is nurtured by kindness, right?
THE “FAIRY” HOUSES OF HA NHI PEOPLE
Curious about the Ha Nhi, we decided to go to their villages to learn more. In San village (Bat Xat district) there are very few “mushroom houses” (nha trinh tuong) still keeping the same old-style mossy roof made from bamboo and covered with straw. The house walls are made of clay. The doors are so small that everyone must bend down when going through. Inside the house is closed and dark and the furniture is usually made of wood. All these elements remind me of mysterious and beautiful fairy tale houses - yet they exist in real life.
We found a place to cook dinner with a few ingredients we bought earlier at the fair market. The friendly local people, young and old, enthusiastically lent us pots and pans and helped us cook. After dinner, we said goodbye to the villagers, cleaned up, packed, then together went on the road to stargaze.
The village is located deep in the mountain, the road is very rough and difficult. The village has electricity but it’s not strong enough so there was no street light. Thanks to that, we enjoyed a beautiful starry sky. On our 45day journey, such scenes were not uncommon, and we “recorded” them with our memories, our senses and our love for life in the region.