Ha Giang is always one of the most attractive places appreciated by not only inland visitors but also abroad adventurers. However, have you ever asked yourself that beside some popular destinations like Lung Cu Flagpole, Dong Van ancient town and Bi-mountain of Tam Son, is there any other delightful destination? Ok! The article below can give you the best answer.
1. Ha Giang City
Ha Giang panorama from bird-eye's view
Cam Son lasts along Ma Tim slope with craggy terrain and vertical caves and cliff that looks like a powerful lion. Cam Son originates from the peak to the Lo river along a mountainside lasting from 19/5 Road to 26/3 Square. The foot of mountain is filled up by astonishing area where the locals is busy with their daily activities. However, not all Ha Giang people have an adequate look at magical natural beauty of Cam Son because there is only one way to the mountain.
On the summit of mountain, there is a deep cave being vertical like a “Heaven Well” where the French used as a main base. Legendarily, in the period of 1870-1875, the Yellow-Flag Army leaded by Hoang Sung Anh came here for pillage but then, it was fought back, enclosed and pursued by the White-Flag Army of ethnic people drastically. In 1875, the army of Hoang Sung Anh was fallen and fleed to Cam mountain. In the situation of no food and no way to escape from the enclosure, all members of the army jump down to the deep cave to commit suicide.
With the tolerant and kind heart, the locals build a small shrine and pray for unfortunate souls’ salvation. The mountain becomes more mysterious after that. Many year later, the shrine exist no longer, the locals move to make worship at “Cam mountain temple” (“Mau temple” now). The summit of mountain still remains vestiges of deep stone caves, cellar system and French bunkers.
Recently, Ha Giang has exploited the potentiality of Cam mountain for development of economy and socio-culture. From the foot of mountain, you can transfer by motorbike or car to the mountainside. From here, continue the route by walking along the terraced concreted way along the mountain range and through vertical cliff. When you finish the route, you will see the historic marks sheltered at Cam Son.
2. Sung Khanh Pagoda
Sung Khanh Pagoda
Sung Khanh pagoda or pagoda of Nung village is situated on the summit of a hill located on the right bank of Lo River in Nung village (9km from Ha Giang).
The monument is constructed in a simple architecture in the shape of “First” with only a main hall 26 square metres of area and 4.3 of height. Including in the structure are a main door and two extra ones at two sides, brick roof and surrounding wall.
The pagoda once was a Buddhism monument dated back to Tran dynasty. Built in 1356 from wood and leaves, the pagoda was fallen in many years later. Nowadays, thanks to the contribution of the people here, it was rebuilt in 1989 on the remains of the old pagoda but smaller and shorter.
At the entrance, there is a part of Buddhism worship with some worship items. Above the altar, a picture of Guanyin is instead of Buddhism Statue. The stone stele at the left of altar is the most valuable heritage of the temple which marks merit of those who have contribution to contruct the pagoda, especially Mr.Nguyen An, uncle of a mountainous chieftain who contributed huge credit to pagoda and merit steles construction in January 1356.
The stele is 0.90m high and 0.50m wide with sculpture pattern of “Dragons ascending Guanyin ” and content which was drafted by Mandarin Ta Thuc Ngao in March 1367. AT the right side of altar, there is a big bell molded in the late Le Dynasty when the pagoda was being restored (1705). It is 0.90m high and highlighted with sophisticated patterns on the bell’s rim. On 3rd or 4th of the new year festival annually, the locals gather for festival and play many traditional and modern games here.
3. Quan Ba District
• The fair of Quyet Tien Commune
An excursion in Ha Giang will not be complete without a visit to a traditional fair, where all characterictics of cultural life concentrate and where the feeling of being lost like a child, who is trying to know what all these brand-new ambiance are?
And there is a landmark called Quyet Tien Commune located at the foot of Heaven Gate Mountain. This tranquil place is the home of a weekly market taking place on every Saturday, it’s Quyet Tien fair which you should pay a visit at least once.
• Quan Ba Heaven Gate
Located about 46km to the north of Ha Giang, Quan Ba is celebrated as a paradise of nature with many favourable conditions: fresh climate; diverse natural tourist attractions such as: Heaven Gate, Fairy Mountain, Kho My Cave; particularities of H’mong, Dao, Tay, Bo Y ethnic culture; as well as some specialties like no-seed diospyros kaki, Thanh Van corn wine and so on.
• Bat Dai Son Commune
A village on the way to Bat Dai Son
Bat Dai Son is inhabited by H’mong and Dao people who you can see along the way to here. This destination is not influenced by tourism too much.
4. Yen Minh District
• Na Luong Cave
Na Luong is located 25km from the centre of Yen Minh District and newly discovered in 2010. Since then, this cave is appreciated as the most beautiful cave in Ha Giang.
• En Cave
Driving 60km from Ha Giang through Quan Ba Heaven Gate and oine forest to the area of Yen Minh, you can reach the mysterious En Cave. This cave is still primitive and no one knows how many visitors were overwhelmed by its beauty.
• Yen Minh Pine Forest
If you have visited Da Lat before your trip to Yen Minh, Ha Giang, you will realize that the landscape along the way you transfer is quite similar to Da Lat. Along 4C Road, both side of the path is filled up by pine trees that creates an inspiring spirit for any visitor here. This protion starts from Na Khe Commune to Yen Minh Town.
• Bach Dich border-gate market
Established on 18th November 2007 in the 9th mark of Vietnamese-Chinese border in Bach dich Commune and Giang Van (China), this market is ideal place for all shopaholics.
5. Dong Van District
• Sung La Valley
Sung La is a landmark associated to a famous film named “Pao story”. Originated from a hidden oasis in Dong Van stone plateau complex, Sung La now is an authentic charming “Rose” for any natural lover.
• Pho Bang Town
Obscured behind high mountains, Pho Bang is also known as an overslept town. However, visiting Pho Bang is the only way to know that among the craggy mountains, draconic nature and unexpected rains, there is still a life here. Without worrying about what will come tomorrow, the locals always keep their tranquil and simple life where there is no hustle and bustle of a modern life.
• Lung Cu Flagpole
Lung Cu Flagpole is a national flagpole situated on the summit of Lung Cu, or Dragon Mountain. The summit is about 1700m over the sea level and exactly the northernmost spot of Vietnam. From here, you will see two ever-filled ponds called Dragon Eyes supplying water for local consumption.
• H’mong King’s Mansion
After the road filled up by trees, the impressive stone gate of H’mong King’s Mansion is easily recognized on the summit of a hill. That’s King was Vuong Ching Duc, the head of Vuong family of H’mong people about 1 century ago.
• Dong Van Ancient Town
Dong Van Town is in the stone plateau at the average height of 1000-1600m over sea level, 160km from Ha Giang City. The thousand-year-old architecture of ancient town and market seem to dispel all jet lag of visitors after long journey to reach here.
• Ma Pi Leng Pass
The cliff on the summit (2000m over sea level) of Ma Pi Leng Pass (20km) connecting Dong Van District with Meo Vac District. Surely once you traverse along this pass, you totally will be overwhelmed by its grandeur and the poetic Nho Que River below.
6. Meo Vac District
• Khau Vai Love Market
Khau Vai Love Market is also called “Anacreontic Market” which was born in 1919. The market takes place once a year on 27th March of Lunar Year (Vietnamese calendar) on a hill in Khau Vai commune. Called a market but it’s not really a market where people have their buying and selling ritural as usual. There are ony some vendors serving market attenders.
• Sang Pa A village of Lo Lo ethnic group
Establish in May 2007, Sang Pa A Commune is sheltered in a region of Meo Vac Town inhabited by Lo Lo people who live by farming, breeding and sometimes selling at fairs in the town.
Local cultural life is still as it was before, reflected in daily activities, traditional festivals and clothes, especially women’ costumes. Lo Lo people here preserve many particular dance and festivals such as: Tree Jumping (in Spring, take place from 25th December to the end of January of Lunar Year), Corn Plucking (in traditional occasions) and Rain Praying in March and April annually.
• Sam Pun border gate and Thuong Phung, Son Vi Commune
Xin Cai is a commune in Meo Vac with 8.1km of the border adjacent to China where about 804 households and 4423 inhabitants live in a hard condition such as lack of cultivation lands, the influence of craggy terrains like high cliff which is not favourable for transport, and draconic climate of during-winter fog.
Son Vi is only reached by a winding road, of which some portions bordering with China. This commune is evaluated as the remotest place of the biggest living difficulty.
7. Vi Xuyen District
• Phuong Thien Cave
Located 7km to the south of Ha Giang, Phuong Thien Cave is a beautiful natural gift from the Mother of Nature. Here offers primitive landscape with attractive caves.
Phuong Thien Cave Complex consists of many fantastic natural caves such as Bat Cave, Lo village Cave and Phuong Thien Cave. Discovering caves, you have chance to contemplate the stunning and magical beauty here and even sample some delicious local fruits such as plum, pear, orange, apples and the famous local tea grown on the height of 900m.
• Noong Lake
This lake is situated on the Tay Con Linh mountain range in the area of Phu Linh commune. The lake was created from the early implementation with more than 20ha of water area (in dry season) and nearly 80ha (in rainy season). Surrounding is 700ha wide of cliffs, mountains and primeval forests.
• Tung Ba Cave
About 10km to the norsteast of Ha Giang, Tung Ba is at Hong Tien village and turns up at a side of mountain range and about 10m above valley bottom. The landscape looks like a Dragon Mouth that creates a unique natural beauty with mysterious mountains waiting for you to discover.
Some sections of Tung Ba Cave is up to 25m wide and 890m long. This cave has 2 floors with underground water stream flowing out to the foot of the mountain at the cave entrance. Surrounded by limestone mountain complex, the cave is even more mysterious than usual. Along the valley, there are many water canyons with many other small caves and are facing to the valley.
Tung Ba Cave includes a system of connected caves, the main corridor has exits and a heaven well. The diverse stalactite and stalagmite system is also attractive for adventurers. Following the flow of time, the traces are replaced by current caves. In the cave, there are numerous big vertical beautiful stalactite columns, some of which nearly touch the top of cave. Some other portions offer fresh, cool and peaceful wells.
• Thanh Thuy Border Gate
Thanh Thuy Border Gate is the only national gate in Ha Giang
Located 23.5 km from centre of Ha Giang, this border gate is connected with Thien Bao Border Gate (Van Nam – China) and also an attractive place for tourists. Established in November 2001, Thanh Thuy Border Gate is used to exploit geographic advantage between two gates situated on National Road 2 passing Lo River. From this place, you also can connect the trip to visit Chau Van Son tourist landmark in China.
8. Xin Man District
• Nam Dan ancient stone field
This is place where there are many big stones with carving pattern at the streamside of Nam Khoong, it is also recognized as a Vietnamese National Heritage.
There are about 7 big stones and 2 huge ones, on which are carved with 80 images and 80 holes dated back from 1000 years ago. The experts said that they had been created by metal tools like hammers. The mentioned images consists of geometry (circles, rectangles, squares), square and circular patterns, carved parallel bars, feminine symbols with triangular grooves along the middle part, human feet with authentic size recessed deeply in the stones and many others. In general, the style of shaping and topic here is similar to Sapa Ancient Field.
• Thac Tien Tourist Area – Windy Pass
Located in the primeval forest of Windy Pass, Thac Tien (Nam Dan Commune) offers an impressive, poetic and primitive beauty.
Thac Tien or Fairy Waterfall is a bi-waterfall, of which water supplied by Ta Ngan Stream originated from Ta Cu Ty Commune, Bac Ha, Lao Cai at the height of 1403m aboe sea leverl. Ta Ngan flows through 9 villages and communes of Xin Man District along the length of 45km. Reaching the region of Ngan Lam Village, the stream falls down from the height of70m along the mountain side of Windy Pass that create 2 big parallel waterfalls falling down to the area of water surface (130 square mettres).
From the centre of Xin Man District – Coc Pai Town, drive 17km through the winding passes, you can arrive in Thac Tien.
According to the Nung name, thac is called Vang Tang Tinh, means water from a big water hole. It is also called Windy Road due to the available strong wind always. The amount of water here is quite stable that provide to the locals.
Many years ago, Thac Tien is less known because there is no way to go down, the people here have to rely on forest tree to find the road. The Authority has help to built concrete stairs and make favourable condition for transfer. Just one step into this waterfall, you will feel as you step into another different world.
It takes only some minutes following the stairs among the evergreen primitive forest and the impressive waterfall. The water is so peaceful and limpid that you can see the bottom. You can relax here and immerse feet in the water but please note that, the water is sometimes quite cold. A nice bridge over the stream and a concreted path also can help you enjoy your relaxation more and more.
At the end of the stream where the water expectedly falls down, there are circle stones for visitors to cross the dam easily. Or you can take off your shoses to soak your feet in the nice water for amazing feeling.
• Other tourist destinations in Xin Man District
Nan Ma offers the mysterious Than Tien Cave (Goddess Cave) where people always come to pray for a better life: to have a baby, to be cured from deceases or to be favourable, especially business men.
Quang Nguyen Mineral Spring: The source of hot natural water at nearly 700°C with the volume at 0.0025mᶟ/hour. The water can be used for drinking and curing. Bathing with traditional methods here, you will feel very pleasant and then, go up to stilt house for some Dao ethnic food. Overnight here is also an delightful experience you should try.
Thien Thuy Cave is the concentration of many beautiful stalactites with diverse shapes depending on each’s imagination. Located beside the Nan Hai stream, Thien Thuy cave offers the fantastic landscape given by nature.
Xin Man Border Gate connects trade between Vietnam and China as well as exchange of two nations’ culture. Here is also the home of Stone Citadel constructed in Thanh Dynasty that preserves the historical border marks.
Gia Long Temple (Dragon Worship) in Coc Pai Commune is used to worship the person who contributed to exploit the Xin Man land. In the temple, there is a couple of white stone dragons made carved on the cliff by nature. Annualy on the Dragon Day of February, the locals organize the worship tp pray for favourable climate and family happiness.
9. Hoang Su Phi District
• Phin Ho Village
Phin Ho Tea Processing Cooperative owns headquater and factory in Lang Giang Village, Thong Nguyen Commune which are for producing and processing the Specialty of Shan Tea grown in Ha Giang high mountains.
The ingredients are carefully and completely chosen from the plant of over-200-year-old Shan Tea grown on the height of 1300m over sea level. The factory where you can visit is located 7km from Phin Ho Village.
• Hoang Su Phi Terraced Rice Fields
In spite of being younger bothers of terraced rice fields in Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai) and Sapa (Lao Cai) but the tourist name of Hoang Su Phi shelters particularities, which not all people know. Thanks to the skilful La Chi, Nung,Dao and some other ethnic minorities, they were reclaimed about 300 years ago.
• Bach Son Cave
Bach Son was discovered in a primeval forest located on the height of 200m over water level in Tuyen Quang Hydroelectric Lake, Bach Son Village, Thuong Tan Commune. To get here, you can transfer by boat from the centre of district after about 1 hour floating. To be more accurate, Bach Son Cave is on the tourist route of Tuyen Quang Hydroelectric Lake – Ba Be (Bac Kan) and hidden in the primeval forest of Bach Son mountain range. The entrance of cave if 20m wide and covered by jungle with a long dept and many mysterious stalactites inside.
• Bac Me Barrack
Bac Me Barrack
Bac Me Barrack Historic Relic was ideally chosen by the French to buile in Yen Cuong Commune due to its terrain with the aim of controlling all transport routes connecting Ha Giang, Cao Bang and Tuyen Quang. The barrack consist of prison system, watchtower and information house of the French. It has been actually a French barrack until 1938, when the Vietnamese revolutions developed to the top, the French then used this place as a prison to keep revolutionary officers. Some prisoners were transferred from Son La, Hoa Lo, Phu Tho to here.
In the period of 1938-1942, 2 transfers were implemented with over 300 prisoners, including some great soldiers like Xuan Thuy, Le Gian, Nguyen Van Ngoc, Nguyen Hong who are mostly members of Indochina Communist Party. In spite of being shackled in hard living condition and draconic climate but they still fought to mobilize fighting and demand for a better life in the prison as well as taught each other about love for Nation. The comrades take advantage to enlighten the youth and the mass inside and outside the barrack. By the end of 1942, being fear of the revolutions at the border provinces and fighting of prisoners as well as the effect of them on surrounding area, the French had to disband Bac Me.
10. Bac Quang District.
• Thac Thi
Located 1.5km to the Northwest of Bac Quang District, Thac Thi was created by the stream originated from the impressive Tay Con Linh mountain range and now become one of the most beautiful and poetic waterfalls in Ha Giang.
Thac Thi consists of 4 water floors falling down from mountainside. It was compared with the hair of the Fairy in the ethnic legendary stories, which have been preserved.
• Nam An Eco-Tourism Area
Established in October 2008, Nam An is the first eco-tourism area in Bac Quang District. Nam An is the third-area village of Tan Thanh Commune in the lake area of Nam Mu Hydropower Plants, at the height of 1000m above sea level. It’s cool all year round here, which is favourable condition for development of lake, primeval forests, small beautiful waterfalls as well as terraced rice fields, peaceful home of 32 households and 165 Dao people. This minority also preserves their diverse traditional culture with particular customs and lifestyle. Moreover, their traditional festival like Growth Festival, Fire Jumping and fascinating folk-songs, folk-dances performed by the young are also interesting for any visitor here.
• Quang Minh Lake Eco-Tourism Area
Quang Minh Lake is included in Quang Minh commune with nearly 40ha in area. Located between Viet Quang Town and Quang Minh Commune, this area was constructed to become a tourist destination thanks to favourable transport as well as tourist potential.
Quang Minh Lake can be said as an extremely beautiful attraction, especially at sunset or sunrise when it is at its best. To promote the tourism in this area, the authority of Bac Quang District has made effort to invest for infrastructure around the lake such as tourism path surrounding the lake, culinary services at floating restaurants and boat sailing which are very interesting. Together with building cultural village associated to new-rural-area construction, Quang Minh District also mobilize socialization, promote the co-operation of Authority and local to build a traditional stilt house for community activities as well as tourism services. All of them are made with the aim of preserving traditional minority value and it’s really in good condition now. Basically, all households live in stilt houses which are beautiful and proper to landscape including ponds, gardens, hills and fields.
• Nam Pau Cave
Hidden in the heart of primeval forest, Nam Pau Cave is even more mysterious and attractive to discovering lovers. The entrance is only 10m wide but the deeper inside, the higher, wider and longer the space is. The climate here is so cool that you can relax after a long day travelling.
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