Touching Ha Giang: True travelers

Early mornings in Ha Giang often see mist spreading over the mountain tops, spreading across terraced fields and even in the hair of the girl selling morning gifts. Next was the thumping footsteps of Mong girls going down to the market mixed with the songs of forest birds hidden in the tops of sa moc trees.

Around nine or ten o'clock, the sun spread evenly across the rock corners, dyeing a bright yellow color on the jagged peaks. New white clouds rose from the ground and only stopped forming waves that were a square kilometer wide when they encountered the undulating mountain wall. People have the feeling that the houses are hanging in mid-air surrounded by an area of ​​clouds that look like a silvery white sea!

Bustling Meo Vac market

Mong people began to go to the market to sell brocade bags embroidered with flowers and perform gentle flute music. The roads are filled with people, livestock and earthen baskets filled with plums. That was around March or April. In May and June, it is the season of big, round and green peaches. July and August are the seasons of ripe golden pears...

The sun reached its peak, the market-goer took off his shirt and put it in a basket. The men held trumpets to their chests and led their wives to fragrant donut shops along the road. In the afternoon, the dew and cold wind return very quickly and then at night, people have to light bonfires or curl up in blankets to avoid the bitter cold of the mountains and forests.

King Meo's Palace in Sa Phin valley

Some people say that one day in Ha Giang meets all four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Although it is not necessarily true, this is what makes tourists extremely excited, especially when exploring the stone plateau... While wandering around with the morning mist at Quan Ba ​​Heaven Gate, suddenly they saw the golden sunshine at Doc Tham Ma . In the afternoon, sit on the side of the boat, go down Nho Que river and experience the blowing wind in Tu San canyon. And at night, the deep cold of Sa Phin valley surrounds us again. Right now, there is nothing more enjoyable than lying on the second floor of a Hmong house, curled up in a warm brocade blanket, and having a good night's sleep when right below is the bustling Dong Van night market in the area. Old Quarter.

Take a spin with Ha Giang loop

In 2023, on many travelling forums and groups in foreign countries, the “Ha Giang loop” route is constantly mentioned. When typing the hashtag “Hagiangloop” on Instagram, it also brings up nearly 62.000 posts sharing about this place. And perhaps, this route will never cease to be attractive to those who love to travel, just like the tourism potential of Ha Giang that seems to never run out.

Roads on the Stone Plateau.

“Ha Giang loop” is understood as a long, narrow, winding, tortuous road whose starting point can be connected to the ending point to form a circle. In early March 3, this backpacking route was honored by the British luxury tour operator Affordable Luxury Travel as one of the most impressive backpacking routes in the world and ranked 3rd out of 14 "must-visit" destinations (Top 14 Must-Visit Holiday Destinations in March 2024).

Dong Van Stone Plateau (or Dong Van Plateau) is a stone plateau spreading over four districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac of Ha Giang province, Vietnam. On October 3, 10, the file "Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark" was officially recognized by UNESCO's Global Geopark Network (GGN) Advisory Council as a Global Geopark. . At that time, this was the only title in Vietnam and second in Southeast Asia.

The 350 km Ha Giang loop route starts from Km 0 Ha Giang City to Quan Ba, through Yen Minh, up to Dong Van to Meo Vac and then returns to the original starting point, winding through the mountain valleys, high passes, deep ravines, geological faults and canyons of the Dong Van Stone Plateau. In particular, this route will pass through Ma Pi Leng - one of the four great mountain passes of Vietnam, through the residential area of ​​22 ethnic groups with rich identities with cuisine wonderful and fascinating local culture.

The most enchanting Ha Giang loop journey must be taken by motorbike. With high mountainous terrain, located in an area where arable land is rare, almost the entire road will pass through giant stone fields with spectacular shapes. Moving from a narrow space, being overwhelmed by the immensity of nature, watching the earth exposed right in front of the tectonic formation process that creates the earth's crust is truly worth the experience.

Hmong child on the road to Happiness

And up to the top of the mountain, looking at the cars running like tiny dots rolling slowly, anyone who takes pictures and videos will always be satisfied with the most perfect frames. Because, when there are lines of cars "parading" like that, the viewer and video only then can one imagine the majesty and steepness of the pass.

Of course, the earth's tectonics are admirable, but the bright and persistent human vitality in a land of harsh climate is no small surprise. At this point, it is also necessary to mention that more than half the length of that unique tourist route is Hanh Phuc Street. To open the path to Happiness for 6 long years, more than 1.300 young men and women volunteered with more than 1.000 ethnic workers, contributed more than 2 million working days, chiseled nearly 3 million cubic meters of stone. Human strength created the shape of a road amidst the clouds and mountains of this border region.

Lung Cu flagpole

Visiting Ha Giang, walking on the Happiness Road, Mary realized something special: You marked the first point of the country with the National Flagpole (Lung Cu Flagpole) on the top of Long Son Mountain - Mount Long. Dragon. This is very true to what Mary learned, the spirit of national pride is a quality of the Vietnamese people.

Ethnicity and Development Newspaper