Ba Be butterflies along the river or Yellow terraces
We stayed at night at Mr Linh’s Homestay and we were served delicious food served on banana leaves. Mr Linh’s father was a great host and we toasted each other with “Happy Water”. He told us so many mysterious stories about heritage, ethnic minorities and the entire history of Ba Be National Park. It was an unforgettable night with great food, drink and company. What a wonderful atmosphere this place has!
Amazing Ba Be lake
The third day, we called “Snake Day”. The snaking pass from Ba Be to Dong Van is absolutely impressive, the scenery around makes you want to stay forever. After travelling 200km, we finally arrived at the Ma Pi Leng observatory. The views are truly majestic. You can clearly see the Nho Que river, although it is hundreds of metres from the observatory to the abyss but it looks like a huge snake winding through the valley.
Ma Pi Leng observatory
The fourth day of the trip, we had a chance to enjoy ourselves in Dong Van Market. We were very lucky as arriving on the weekend we saw a lot of H’mong(a minority group) wearing gorgeous costumes and bringing their indigenous handicrafts, handmade tools and animals to sell.
On the way to the lunch stop, a lovely view opened up so we stopped to relax . Children returning from the market, held hands and sang together. I could not understand their song but their faces and their happiness brightened my day.
Highland market of Dong Van, Ha Giang
Travelling around the North, nobody is disappointed. There are thousands of peaks on either side of the road with a surprise round every corner. Stopping anywhere I was tempted to climb a hill for a fantastic view and to feel the wind in the frontier areas of both Vietnam and China.
Column base, the image of poppy flowers
Seeing incredible scenery, meeting very kind people, enjoying delicious foods and widening my knowledge of cultures and regions, this trip was not like any trip I’ve tried before We really did, as Mr Linh claims, experience the parts others cannot reach.