A road trip through Dong Van

By Phil D.

The weather was perfect with the sun out shining bright, no clouds and a fresh breeze blowing in our faces as we started to motorbike tour Northern Vietnam. With the best still to come, the scenery was already amazing. As we were climbing up the narrow road, sheer limestone cliffs and surrounding mountains became our constant companions.

It was market day and the town was already hustling and bustling in the early hours of the day. Hmong women wearing vivid, traditional dresses filed down from their hilltop abodes carrying all sorts of produce  to the town market. Traders were offering everything from traditional clothing, tobacco, incents, and tea. Farmers steered water buffalo and hogs around the market’s edge. The people were busy haggling and looking for bargains but also happy to meet friends and relatives from other villages. It was busy, colorful and authentic with only very few foreigners around.  We wanted to get a local breakfast and took a seat at one of the stalls set up on the market ground. Freshly cooked Pho, the traditional noodle soup, was on offer, steaming hot and smelling all so tasty.

We walked around the market a bit longer and then decided to check out some of Dong Van’s other highlights. We first tried to make our way up to a small hilltop village. The road was really bad and some would actually not even call it road. Just a path carved into the mountain covered with rocks. We passed villagers returning to their villages and we realized how far away some of these people live. To make it to the market, they must have left their villages in the middle of the night. The path became more and more rugged and steeper and we started to worry about our precious bike. We finally decided to turn around not knowing if the village was still far or just around the next bend.

The sky cleared up and we decided to drive up to Lung Cu where the Vietnamese set up a huge flagpole on top of a hill overlooking China. The outlook of actually seeing China from up there was intriguing, but unfortunately we never made it. Once we pulled into town, we were escorted by a police officer on a motorbike to the local station. Apparently we had to register with them first. To our dismay we realized that our permits were inside our passports which we had left at our hotels reception. There we were, in a Vietnamese police station confronted by a grumpy official, in the middle of nowhere. Not a good feeling and when he let us know that we would have to instantly go back to Dong Van, we were actually relieved that we didn’t have to face more serious consequences. So if you think you can easily go without a permit, don’t do it. At least if you plan on venturing a bit out of Dong Van and Ha Giang.

The real exploration of tribal cultures Vietnam by motorcycling

By  Phil 

The weather was perfect with the sun out shining bright, no clouds and a fresh breeze blowing in our faces as we started motorbike tour Northern Vietnam. With the best still to come, the scenery was already amazing. As we were climbing up the narrow road, sheer limestone cliffs and surrounding mountains became our constant companions.

We stopped here and there but our first stop would be a small village not too far from Ha Giang. We just had a rough description of how to get there and where to turn but we eventually found it. Taking a hidden side road, crossing a rusty and suspiciously careening and creaking hanging bridge, we pulled into a small and very modest village. As usual the first ones to greet us were the local kids, screaming and shouting wondering what these strange visitors were up to. After wandering around the village for a while, I noticed a small and house with smoke rising out of its little chimney. I was attracted by loud laughter coming from the inside and I decided to give in to my curiosity and have a quick peek. As soon as the family inside spotted me, there was no turning back. I was happily welcomed and dragged inside. It was dim inside with only a couple of windows letting a bit of light in and the room was filled with thick smoke from the fireplace. It seemed to be one big family with several kids, their parents, grandparents and what seemed to be aunts and uncles.

The very vital grandmother instantly offered us some homemade rice wine. As guests you can’t refuse such an offer so we went along and had one and then a few more. This stuff is strong and hence it didn’t miss its purpose. A bit tipsy, communicating all of sudden got a little bit easier. With a loosened tongue, our basic Vietnamese and the help of a little phrasebook, it actually worked out quite well and we had a great time. Right when we were about to leave and continue our trip, the family insisted for us to stay for lunch which they had prepared in the meantime.With every one of them being pretty assertive, there was again no way to refuse their generous offer. We all sat down on the floor, smiled at each other and ate. It was an experience I will never forget. This family didn’t have much, not even running water, but they were happy to share their meal with two foreigners they had just met. The kindness and open-heartedness of the people in South East Asia once again left me in astonishment.

We said good bye to our friendly hosts and continued our journey to Dong Van. We still had quite a ways to go and time had flown by. As we crossed a beautiful mountain pass with the poetic name of Heaven’s Gate on the way up, we still took our time and stopped several times to take in the beautiful scenery or to get our picture taken with local kids we met by the road. After a while dawn set in and dipped the landscape in a yellow and purple hue. As the last sun rays made it over the mountain tops, we had our first encounters with some of the regions ethnic minorities. Most of them Hmong, with the men dressed in high-necked tunics and matching berets and the women wearing colorful headdresses, carrying heave bamboo baskets on their back. It was so impressive and so different from we had seen before, that we forgot about time. Riding along the serpentine like road in darkness was exhilarating and a bit intimidating at the same time but after a good hour we finally and safely pulled into Dong Van.

The weekly market, a very important event for the local hill tribes, was scheduled for the next day. Good timing for us but since we arrived late, most of the hotels and guesthouses were already fully booked. After asking around, we finally found a hotel which had a room. It was actually a nice place and the owners even had arranged our permits at the local police station, which are still needed to tour the Ha Giang region. We finished the day at a local BBQ place where we were once again invited for rice wine. And yet again, we had a great time with the locals and this time it ended not only tipsy but pretty much drunk.

Impressive bends on Happiness Road

The 4C highway from Ha Giang town through Quan Ba, Yen Minh to Dong Van rock plateau is especially attractive to tourists with its bends. 

Highway 4C with 185 km in length through the rocky plateau of Dong Van, Ha Giang is named Hanh Phuc (Happiness). This is the road which was formed by the effort and even the blood and bones of thousands of young volunteers from the 50s – 60s of the 20th century.

Impressive Happiness Road

For adventurous travellers and those who love exploring the highlands, Hanh Phuc Road is a special journey. The towering passes like Bac Sum, Cong Troi (Heaven Gate), Can Ty, Mau Due will bring them to cloudy Lung Cu, and especially the famous wall Ma Pi Leng, which will be always worthy for their effort.

Leaving peaceful Ha Giang city with the Km 0 landmark of Highway 2 to conquer the Hanh Phuc road on the rocky plateau, after 20 miles of relatively flat road is the Heaven Gate Pass. Standing on the peak of Heaven Gate, tourists will see Tam Son town in the heart of the valley, with villas and beautiful houses stretching to the foothills. The Quan Ba mount, which is in the shape of a young girl’s breast, looks striking amid the Tam Son vast field.

Impressive Happiness Road

Riding a motorbike through passes and hills, tourists will see peaceful scenes in the valleys. The villages of the highland ethnic groups in Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac have changed. People have no longer grown poppies but corn on the arid rock.

Dong Van Plateau is not only a geological park of the world, but also a land containing the typically historical evidence of upland people of Ha Giang province. Before the Hanh Phuc Road was built, Quan Ba was separated to the plains by the Heaven Gate pass.

Impressive Happiness Road

Located adjacent to Hanh Phuc road and 14 km from Dong Van town today is evidence of the Wang clan. The King of H’Mong people Vuong Duc Chinh was the first who ruled the ethnic minorities here.

Commercial exchange between the H’mong King with the North is clearly shown in the architecture of the residences of Vuong family. The whole building is surrounded by stone walls of over 1m thick, with the height of 2.5 to 3 m. A huge volume of rare wood and blue stones was used to build this massive work.

When the Nho Que River is completely hidden under the canyon, Meo Vac town appears. The lives of the people in the North-most region of the country are still very poor but the bud of "happiness" is blossoming on the stones.

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like to recommend Motorcycling West to East Northern Vietnam tour.This motorcycling trip reveals a different route to get from Son La to Thac Ba. It offers adventurous riders stunning scenery and great tribal culture exploration. The route is not yet popular thus you do not share the roads with other tourist but mainly share the roads with the locals who are on their Honda to the farm. The perfect itinerary and the support crew ensure you get the most out of the trip in terms of comfort, enjoyment and adventure.

Highlights: 

• Stunning scenery
• Challenging roads
• Thac Ba Reservoir
• Colorful ethnic minorities

A Path To Somewhere

If it’s all about the journey and not the destination, there is a “journey to a journey” involving quite a few ups and downs, not to mention twists and turns, that awaits the nature lover in Vietnam’s northern region.

The destination is a path, 40 kilometers long, that winds its way through a dense bamboo grove in Thanh Hoa Province. In order to reach the Suoi Muong bamboo path, there’s a long way to go, past high mountains and deep valleys. A motorbike is an indispensable accessory.

Mai Chau, Hoa Binh

Let’s get going from Hanoi and head to Hoa Binh, where Muong Lat Street along the Laos border leads to the mountainous western part of Thanh Hoa. The first village on the road is named Thanh Son, where backpackers can tuck in for the night in local homes after a simple supper. As we go further, more villages appear, as do the first bamboos. Here, the road is named Suoi Muong after a local stream.

Along the red-soil road, which gets narrower toward the end, are tall, dense bamboo grasses that cast their green shadows on the Ma River flowing alongside. Then the bamboos disappear, and the Mau Village market comes into view, several minutes from the pier across the Ma River.

Stationed at the pier is a woman in her sixties. Her teeth are dyed in black, a beauty aid for Vietnamese women in the old times and a tradition to protect their teeth. “I row until four in the afternoon, then go home to rest,” said the ferrywoman who has been doing this job nearly 20 years and knows everyone in the area.

There are close to 30 streams, big and small, in the area and they put in an appearance after every turn along Suoi Muong road that is 100 kilometers long. But not every stream has a boat to take you across. Sometimes, people have to wade into the water first and lead others waiting to take their bikes across.

Vietnam Motorcycling Tour

And the adventure is only the beginning. Some parts of the road are piles of rock, some are slippery soil, some are in between the cliff where the bikes have half a meter width to drive on. The bike driver needs to be firm and the pillion rider should be ready to jump off at all times to help push the motorbike. It can be discouraging, but if you’re in a mood to take things on, the tough road is the perfect challenge.

The Ma River continues to flow alongside, playfully switching from the left to the right and vice versa. On some parts of the road, the river is so close you can lean over and wash your hands in the flowing waters.

It’s best to make this journey early May, when it’s not raining and the bamboos are in their post-spring prime. November or December is also good as the monsoon has passed and the bamboos throw in a dash of yellow. The journey is an absolute no-no during the first days of rainy season as the road gets very muddy, the rocks get very slippery and the streams get very fierce.

Every 10 or 15 kilometers on the road is a village where such necessities as instant noodles, eggs, soaps, cookies and sweets can be procured. Most villages are home to ethnic minority groups who invariably bade visitors passing by their stilt houses to come in and rest, freshen up and even use their ovens to cook.

Not far from Chieng Nua, one of the villages, is a cemetery on a cliff that dates back to the 11th century. The place is also home to vestiges of the Dong Son Culture, a prehistoric Bronze Age in Vietnam, and temples worshiping heroes of the Lam Son revolution during the early 15th century against Chinese invaders. The journey can take longer, but patience is rewarded when, almost unnoticed, the magnificent bamboo path is there in front, casting a mysterious aura and allure.

Long and slender, the leaves sparkle in the sun and make joyful rustling and creaking sounds as the breeze blows through them. The play of light and shade is soothing and exciting at the same time. Where does the path lead? But that’s it. There is nowhere to go but where the path takes you. In fact, the path is “home”. You have arrived.

Source : thanhniennews.