The secrets of little-known beauty spots and cultural treasures in northwestern provinces Yen Bai, Lao Cai and Phu Tho are being revealed in a new tourism programme.The 2008 tourist event, entitled Pilgrimage to the Roots, is set totake place from February to November next year.
The festival aims at putting the spotlight on these unexplored areas to boost local and international tourism, organisers said at a press briefing in HCM City last weekend.
"We also want to get these sites on the lists of local and foreign travel companies," they said. The co-operative programme will zoom in on creating special tourist destinations based on natural and cultural charms. To succeed, the programme must reach the largest audience possible.
Great reservoir
In May, visitors can explore the legends and natural beauty that surround Thac Ba Temple (Mother Temple) in Yen Binh District, Yen Bai Province. The temple, set in the face of Hoang Thi Mountains opposite the meandering Chay River, has been a place of worship for centuries. Local folk stories tell of how Ngoc Hoa, daughter of the 18th King Hung, worshipped the Mother Goddess and other deities here.
Not far away is Thac Ba Lake, the biggest reservoir in Viet Nam. Here visitors can get a glimpse – and a taste – of life in local villages of the Dao, Tay and Cao Lan ethnic minority groups.
The Dao also have a traditional festival of their own, which celebrates the new rice crop with dances and special fish dishes, such as ven (bream), qua (snake-head) and bong tuong (gobie). Visitors can also sample sweet Dai Minh mandarins, pommelos and golden rice from Muong Lo, the second biggest rice granary in western Viet Nam.
Archaeological wonderland Hum Cave is where scientists discovered traces of 100,000-year-old humans and thousands of fossils from 30 animal species. To really get involved in local life, tourists can also climb 100-year old tea trees and pluck the young buds with Mong girls or walk through pomu forests to Tap Lang Waterfall.
Other festivals will be held at Cuong Temple in Van Yen District, Dai Cai Temple in Luc Yen District and Tuan Quan Temple in Yen Bai Town, as well as a number of seminars, trade fairs, and cultural weeks.
Cultural cradle
Nestled between mountainous north-western provinces and the capital city lies Phu Tho Province. Only 70km north of Ha Noi, the area sits in the triangle created by the Red, Da, and Lo rivers and is bordered by Ba Vi and Tam Dao mountains, where the ancient Viet people lived under the Hung Kings of Van Lang.
Rich in natural beauty, Ao Gioi (Pond of God) and Suoi Tien (Fairy Stream) embroider the mountainous landscape creating 99 small waterfalls.
Travellers can also visit 15,000ha of forest in Xuan Son National Park in Thanh Son District and explore the 14 mysterious caves nearby.
To relax after a long day’s trek, visitors can also take a trip to Thanh Thuy District famous hot mineral springs, which have an average temperature of 44 degree C and are said to have healing qualities.
Phu Tho is also home to more than 1,370 pagodas, temples, tombs and communal houses, such as King Hung Temple, Mau Au Co Temple, Phu Thanh and Bong Lai pagodas and Hung Lo and Dao Xa communal houses. On a visit to the province, travellers get the chance to look back in time at life for the Viet people in the stone and bronze ages, with displays of ancient artefacts found in Phung Nguyen, Son Vi, Go Mung and Lang Ca.
Bustling border town
A hub of activity, Lao Cai boasts 27 different ethnic groups. Located on the border of China’s Yunnan Province, the area is likely to become a gateway for tourism, as travellers from China and other regional countries can enter and leave via the province.
Local traditions come to life in the new year festival roong poc which celebrates the return to harvest with the xoe dance, and the spring festival at Thuong and Bao Ha temples in Lao Cai Town. Tourists can also visit several caves in Muong Vi, Sa Pa’s ancient standing stones, and the palace of Meo King Hoang A Tuong on the Bac Ha plain.
Already a hive for tourism, Lao Cai offers a variety of tour packages including hiking, eco-tourism, mountain climbing, relaxation, sports and historical discovery. Sa Pa, the most popular destination in Lao Cai, lies a small distance from 3,143m Mt Fansipan, the highest in Indochina. The area is famous for its breath-taking views and 700 species of flora and fauna.
Bac Waterfalls, May Bridge, the orchid garden, Ham Rong Mountains, Ta Phin brocade village, and the Cat Cat cultural preserve village also top the tourist must-do list.
Bac Ha, known as the white plain because of its copious spring plum and apricot blossoms, has a busy market day that gathers ethnic minorities from all over the province. Young men and women also head to the market to look for future spouses.
Following a trip to the stalls, visitors can easily fill their time with trips to the waterfalls and mountains linked to the legendary Tien Cave. Going upstream to Bat Xat, tourists can escape the heat with a dip in Muong Hum Stream and visit Muong Vi Cave to learn about traditional local music like the khen (pan-pipe) dance and sao (flute).
Festivities are expected to run from February to November 2008 in the three
provinces with a grand opening ceremony rntitled Hidden Colours to take place on
February 13, 2008, in the city of Yen Bai.These will be followed by events at Au
Co Temple on February 11-13; Thuong and Dong Cuong temples on February 21 and
the biggest Hung Temple from April 13-15.Activities include the Sa Pa Culture
Week and Discovery of Thac Ba in May; a Culture-Tourism Week in Bac Ha and Muong Lo in June and the 2nd International Climbing Contest of Fansipan in
October.
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