‘Miniature Switzerland’ in Suoi Thau steppe
HA GIANG – The winding hillsides in Suoi Thau steppe are as beautiful as the scenery in Europe. Truong Hoang
Suoi Giang, Yen Bai, is the perfect tourist destination to be healed by nature; everywhere, you can see layers of clouds and sky.
Suoi Giang, which has many majestic natural landscapes and a cool climate, will always be a great tourist destination in harmony with nature. Suoi Giang not only owns long terraced rice fields but also vast mountains, ancient forests and tea hills. That's why if you travel to Suoi Giang, you can immerse yourself and experience countless new and interesting things that few places have.
Also read: Southern girl wishes to ride a bicycle to conquer the ‘four great peaks’
If travelling from Hanoi, Suoi Giang is pretty close, so the travel time is short, and you only need to travel for a maximum of 3 days and 2 nights. Below is a suggestion to estimate the cost of travelling to Suoi Giang for 3 days and 2 nights!
Suoi Giang is about 200km from Hanoi city so you can choose transportation such as bus, car and motorbike. If travelling by bus, you will catch a bus at My Dinh bus station and travel to Yen Bai; the ticket price is about 150,000 VND/person.
When you arrive in Yen Bai, you will move to the centre of Van Chan district, about 13km from Suoi Giang. The road up to Suoi Giang is quite dangerous, with narrow and steep turns, but the scenery is very beautiful; you can stop to take pictures and admire the scenery.
Also read: Famous delicacies “eat once, remember” in Yen Bai
During 3 days and 2 days, Suoi Giang (Yen Bai) has many dishes with strong ethnic characteristics, such as buffalo meat, armpit pork, black Chung cake, etc. Food prices in the area are quite good. It's cheap, so you only need to budget about 1.5 million VND/person for 3 days and 2 nights. Of course, expenses will vary depending on each person's needs and dietary preferences.
Suoi Giang has yet to develop strong tourism, so tourists can stay with local people or choose homestays in Suoi Giang or Suoi Giang guesthouses. Some accommodation addresses include Suoi Giang Ecotourism Area, Pho Nui homestay,... The average price ranges from 300,000 - 500,000 VND/room/night, depending on the time you book. Accordingly, one person must spend about 150,000 - 300,000 VND/night.
Shan Tuyet Suoi Giang tea garden
Shan Tuyet tea area in Suoi Giang spreads over an area of about 393 hectares, of which the area of natural trees is 293 hectares, mainly in the villages of Giang Cao, Giang B, Pang Cang, Tap Lang I, Tap Lang II, Suoi Lop ...with more than 40,000 trees ranging in age from over 100 to 300 years. The ancient Shan Tuyet tea tree has a trunk as big as several people hugging, mouldy white, a canopy about 20m² wide, and dark green leaves. There are so many ancient tea trees that academician K. M. Djemmukhatze of the A - Ba - Cu Institute of Biochemistry, Soviet Academy of Sciences, when he came to Suoi Giang to research in the 60s of the 20th century, had to exclaim: "I have travelled through 120 countries with tea in the world, but have never seen a perennial tea tree like Suoi Giang. Is this the origin of the tea tree? The tea here is unique; in the bowl of green tea, there are 18 top tea flavours in the world" (written in the souvenir book of Suoi Giang commune).
Read more: Shan Tuyet tea complex is recognized as a heritage site
Inheriting a cool high mountain climate all year round, with many cloudy days, the tea buds here are large, covered with a layer of fluff as smooth as velvet, white as snow. Shan Tuyet tea is a plant that grows naturally in high mountains, nourished by the vitality of the earth and sky, so the tea buds and leaves are very large, dark green, and the leaf surface is covered with a thin layer of fluff as white as snow. That's why the tea is called Shan Tuyet (tea soaked in snow on high mountains).
Muong Lo village
Located about 80 km West of Yen Bai city, Muong Lo Valley is like a giant basin covering the entire Nghia Lo town and a few communes of Van Chan district.
As the land of rice, Muong Lo has long been passed down in songs praising the four largest rice granaries in the Northwest: "Nhat Thanh, second Lo, third Than, fourth Tac". Of which Muong Thanh (Dien Bien) is the largest, Muong Lo is the second largest rice field in the Northwest, then Muong Than (Lai Chau) and finally Muong Tac (Son La).
Famous for its cultural diversity, Muong Lo is also where 12 ethnic groups live together: Thai, Kinh, Mong, Muong... in which Thai people make up the majority.
Explore the ancient forest and Tap Lang waterfall
Not only does it have a cool climate, Suoi Giang also has majestic natural landscapes, terraced rice fields curving along the mountain, overlooking the sea of golden rice in Muong Lo region, the second largest rice granary in the West. North and a dynamic Nghia Lo town. Along with the natural scenery, the unique cultural features of the Mong, Dao, and Thai people are also preserved in Van Chan. Tourists cannot only travel under the canopy of ancient forests with amazing scenery but also pick tea, make tea and drink tea with hospitable Mong girls, or contemplate and immerse themselves in the mysterious atmosphere. Hidden and sacred in the Dao people's Ceremony, bustling in spring festivals, warm in the New Rice Celebration of the Thai people...
Going up to the Tap Lang primeval forest, which is still intact with many rich flora and fauna, Or adventure with Tap Lang waterfall with white flowing water. In the distance, the pine forest floats with white clouds, looming like a dreamy Da Lat.
Visit Pang Cang village
Pang Cang is like a miniature mountain with 159 households. They grow tea, pick bamboo shoots, cultivate upland rice, brew wine and raise pigs. Along the clean, spacious concrete road spreading throughout the village, old po mu wooden-roofed houses are arranged next to each other in a peaceful manner.
There were a few women carrying baskets and walking up the fields. They seemed to care little about the tourist cars that had just arrived at the village on the weekend - Suoi Giang has become a tourist check-in point for many years and a prestigious stay in the picturesque NaHi Village area.
- When buying items, there will be some items that you can pay half the price they quote, so don't be afraid to bargain.
- You should bring all relevant documents at the right speed and on the right side of the road if travelling by motorbike.
- Because tourism has not been exploited much, if you travel to Suoi Giang, you can rent a homestay or motel.
- Before renting or using any service, you must ask the price first and how to calculate it so you stay caught up.
- You should also bring a few thin coats or windbreakers because the weather can be chilly and foggy in the evening.