About 105km from Hanoi, Ngoi Hoa Bay and Mat Ngoc Lake are suitable destinations for short-day travel, attracting tourists with the "mountain and water beauty" and experiencing exploring the unique cultural identity of the Muong people.
Participating in the exploration trip to Mat Ngoc Lake in early April, Korean male tourist Woo Do-won and Katya - Russian female tourist - shared that this is the first time they have traveled to Phu Tho and have memorable experiences.
I like traveling and mountain climbing, my colleagues have introduced this location," said Woo Do-won.
His journey to explore Mat Ngoc Lake began at Ngoi Hoa Bay, then walked through Ngoi hamlet, visiting the rustic houses of the Muong people.
The first stop after about 4km of walking and climbing stairs is Hoa Tien cave, located in the heart of Ba mountain range. This is one of the most beautiful caves in the old Hoa Binh province, with many stalactites and strange stones. The cave includes the main cave, the cave's northern and southwestern recesses.
After visiting Hoa Tien cave and resting, the Korean male tourist continued to walk through the green forests, swinging on cat ear rocky outcrops to admire Mat Ngoc Lake from above. Mr. Do-won shared that this is a suitable place for beginners to climb mountains, beautiful but also has interesting challenges.
In particular, the Korean guy was impressed with the scenery when standing from above looking down at Mat Ngoc Lake. Amidst overlapping mountains, Mat Ngoc Lake appears blue, calm like a sky mirror, and in the distance is the vast Da River with waves, rippling around the island, floating green.
Also on this trip, he was very happy to climb mountains with everyone, even though they met for the first time, but it felt like they were long-time friends.
I plan to visit many places in Vietnam during my holidays," Do-won expressed.
For Katya, the beautiful Russian female tourist was surprised by the scenery at Mat Ngoc Lake, reminding her of some scenery in New Zealand. This is not the first time Katya has participated in mountain climbing in Vietnam, before that she had spent two days walking in Sa Pa, as well as exploring some other locations.
As a nature lover, the pristine mountain scenery and the blue water of Mat Ngoc Lake bring wonderful experiences like many places she has been to. Katya was also very surprised to witness the long line of people waiting to check in with a view of the lake from above.
I will come back here in the cool weather," Katya said.
Like a green pearl hidden in the majestic mountain scenery, Mat Ngoc Lake is about 10ha wide, a place where visitors can admire the scenery or rent a small boat, paddle SUP, kayak on the lake, leisurely enjoy the fresh, cool air amidst the quiet nature, suitable for "hiding from the heat" of summer.
Currently, in Ngoi hamlet, some homestays have been opened to meet the accommodation needs of tourists. Besides exploring the scenery of Ngoi Hoa Bay and Mat Ngoc Lake, tourists combine accommodation with experiencing the culture of the Muong people: enjoying Da River catfish specialties; rowing boats to cast nets; learning brocade weaving...
