Amidst the blue water of Thac Ba Lake, which is likened to "Ha Long on the mountains" of the Northwest region, the villages of the White Pants Dao people nestled on the hillside, hidden under the lush green palm trees.
Not only possessing poetic natural scenery, this land also attracts tourists with a unique cultural treasure preserved by the White Pants Dao community through many generations.
On the journey to explore Thac Ba Lake, it is not difficult for tourists to encounter images of Dao women in colorful traditional costumes.
The white pants embroidered with sophisticated patterns are a distinctive identifying sign, creating the name "White Pants Dao" - one of the Dao industries that has lived for a long time around the lake area.
What makes many tourists excited when coming to the Dao villages by Thac Ba Lake is the opportunity to directly experience traditional handicrafts that are still present in daily life.
In the rustic stilt house space, grandmothers and mothers diligently use embroidery frames, each skillful needle and thread creates patterns imbued with national cultural imprints.
For the White Pants Dao people, brocade embroidery is not simply a handicraft but also a way to preserve community memories. Each motif on the costume contains stories about mountains and forests, about the origins of the nation and aesthetic beliefs passed down from generation to generation.
Besides embroidery, shrimp trap weaving is also a unique cultural feature of the residents of Thac Ba Lake area. The traps are completely handcrafted from local bamboo and rattan, associated with the custom of fishing on the lake.
Under the skillful hands of the people, seemingly simple bamboo strips have become useful products, reflecting the creativity and survival experience of indigenous residents.
Not only preserving traditional crafts, the White Pants Dao people also preserve many unique intangible cultural values. On holidays, Cap Sac ceremony or village festivals, the sound of drums and gongs harmonizing with ancient folk songs resonate in the mountains and forests.
Coming to the Dao villages around Thac Ba Lake today, visitors also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the daily life of the people through strongly developing community tourism models. Many families have renovated traditional stilt houses into homestays, welcoming guests to stay and experience local culture.
In the morning, visitors can follow the people to row boats on the lake, cast nets to fish. In the afternoon, participate in learning brocade embroidery, crocheting shrimp traps or preparing traditional dishes such as grilled lake fish, hill chicken, five-color sticky rice.
When night falls, by the flickering fire, folk dances and love songs take visitors into a cultural space imbued with the highlands.
According to leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lao Cai province, Thac Ba Lake and the cultural space of the White Pants Dao community are one of the valuable assets for developing cultural tourism and community tourism in a sustainable direction.
What creates the long-term attractiveness of the destination is not only the natural landscape but also the indigenous cultural values that people have preserved through many generations.
Preserving traditional handicrafts, folk songs, folk festivals or housing architecture of the White Pants Dao people not only contributes to preserving national identity but also creates unique tourism products, bearing the strong imprint of Thac Ba Lake region.
