From feeling to understanding
Lo Lo Chai village (Lung Cu commune, Tuyen Quang province) is a few kilometers from the northernmost point of the Fatherland. Standing in the village, we can fully admire the sacred northernmost point. That is also the reason why we spend the most time here during the "healing" trip during the buckwheat flower season.
I went with Ngan, a cancer treatment doctor living and working in Can Tho City. Right from the first moment she set foot in Lo Lo Chai, the cool breeze and the aroma of soil, rocks and weeds helped Ngan feel the smell of peace.
In the afternoon, we immersed ourselves in the dark brown color of the sturdy, mossy gray houses of the stone fences. After resting and having dinner, we walked and breathed deeply into the fresh air. Without the variety of the tourist city, Lo Lo Chai only has the sound of mountains and forests, the sound of insects licking water, the light wind blowing through the leaves, where the yellow light is gathering.
However, all that was left in the initial feeling. We only truly understood the village when we met and talked with the locals the next morning. The deeper we went into the village, instead of hearing the quiet invitations to buy gifts, we received warm greetings and invitations to drink tea to warm our stomachs. The "Pa Lo" store, which is both simple and rustic, attracted us at first sight. According to the owner's explanation, "Pa Lo" in popular English means "come here".
Ngan suddenly became a passionate listener. She asked dozens of questions about how to grow corn, how to weave fabric and about life here. After being satisfied with the brocade square sweater, Ngan was given a lucky red wire bracelet by the homeowner with the message: "Wishing you a wonderful trip and always remember the peace at Lo Lo Chai".
We continued a few steps and stopped in front of a homestay to admire. Seeing us stunned, the owner swept the yard and asked: "Do you have a place to rest? Go ahead and sit down to relieve your leg fatigue!
So the Lo Lo ethnic people here do not travel according to the service style commonly seen in other lands. They still maintain a "how to do it" lifestyle, which is both simple and tiring. People are attached to the rice fields and boxes but also cater to the needs of tourists to open homestays. Without attracting customers to buy goods, without tricks to promote accommodation, they consider tourists as neighbors returning to their hometown after so many years away from home.
Soothe the souls of tourists
At first glance, people love Lo Lo Chai because of its peace and slow pace of life, but for us, this village is not a museum of forgetting. The valuable thing that Ngan and I witnessed was the admirable efforts of local young people to proactively promote tourism every day.
Like many other tourists, we went to the foot of Dragon Mountain to capture the whole Lo Lo Chai village in the eye, where the dark black color of the Yin-yang tiled roof leans towards it regardless of the sun or mist. Here, in just one morning, we saw 3-5 young people livestreaming to introduce the Lung Cu tour route, especially Lo Lo Chai.
They tell the story of Lo Lo Chai in Gen Z language, both traditional and creative, vivid and seductive. They themselves also admitted that they have made efforts to encourage people to travel, open homestays, and decorate snail rooms in a new style to meet practical needs. Now I understand why most homestays here are full, especially on weekends.
Before leaving Lo Lo Chai to start the journey to conquer Ma Pi Leng Pass, we had the opportunity to sit down and sipping a cup of cocoa at the Cuc Bac coffee shop - a place that people say they have to visit. Under the peach trees that are burning, with dozens of traveling companions talking about the trip, at that moment, I saw Ngan no longer a doctor looking to relieve the pressure after cases of brain-strengthening treatment - but simply a traveler finding herself.
In fact, the time we visited the village was just like "riding a horse to see the flowers", but every moment of stopping helped me find an answer to the question of why Lo Lo Chai was honored as "Best tourist village in the world 2025". Not stopping at the name, the beauty of the village truly soothes the souls of those who are busy racing against life.
When leaving Lo Lo Chai, we brought beautiful photos and a beautiful soul. Ngan affirmed to me that the trip really helped her feel the closeness in the mountains - where the value of life does not lie in money or fame. But then we realized: Tourism is not a temporary painkiller, it is an option to regenerate energy and enrich our relationships with the world and with ourselves.
