The first time I came to Ha Giang was 10 years ago, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Happiness Road, I was able to see the city covered with flags and flowers, living in a memorable historical atmosphere. Recently, when I had the opportunity to return, I had the opportunity to explore the border city, wander the roads, and visit peaceful villages in the off-season. On that journey, ethnic villages with poetic scenery and rich traditions such as Tha village and Khuoi My village (Phuong Do commune) are definitely destinations not to be missed.
Amazed by the beauty of Tha village of the Tay people
An ancient settlement of the Tay people, Tha village is located at the foot of Tay Con Linh mountain, only 6km from the center of Ha Giang city. The village is surrounded by old forests to the north and west, which is also the place where natural water is brought to the rice fields. Although it does not possess majestic terraced fields, Tha village brings a sense of peace to visitors from afar with low terraced fields, spread across a valley.
The lush green mountain scenery embracing the rustic stilt houses made me forget that I had just been in the middle of the city center with high-rise buildings and busy streets. In recent years, Tha village has been developed into a community cultural tourism village, and in June 2024, it officially became a tourist destination of Ha Giang city. More than 100 stilt houses in Tha village all contain many unique cultural values, some of which have now become homestays for tourists to stay, visit, and experience.
Walking through the small road, I stopped by a large stilt house in the village, and the owner introduced me to the traditional Tay house lifestyle. The house is made of a sturdy wooden frame, has a very large usable area, and is divided into many rooms, each with its own function. The main room has an ancestral altar, and the auxiliary room is for living and storing things. After being converted to community tourism, the house built an additional kitchen and toilet below, and on the main stilt house there is a balcony area with a view of the fields and a very spacious drying yard.
In addition to the typical thatched roof stilt houses and many airy windows, when coming to Tha village, visitors can also see people drying corn, irrigating the fields, or weaving and cooking fragrant specialties by the fire.
About Khuoi My village in winter
Also located in Phuong Do commune, Khuoi My village is located on the slope of Tay Con Linh mountain range, so it is higher and farther from Ha Giang city than Tha village. Khuoi My is actually 3 small villages Na Thac, Khuoi My, Lung Vai combined, which is the main residence of Dao people. Nearly 12km from the city and located at an altitude of 1,000 - 1,200m, the climate in Khuoi My is cool and fresh all year round.
By the time I arrived in Khuoi My, the rice season had passed a few months ago, the fields were bare of stubble, but the silhouette of the terraced fields across the mountainside still made visitors linger and look at them for a long time. In return, the road leading to Khuoi My at that time still had wild sunflowers and late blooming reeds.
Following the path of wild sunflowers and reeds, I found the moss-covered stilt houses. Currently in Khuoi My, there are about 9 stilt houses with moss-covered palm-leaf roofs that are dozens of years old. According to the villagers, when thatching palm leaves, the humidity is very high, especially in the winter when it is dark and foggy, making the roofs even more humid. After 15 years, moss begins to grow on the palm-leaf roofs, each year becoming thicker, greener and more beautiful. The layer of moss covering the surface also keeps the house cool and maintains humidity, however, after about 30 years, the house must be re-roofed because the palm leaves gradually wear away.
After exploring the village for the whole afternoon, I returned to a homestay to have lunch. The women staying at the homestay were mostly Dao people, they wore traditional costumes without any hindrance, always smiling as they prepared food for the guests. That lunch was arguably one of the best meals I had in Ha Giang. The tray of food was served like a miniature party, with all the specialties from hill chicken, grilled pork skewers, colorful purple sticky rice, lush green mustard greens, fried stone cakes... and of course, a bowl of spicy cham cheo.
Khuoi My and Tha villages, although located near Ha Giang city, have a lot of potential and are not inferior to other villages in the district. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to explore Ha Giang, do not miss the opportunity to come in the ripe rice season in September - October, to see peach blossoms, mustard flowers blooming in early spring or experience picking cardamom, Shan Tuyet tea under the canopy of the old forest...
