Hang Tau (Nguyen Thuy village) in Chieng Hac commune, Moc Chau district, is a village of the H'Mong people that still retains its wild, peaceful beauty and unlike what many people imagine, it is not a cave but a miniature steppe of the H'Mong people living there. The road to Hang Tau is difficult to travel, there are sections full of gravel, steep slopes, rough and precarious, and the path in the middle is only wide enough for one motorbike, oncoming vehicles are forced to sideways, the steering wheel is unstable, and falling over is common.
On the way, I saw a few young couples who had to get off their motorbikes and be led away because they were afraid of losing control of the steering wheel. Locals said that during the rainy season, very few visitors come here because they are afraid of slippery and dangerous roads. But after passing several kilometers of difficult mountain roads, the Tau cave appeared, very pleasing to the eye with its vast, airy space. The vast white mustard fields are an ideal check-in spot for young people along with some wooden houses with the ancient architecture of the H'Mong people.
Going further is a vast lawn with large rocks and horses for tourists to take pictures with. This Nguyen Thuy village, as its name suggests, previously had no phone signal, wifi, and water had to be drawn from natural water sources on the highlands for use. Around the village are only green, undulating mountains and forests, a few pigs, chickens, ducks of the households raising them, and only 20 wooden houses. Now that tourism has developed, everything has changed, but the wild, rustic look that allows tourists to live slowly is still intact.
The people here are very friendly and hospitable, the women sit under the clear sunlight, their hands quickly embroidering colorful brocade skirts with enthusiasm, in the distance is a row of stalls selling traditional costumes of the Hmong people. The women selling eggs, green tea cakes, and chestnut cakes always have a bright smile and are not shy when having their photos taken. There is also no asking for money or soliciting customers to buy goods like in some other northern mountainous provinces.
Tau Cave Moc Chau (Nguyen Thuy village) is an ideal tourist destination for those who want to temporarily leave the bustling urban area to return to nature, enjoy the peaceful, fresh air and to ask themselves about the core values of life.
(Posted in the special publication Lao Dong Xuan At Ty).
