The simple joy of children in mountainous northwestern region

Children in Sin Suoi Ho commune of Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province, show their excitement when their elder brothers made a three-wheel ‘toy car’ for them. Sin Suoi Ho commune is located at an altitude of nearly 1,500 metres and boasts fresh air and cool weather all year round. In the Mong ethnic language, Sin Suoi Ho means ‘spring with gold’. Setting foot here at any time of the year, visitors can all enjoy picturesque landscapes and explore the Mong ethnic minority people’s traditional customs that have been maintained for generations. The village is now a bright spot in developing community-based tourism, which has helped to substantially improve local living standards. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The children try their new ‘toy car’. In the past, Sin Suoi Ho villagers relied solely on agriculture to earn their living. But after five to six years engaging in tourism, their mindset and awareness have changed considerably, and they have begun to make use of the local natural advantages. Sin Suoi Ho was recognised as a community-based tourism village in 2015. It is attractive to travellers thanks to not only its breathtaking scenery but also the rich culture of local residents. Ten of the over 100 households in the village are providing homestay services at present. Data show that Sin Suoi Ho welcomes about 100,000 visitors, both foreign and domestic ones, each year. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Children in Y Ty commune of Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, seek crickets in a burrow. Y Ty, about 70 kilometres to the north of the renowned resort township of Sa Pa, is rather isolated due to high surrounding mountains. It has become an appealing destination for Vietnamese and international tourists thanks to its beautiful paddy fields and traditional forest-worship rituals. The commune, which is 2,000 metres above sea level, is home to H’mong, Dao, Giay and Ha Nhi ethnic minority groups. It is famed among Vietnamese trekkers for its beautiful scenery at cloud level. It was once selected as one of the Best-kept Secrets in Asia Travel by the travel site www.thrillist.com. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Small girls in Choan Then village of Y Ty commune play a cooking game. Choan Then is an ancient village dating back more than 300 years. Home to 57 households of the Ha Nhi ethnic minority group, it is not only renowned for ‘nha trinh tuong’ (rammed earth house) but also impresses any visitor with bright smiles of its ‘small angels’. Choan Then still has its pristine beauty preserved nowadays. Meanwhile, Y Ty commune is described as the beauty of a fairy who just woke up in the mountains and forests of the northwestern region. Visiting the commune in any season of the year, visitors can enjoy its attractive beauty. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Three boys take turns to ride a ‘small bike’ while still grazing ducks. Here in Y Ty, this commune is covered by clouds clinging to the side of mountains in winter, looking like a heaven of fairies. The white colour is replaced by the pink of Do Quyen (rhododendron) flower in full bloom in spring. As summer comes, the grey paddy fields seem to be covered in a new cloth by the skillful and industrious hands of local residents. In September and October, when Y Ty commune is most beautiful, the rice paddies turn yellow dotted with houses with wooden roofs. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

It is not difficult to see these innocent smiles on the winding paths to villages in northern mountainous areas of Vietnam. To have the best view of Y Ty’s cloud-covered region, it is recommended to travel between September and the following April during the dry season. The travel site www.thrillist.com used to said: ‘Y Ty sits atop Vietnam’s highest plateau, offering spectacular views of cloud-reaching mountains and yellow paddy fields. If you want to experience the countryside of Vietnam without straying far from the tourist centre of Sa Pa, this is your spot.’ It noted that tourists should get to know local residents at Y Ty’s market ‘where surrounding ethnic tribes sell traditional crafts and agricultural goods.’ (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Children enjoy themselves while playing with each other. Y Ty is located near Sa Pa in the northwestern province of Lao Cai. At an altitude of 2,000 metres, the commune is several degrees cooler than the capital city of Hanoi and sometimes experiences snow in winter. The road to Y Ty is picturesque adorned with forests, rice terraces and traditional villages among steep mountains. Y Ty is beautiful throughout the year though September and October are considered the best months to visit as the paddies will turn yellow dotted with houses with wooden roofs. The commune, which is 2,000 metres above sea level, is home to H’mong, Dao, Giay and Ha Nhi ethnic minority groups (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Small children play around their homes in Sin Suoi Ho commune of Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province. The northwestern region of Vietnam shares the borderline with Laos and China and has an area equivalent to nearly one-fourth of the country’s total area. It is home to more than 20 ethnic groups, thereby boasting cultural richness and diversity. This region is always characterised by untouched beauty of landscapes and local people. Cultures of ethnic minority groups here are diverse and contribute greatly to Vietnamese culture. Although being one of the disadvantageous regions in term of geography, the northwestern region still attracts people from everywhere to come and discover (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Children of the Mong ethnic group in Sin Suoi Ho. Mong people form one of the most populous ethnic minority groups in Vietnam, with a population of more than 1 million. They mainly reside in mountainous areas at an altitude of 1,000 metres and higher in the northern region, the western areas of the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, and others in the Central Highlands region. Among the 54 ethnic groups in the country, the Mong community is one of those that still maintain their traditional cultural identities in the current modern life. In Lai Chau province, they live in eight district-level localities (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Sin Suoi Ho was recognised as a community-based tourism village in 2015. However, the recent resurgence of COVID-19 has discouraged people from travelling, which has made homestay facilities there deserted. Over the past years, authorities in the mountainous province of Lai Chau have been facilitating community-based tourism to develop the local economy and improve residents’ livelihoods. Diverse cultural identities of different ethnic groups hold great potential to develop tourism, including community-based tourism. In the past, visitors coming to the village could only enjoy scenic landscapes and local food on day trips. Now, they can immerse in daily activities of local residents like farming and gardening (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Local children sit on a path leading to their village in Sin Suoi Ho. Visiting the village, tourists will be surprised at the wooden and rammed earth houses bearing the typical architecture of the Mong ethnic minority. The unique highlight of these houses is a hand-lined stone fence surrounding them. The village is attractive to holidaymakers also thanks to its rich cultural and spiritual life that includes charming love songs and ‘khen’ (panpipe) sounds of Mong people. Besides, traditional crafts such as brocade embroidery and beeswax drawing on cloth are also maintained nowadays. Tourists are warmly welcomed here and can stay here for weeks or months to experience farming, fruit picking, making dumplings and weaving cloth (Photo: VietnamPlus)

While not attending school, local children turn paths into their playgrounds. Tourism has become a considerable source of income helping to improve local living standards in Sin Suoi Ho. Therefore, villagers are all unanimous in developing this green industry. With the support of the local administration, they have refurbished their houses to welcome visitors. At present, Sin Suoi Ho can accommodate more than 100 tourists per day with prices ranging from 70,000 – 100,000 VND per person a night. On average, it welcomes about 100,000 visitors, both domestic and foreign ones, each year. Apart from enjoying scenic landscapes and local food, travellers can immerse themselves in daily activities like farming, gardening, making dumplings and weaving cloth (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A girl poses in front of the camera. Boasting special attractiveness to domestic and foreign tourists, Sin Suoi Ho village is blessed with magnificent landscapes and fresh air and cool climate all year round that are unforgettable to anyone who had a chance to set foot here. Data show that as of December 31, 2018, Lai Chau province was home to 19,320 Mong ethnic households with 106,090 people, accounting for 23.51 percent of the local population. They live in eight district-level localities of the province. Phong Tho district, where Sin Suoi Ho village is located, had the second largest number of Mong people – more than 21,360 in 3,950 households. (Photo: VietnamPlus)