Shirofan: Hoa Binh

Thang Thien Waterfall Ecotourism Resort – Ideal Destination to Relax

It is quite difficult to find a fresh, clean and airy palce escape from the smoky, dusty and stuffy atmosphere during the weekend when living in a crowded urban area. On a day I bumped into a classmate from university, after endless gossips of friends who met after a long time, I was recommended Thang Thien Waterfall Ecotourism Resort as a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of Mother Earth.

A self-organised couchsurfing tour was then arranged among a group of closefriends. We made thorough investigation before settling on this place. We logged in websites to seek for opinions of tourists about the destination. Thang Thien Waterfall Ecotourism Resort is just 53km northwest of Hanoi. It is a complex of natural forests on an area of over 350 hectares in Vien Nam Mountain range in Dan Hoa commune, Ky Son district, Hoa Binh province.

There are four waterfalls falling down the spring and pouring white foam from the height of several dozen to hundreds of meters. I was immediately fascinated by the place despite such a short time of getting to know it.

Arriving at the place, we could not help feeling excited when breathing in the fresh air of the forests. All the noise and hurry of traffic in the city was temporarily left behind, letting us enjoy the quietness of the resort. Joining with other groups of tourists, we felt the energy and excitement inside them when they investigated and discovered new things. Nobody gave up the excursion despite being bitten by terrestrial leeches.

The challenging journey was filled with laughter and happiness. I was curious to know how many tourists had set foot on this path to witness waterfalls falling down from high above and creating sparkling sights.

Taking nice pictures made us really lured by Thang Thien waterfall. In addition, we were offered delicacies of Hoa Binh mountainous area and traditional music performances of local people. This is an ideal place for weekend trips, offering us a chance to relax as well as to investigate cultural values of ethnic minorities groups in Hoa Binh province. Another thing which surprised me was the conveniences of the neat and tidy houses along the mountain side where we could drop in for a rest during the excursion. There were also entertainment areas, including swimming pools, golf courts and slides.

I learned that Thanh Thang Commerce and Tourism JSC, directed by Mr Long Thai Lam, is the owner of Thang Thien Waterfall Ecotourism Resort. Mr. Lam was born and grew up in Thai Nguyen province. After graduating from the University of Forestry of Vietnam, he decided to invest in Hoa Binh province after conducting lots of surveys in different places.
In 2002, the company was officially founded and received enthusiastic support from leaders of the Provincial People’s Committee. With the objective of “Planting, caring for and protecting upper montane forest and exploiting ecotourism at Thang Thien waterfall”, since 2004, the company has completed its forestation plan, spreading trees on 58.9 hectares of land which used to be deforested by the locals for farming land.

The natural forest has now been replanted and the trees now provide shade, creating a pure environment and nice scenery. The company has also put efforts into constructing works (dams, bridges across the stream, entertainment areas and markets) and put into operation 3km of concrete road which leads into the resort, 4.5km of stone-covered paths for internal walking in the resort and 2.5km of road for transportation of seed trees and forest patrolling. Through these activities, Thanh Thang Company has made great contribution to local socio-economic development.

Every year, the company attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to Hoa Binh and thereby brings the culture and people of Hoa Binh closer to tourists. In the time to come, Thanh Thang Company plans to invest, upgrade and turn Thang Thien Waterfall Ecotourism Resort into a high-class place for relaxation. It is hoped that efforts made by Thang Thien will bring tourists satisfaction and comfort.

Source:Vccinews

Home-stay tour in stilt houses

For the Thai people in Tay Bac (the northwest region in Vietnam), “home-stay guest in stilt house” refers to distinguished guests from far hamlets who visit their houses. However, “home-stay guest in stilt house” means a unique tourism product for the Thai people in Lac Hamlet, Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh Province.

Stilt houses in Lac Hamlet are considered “hotels” in the forest

Visiting the stilt house owned by Ha Van Minh for the first time, we had a familiar and warm feeling. The floor of the house is very large and made from bamboo with blankets and pillows neatly arranged. It was the place for us to sleep at night.

The space under the floor is for having meals and drinking tea. While inviting us for a cup of hot tea, the host said: “Let me prepare a meal for you with Mai Chau glutinous rice, boiled chicken, carp-bamboo sprout soup, smoked buffalo meat and alcohol, all right?” The mere thought of this meal made our mouths water.

At sunset, it was slightly cold and we took a stroll on the path in the hamlet to enjoy the sweet scent from the paddy fields and buy some goods from the Thai people. In front of each stilt house, people put some small tables for displaying their brocaded products, such as purses, handbags and Pieu scarves (a traditional scarf of the Thai people).

They also hung an abundance of long cloth rolls and Ao com (a short traditional shirt of the Thai People) with distinctive patterns. In addition, unique products like wooden bells for buffalos, bamboo flutes, bows and cross-bows and knives were also displayed for sale. All the products were hand made by the Thai people.

Here, we felt very comfortable to select some items to buy while the owners were absorbed in their work by the looms. Brocade weaving is the traditional craft of the Thai that creates cultural characters that fascinate tourists going to Lac Hamlet.

An unusual cultural feature of the Thai people is clearly seen through their costumes: a scarf that crosses the head, a blue shirt, and a black floor length skirt. Girls often wear a brocaded piece that crosses her chest that helps them look graceful.

When night fell, Mai Chau became boisterous with drumbeats performed by the hamlet’s artistic band. Not long before, Minh – the owner of the stilt house where we stayed - had beaten the drum to signal that a Sap (bamboo pole) dance performance would be held at his stilt house.

In Lac Hamlet, all families can organize a bamboo pole dance performance, but they hold it in shifts. Sometimes, the performance is held at the family that has a large number of guests.

A dancing team often includes beautiful girls who learned dancing, singing and even a foreign language to receive tourists. Each performance often ends with a Sap dance and girls inviting guests to drink Can wine. We all were drawn in by the lyrics of the songs and dances of the Thai girls.

When the party ended, it was cold so we curled up in a Sui blanket made from the bark of an Antiarias tree to have a good sleep right on the floor of the stilt house. It was a real interesting experience to have a home-stay tour in a stilt house in Lac Hamlet.

In Lac Hamlet, there are 25 stilt houses for tourism which were built in a chessboard architectural style. Each house was numbered from 1 to 25. Payment for an overnight stay in the stilt house is 50,000-70,000VND/person. Tourist activities bring the main income for the Thai people in Lac Hamlet.