Lak Lake is located on Lien Son town, next to the traffic route between Buon Ma Thuot and Da Lat, about 56 km south of Buon Ma Thuot city along Highway 27. The lake is about 5 square kilometers wide. The lake is surrounded by high mountains, so the lake’s water is always calm and there are large primeval forests with rich flora and fauna. Around the lake, there are also historical architectures such as the palace of Emperor Bao Dai, the long house of the M’Nong people. Many traditional long houses are preserved here, besides, many new modern style houses are also built to serve visitors. Tourists come here not only to visit Lak Lake but also enjoy the cultural features of the Central Highlands such as fire dance, seasonal dance, gong performance, silk silk, k’long put, rock flock, elephant riding or boating. walking alone on the lake or crossing the lake. Currently, there are only about a dozen elephants left on the shores of Lak Lake to serve tourists. The elephants here are all caught from the forest since childhood. Up to now, there is an elephant that is 30-40 years old. The youngest child is also 29-30 years old. In the past, many tourists came to Lak Lake to experience the lakeside elephant riding service, however, recently, with the call for animal protection, many people are not interested in elephant riding anymore. According to the elephant manager in Lak Lake, a male elephant can weigh from 4 to 8 tons. Female elephants are smaller. Male elephants have tusks, female elephants only have fangs, very small. Currently, in Lak Lake, the elephant Y Kham Sen has the longest tusks, but only one side. The name Y Kham Sen means “golden child, gambler”. Normally, elephants are fed grass, sugar cane, vegetables, stems and bananas. Each child can eat tons of vegetables and fruits every day. If serving tourists riding elephants, a trip for two people, about 15 minutes, will cost 300,000 VND. The sun and wind of the Central Highlands this season is also a memorable experience for everyone who comes here. However, recently, not many people are interested in riding elephants, because the campaign calls for animal protection. In addition to activities by Lak lake, visitors can visit Buon Bip waterfall, a wild stone stream next to romantic coffee and rice fields.

The communes of Banh Trach, Cao Thuong, Cao Tri, Cho Ra, Chu Huong, Dia Linh, Dong Phuc, Ha Hieu, Hoang Tri, Khang Ninh, My Phuong, Nam Mau, Phuc Loc, Quang Khe, Thuong Giao and Yen Duong belong to communes. Ba Be district; Coc Dan, Na Phac and Trung Hoa communes of Ngan Son district; Cao Son, Don Phong, Duong Phong, My Thanh, Quang Thuan, Si Binh, Tu Tri, Vi Huong and Vu Muon communes of Bach Thong district; The communes of Bang Lang, Bang Phuc, Binh Trung, Dai Sao, Dong Vien, Luong Bang, Nghia Ta, Phong Huan, Yen My, Yen Nhuan in Cho Don district; Mai Lap, Quang Chu, Tan Son, Thanh Mai and Thanh Van communes of Cho Moi district; The communes of Kunming, Cu Le, Cuong Loi, Duong Son, Hao Nghia, Huu Thac, Kim Hy, Kim Lu, Lang San, Lam Son, Luong Ha, Luong Thanh, Van Van, Van Minh, Vu Loan, Xuan Duong, Yen Lac belongs to Na Ri district, Bac Kan province. Illustration Vermicelli, including vermicelli, is a familiar dish for Vietnamese people, especially this rustic dish is indispensable in the tray of Tet and other important days in Vietnamese families. Due to the advantage of favorable soil and climate conditions, the galangal variety (the raw material for making vermicelli) grown in Bac Kan grows well and is of better quality than other places, making the vermicelli here fragrant and delicious. . Bac Kan vermicelli vermicelli is light gray-white, slightly opaque with a yellow tint, and dry and tough. In addition, Bac Kan vermicelli also has characteristics of insoluble ash (0.030 – 0.036%) and vitamin B1 (6.17 – 9.04 µg/100g starch). The unique reputation and quality of Bac Kan vermicelli is due to the raw galangal root. Bac Kan vermicelli is a product made from 100% raw galangal tubers grown in 73 communes in 7 districts and Bac Kan city of Bac Kan province. The geographical area for growing raw galangal tubers has specific soil conditions. In addition, the specific production technique of vermicelli in the geographical area is also a condition that creates the unique characteristics of Bac Kan vermicelli, especially in the stages of soaking, bleaching, and drying. Starch of galangal (dry or wet) is soaked with clean water to whiten. The drying technique is the main factor that creates the tough, dry vermicelli of this type of vermicelli. A geographical indication is a sign that refers to a product originating in a particular region, locality, territory or country. It can be words, names, signs, symbols, images used to indicate that the product originates in a country, territory or locality that is characterized by quality, reputation. , the reputation or other characteristics of this good are due primarily to its geographical origin. Through a geographical indication, it is possible to identify a particular geographical area associated with the quality, reputation and unique characteristics of the product that are available only in that place. Geographical indication protection brings many benefits, from economic development, promoting products of a region to protecting the interests of consumers.

Accordingly, the geographical area is as follows: – Production area of ​​vermicelli: Bac Kan province. – Raw material production area of ​​galangal tubers: Duong Quang, Nong Thuong and Song Cau communes of Bac Kan city; The communes of An Thang, Bang Thanh, Boc Bo, Co Linh, Cao Tan, Cong Bang, Giao Hieu, Nghien Loan, Nhan Mon, Xuan La of Pac Nam district; The communes of Banh Trach, Cao Thuong, Cao Tri, Cho Ra, Chu Huong, Dia Linh, Dong Phuc, Ha Hieu, Hoang Tri, Khang Ninh, My Phuong, Nam Mau, Phuc Loc, Quang Khe, Thuong Giao and Yen Duong belong to communes. Ba Be district; Coc Dan, Na Phac and Trung Hoa communes of Ngan Son district; Cao Son, Don Phong, Duong Phong, My Thanh, Quang Thuan, Si Binh, Tu Tri, Vi Huong and Vu Muon communes of Bach Thong district; The communes of Bang Lang, Bang Phuc, Binh Trung, Dai Sao, Dong Vien, Luong Bang, Nghia Ta, Phong Huan, Yen My, Yen Nhuan in Cho Don district; Mai Lap, Quang Chu, Tan Son, Thanh Mai and Thanh Van communes of Cho Moi district; The communes of Kunming, Cu Le, Cuong Loi, Duong Son, Hao Nghia, Huu Thac, Kim Hy, Kim Lu, Lang San, Lam Son, Luong Ha, Luong Thanh, Van Van, Van Minh, Vu Loan, Xuan Duong, Yen Lac belongs to Na Ri district, Bac Kan province. Vermicelli, including vermicelli, is a familiar dish for Vietnamese people, especially this rustic dish is indispensable in the tray of Tet and other important days in Vietnamese families. Due to the advantage of favorable soil and climate conditions, the galangal variety (the raw material for making vermicelli) grown in Bac Kan grows well and is of better quality than other places, making vermicelli here Bac fragrant, tasty. Bac Kan vermicelli vermicelli is light gray-white, slightly opaque with a yellow tint, and dry and tough. In addition, Bac Kan vermicelli also has characteristics of insoluble ash (0.030 – 0.036%) and vitamin B1 (6.17 – 9.04 µg/100g starch). The unique reputation and quality of Bac Kan vermicelli is due to the raw galangal root. Bac Kan vermicelli is a product made from 100% raw galangal tubers grown in 73 communes in 7 districts and Bac Kan city of Bac Kan province. The geographical area for growing raw galangal tubers has specific soil conditions. In addition, the specific production technique of vermicelli in the geographical area is also a condition that creates the unique characteristics of Bac Kan vermicelli, especially in the stages of soaking, bleaching, and drying. Starch of galangal (dry or wet) is soaked with clean water to whiten. The drying technique is the main factor that creates the tough, dry vermicelli of this type of vermicelli.

Na Phac Church Stepping out of the car, appearing in front of us was the “rising” church in the middle of the mountains, built according to the spacious, clean and beautiful Western architecture. Sharing with Tien Phong, Father Joseph Nguyen Van Tinh, curator of Na Phac Cathedral said, in 1979, the border war event occurred. When the war broke out, people went to Na Phap to avoid bullets and bombs. After the war ended, some people returned to Cao Bang, leaving 25 families and took the name of the land of Na Phac (meaning pumpkin field – because there are many pumpkins) to name their teachers. Most of the lay people are Mong and Dao, so the Mass is celebrated in two languages: Kinh and Mong. According to Father Joseph, the whole Bac Kan province now has more than 1,200 parishioners, mainly ethnic minorities, the largest being Mong. Someone is 180 km from the church. That is why on Sunday, this priest has to travel 170km to celebrate Mass. The missionary prospects here are enormous, added Father Joseph. There are about 300 families still wanting to join the religion. Meals of parents and students staying at Na Phac church. Photo: NT In addition to missionary purposes, we join hands with society to bring the children to school. “At first, we traveled a hundred kilometers, we had to leave every household to mobilize parents to send their children to school. However, due to many families facing difficult circumstances, the distance from the school is nearly 100km, all dirt roads and hilly roads, so few children participate. Having mobilized the children, we have to ask for vegetables, rice, food … to feed them, ”said Father Joseph. Father Joseph shared that in the past, this land had only a makeshift house made of laminated wooden slats, covered with palm leaves. Although it is a temporary house, it has 2 functions, both a place for parishioners to pray and a place for children to stay in study. After a period of time, our work has been effective, many helping organizations have so far built a spacious and beautiful cathedral to celebrate Mass and also a “dormitory” for the children. the student. Currently, Na Phac Church has hundreds of pupils living there.

In terms of resources for tourism development, the 6 provinces of Viet Bac including Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang are not inferior to any region. In nature, Viet Bac is blessed with many beautiful and majestic landscapes such as Cao Bang Non-water Geopark, Dong Van Rock Plateau (Ha Giang), Ba Be Lake (Bac Kan), Mau Son Mountain. (Lang Son), Nui Coc Lake (Thai Nguyen), Na Hang Lake (Tuyen Quang). Tourists go kayaking on Ba Be Lake, Bac Kan There is an important system of historical and cultural relics in the tourist areas of Dinh Hoa (Thai Nguyen), Tan Trao (Tuyen Quang), Cho Don (Bac Kan), Pac Bo (Cao Bang) … These are also The land bearing the distinctive cultural identity of the ethnic minorities of Tay, Nung, Mong, Dao, Cao Lan, San Diu, Lo Lo … is reflected through customs, customs, folk rituals, and folklore. ca, folk dance, special traditional festivals such as the Tày people’s cages festival, the Ceremony of the Dao ethnic group, the fire dance festival of the Pa Then ethnic group … However, it seems that there are many options that make Vietnamese Bac tourism lack of highlights, lack of effective linkages and duplicate products. At the seminar “Tourism Development Cooperation in 6 Vietnam Bac Provinces”, Mr. Ha Van Sieu – Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said that despite many efforts, Vietnam North tourism has not met expectations. of the people doing the tourism here; products and services have not awakened the needs of tourists. Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai – Director of Thai Nguyen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism speaking at the seminar “Cooperation in tourism development in the six provinces of Viet Bac” Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai – Director of Thai Nguyen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that, along with the diversity of cultural values ​​and tourism resources, the North Vietnam region now basically meets the requirements of facilities, rich in different types of tourism products. However, the linkage of tourism development in the North of Vietnam is only in the form of exchanging experiences, mainly organizing events, not really effective for businesses. , has not contributed much to local economic development. According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Linh – Vice Chairman of the Tourism Association of Bac Kan province, the link between the Viet Bac provinces has existed but the products are duplicated, there has not been research deepening to create unique tourism products. , peculiarity. Without a specific product, without large-scale tourism infrastructure, it is difficult to keep guests staying longer, spending more but often passing quickly. Units and enterprises of Viet Bac provinces signed cooperation agreements to promote tourism activities in the coming time. Need to find a common voice The majority of experts and businesses at the seminar “Tourism Development Cooperation in 6 Viet Bac Provinces” said that linking and creating a common product is the “key” for Viet Bac tourism to have breakthroughs. next time. Regarding the type of tourism, Mr. Ha Van Sieu – Deputy Director of the General Department of Tourism said that with the North Vietnamese provinces, the cultural factor will be a sustainable, distinctive product with long-term value. Mr. Vu The Binh – Vice Chairman of Vietnam Tourism Association said that tourism to experience Vietnamese Bac culture is the highlight to conquer visitors, because some natural products are easily duplicated with other places. It is necessary to take advantage of the existing strengths and create simple, easy-to-walk and convenient products for visitors. The sanctuary of Thai Hai ecological stilt village village is a unique destination in Thai Nguyen. Source: Thai Hai Village Mr. Pham Van Bay, Deputy Director of Hanoi Branch – Vietravel Company, said that the 6 provinces of Viet Bac need to connect more closely and find “a common voice” about the product to promote and promote: ” Destinations in the North of Vietnam were relatively familiar to visitors in the North, but not many in the Central and the South. To exploit this potential market, from 6 tourism brochures of 6 provinces today, the provinces of Vietnam should gather to draw into 1 book and introduce specific products including tours, tourist destinations. , prestigious hotels, restaurants … From there, travel companies can build services to provide tourists ”. Regarding tourism promotion, Mr. Vu The Binh said that when promoting in new markets, the association and coordination always bring good efficiency, cost saving and right target. Instead of just organizing rotational activities in 6 provinces, there are tourist days and weekdays in Viet Bac in major tourist centers of the country, especially in the South. Mr. Pham Van Bay suggested that the Viet Bac provinces build products and promote tourism in different stages of the year, for example tourism according to the flower season, summer, promoting cultural and historical attractions. At the end of the year, it will attract MICE delegations. For many years, the tourism industry of Viet Bac provinces has maintained the tourism program “Through the regions of the Viet Bac heritage”. This is an important mechanism of association and cooperation, contributing to strengthening the exchange and learning experiences between provinces, serving as a bridge to help businesses expand links and cooperate to develop tourism in Vietnam. with the whole country. Delegates visited the photo exhibition “Cultural tourism, history and ecology of the North Vietnam” in the framework of the program “Through the regions of the Viet Bac heritage” in 2021 in Thai Nguyen. Particularly for Thai Nguyen province, the program “Crossing the Heritage regions of the North Vietnam” in 2021 is also an opportunity for the locality to review routes, tourist attractions and connect to develop products, attracting tourists. At this point, Thai Nguyen will introduce two typical tourism products, including cultural and historical tours, back to the source (National Historical Relic Company 915, Team 91 Bac Thai; Diem Temple Relic; Diem Special National Historical Site ATK Dinh Hoa Thai Nguyen) and cultural, ecological and resort tour (Museum of Vietnamese Ethnic Culture, experience Tay ethnic culture in Thai Hai village, explore tea culture in Tan Cuong tea area) ./.

Ms. Thuy in Hoang Mai, Hanoi – a small trader selling ant eggs on her personal facebook-said: “Every day in addition to all kinds of worm cake, cassava cakes in the highlands, I also sell about 300 more interesting egg tarts. called as muffin cake. These are the cakes made by their parents and children in Cao Bang. Therefore, the cake is very delicious and typical of the Cao Bang people ”. This trader said that the ants egg cake is not available for sale all year round, although it is very expensive. Ant eggs are usually available in the 2-3 months of lunar month every year This special cake is considered the specialty of the Tay people in Cao Bang, Bac Kan. The main ingredient of the cake is the ant eggs. Because of this dependence on this special ingredient, it is only possible to make cakes from the beginning of April to the end of May of the solar calendar year, equivalent to from the end of February to the end of the third lunar month. This is the period of strongest growth of the forest black ants. Ms. Thuy revealed, as the name of the cake, the main ingredient to make the ant’s egg cake is the young egg of the ant. The cake is made of glutinous rice flour, filled with ant eggs, wrapped with young leaves of the fig tree. In addition to simple ingredients, the process of making ant eggs is not too fussy. Young ant eggs are the size of rice grains, milky white from the forest and will be washed, non-fragrant with dried onions. “Many families add some minced pork, crushed roasted peanuts and a few small palanquin leaves mixed with ant eggs and onions. But our family only filled ant eggs with palanquin leaves, did not mix with pork or other ingredients, ensuring delicious cake, traditional Cao Bang ant egg cake “, Ms. Thuy said. So the ant egg cake is only available for 1-2 months The cake crust is wrapped from glutinous rice flour that has been kneaded and thinned. Then, put that piece of glutinous rice powder into a fig leaf, sprinkle the filling on the cake dough, finally put the next piece of fig leaf on the surface of the cake. The cake is steamed for about 45 to 50 minutes in a water bath. When eating ant eggs, people peel the fig leaves (honey-leaf leaves) wrapped outside if the cake has 2 layers of leaves. If the cake has a layer of leaves, you can always eat this leaf. Buying cakes just need to preserve the refrigerator, when eating and steaming, there are instant cakes. “This type of cake can be eaten hot or cold depending on the taste because you can feel its own delicious taste every way. In addition to the soft taste of sticky rice, the soft taste of fig leaves, diners also feel the fatty taste of the cake made from ant eggs “, Thuy shared. The typical ethnic cake in Bac Kan and Cao Bang is being sold by Ms. Thuy for 60,000 VND / 5 cakes, 120,000 VND / 10 cakes. Packed with young fig leaves, when eaten can eat the whole leaf wrapped cake “Customers who order egg ants are mainly from the city because of their exotic and delicious cakes. If they eat less, they deposit 10 to try them. Eat more, they buy a few stakes to eat gradually. Sales but I still recommend, women who are allergic to pupae, bees should consider before eating this kind of cake ”, Ms. Thuy noted. As a person who has been to Bac Kan many times in May of solar calendar, Mrs. Thu Hoa in La Khe, Ha Dong, Hanoi many times has enjoyed this interesting ant egg cake. This year, because she could not go to Bac Kan, Hoa saw a small trader selling this kind of cake online immediately ordered 3 piles of cakes (10 each) to the whole restaurant. “I eat this kind of cake a lot so I know well, not all ant eggs are selected for baking. Bac Kan people only find big black ants to nest on branches and high cliffs because eggs are usually delicious and clean. Our whole family is addicted to eating this kind of cake, “said Hoa.