The pen book consists of 17 articles that let readers discover and experience the cultural life and natural landscape of Hoang Su Phi – a district located in the west of Ha Giang province. The eyes of a travel blogger do not disappoint readers when writing about their “field”. Throughout the work, Hoai Sa is like an anonymous artist painting the scene of Hoang Su Phi – the “paradise of terraced fields” of the northern mountains. The terraced fields in the ripe rice season bloom with golden colors on the mountains and hills interspersed with ancient tea hills. The beautiful scenery here was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible heritage in 2012. Photo: Hoang Tuan. Many times when he set foot in Hoang Su Phi, Hoai Sa contacted, lived and worked with indigenous people of many ethnic groups Dao, Nung, Tay… This contributed to creating a chronicle for the work, but still There is no shortage of the youthful experience of a young man who studied in the West, returned to his country and devoted his love to his homeland. At the beginning of the book, the reader is immediately impressed with the image of Hoang Su Phi terraced fields, from the origin, the way to improve and harvest to the method of releasing carp into the field. Under the author’s pen, that expression of labor appears vividly and quickly conquers the reader. Hoai Sa fulfills the duty of a travel blogger in bringing readers to traditional customs such as the New Rice Festival of the Dao and Nung people; or the story of making Tet cakes from the rice grains on the terraced fields. The book is like a series of color documentaries with seemingly idyllic but eye-pleasing footage, revealing in the words a majestic picture of nature, worthy of the title “terraced paradise” “. Ha Giang land is known as the cradle of Shan Tuyet tea. Not to disappoint readers, Hoai Sa is surprised when he spends many pages of his diary writing about hundreds of years old tea trees “dwelling” on Nam Pien hill. For those who love to explore history, you can read the details of the author’s record of the fake ancient tombs of King Hoang Van Thung in the border areas, along with an unbelievable story when he died. Pen signed The love story of the mountain – Horizontal and vertical Hoang Su Phi. Photo: Wings Books. In the journal, the writing style of a travel blogger is most impressive. How to do tourism is mentioned many times. With her professional experience, Hoai Sa considers community tourism as a bright spot of Hoang Su Phi in the context of mass tourism that has not yet arrived here. The word “love” also appears in the title for no reason The love story of the mountain – Horizontal and vertical Hoang Su Phi . Reading the work, readers feel the heavy love that the writer has for this land. Wok Yen – the author of the inspirational story From Dao village to Erasmus scholarship – giving praise to Hoai Sa’s autobiography: “Every word makes me feel that the author has given this land a special love, he is not just a visitor to Hoang Su Phi, Nor is he merely a journalist who writes about Hoang Su Phi (although his concise and logical writing style comes from his experience in journalism), he is the one who diligently preserves each beauty of Hoang Su Phi in his words. , and with all my heart.” Above all, whether the writing is journalistic or travelling, The love story of the mountain – Horizontal and vertical Hoang Su Phi is a must-read work not only for the “photographer” and photographers, but also for the general audience to see and better understand the “terraced paradise”.

Cultivating terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi. Photo: Duc Long Hoang Su Phi is a district located in the west of Ha Giang province. From Ha Giang city, it takes about 3 hours to reach Vinh Quang town – the capital of Hoang Su Phi district. Setting foot in Hoang Su Phi land, visitors will be immediately attracted by the terraced fields of harvest, golden sunshine like honey, beautiful scenery like in fairy tales. Then there are cultural festivals imbued with national identity, very strange, wild and strangely attractive. Hoang Su Phi land is located on the ground with an average altitude of 800m above sea level. Here, the terrain is strongly dissected, high mountains, deep valleys, many streams, primeval forests … very suitable for the development of various types of adventure tourism, discovery tourism. Hoang Su Phi also hides in her a unique cultural treasure of ethnic minorities such as Dao, Mong, Nung, Clao, La Chi. In addition, referring to Hoang Su Phi, people immediately think of terraced fields stretching like stairs to the sky. A rare masterpiece in Vietnam’s wet rice civilization was created by human hands to adapt to the soil, climate and irrigation conditions bestowed by nature. The terraced fields were formed in the process of natural improvement, expanding the wet rice cultivation area of ​​ethnic minorities living throughout the Hoang Su Phi strip of land. Through the survey, most of the ethnic groups living in Hoang Su Phi district have mastered the technique of terraced farming such as La Chi, Tay, Nung, Dao… However, each ethnic group has its own experiences. different techniques and experiences. Hoang Su Phi terraced fields in flood season (flood season) Hoang Su Phi has a strongly dissected terrain and steep slope, so the people cannot grow rice by shifting cultivation, but instead, they have to take advantage of low hills, wide areas, and moderate slopes. Right, taking advantage of both rain water and spring water leading from high altitudes to low fields to form terraced fields. The exploitation of terraced fields requires appropriate techniques and terrain. Depending on the terrain and topography of each region, the fields are wide, narrow, long, short, high, and low. In the past, through each production season, households who found that there was a shortage of arable land would choose in the family’s forest and shifting fields the most suitable location, closest to the water source, to develop into fields. Currently, because the land is less and less, the most fertile land has also been cleared into terraced fields, the choice of land does not require as many requirements as before. The government’s policy of land allocation and forest allocation also somewhat limits the choice of places to exploit for farming. Usually, if the previous year’s hill area is cleared and the land is still there, they will continue to do it, when the land runs out, they will find another hill to explore. When families have a need to explore new fields, they will gather together to do the work in exchange. The farming season of the Dao people in Ban Luoc and San Sa Ho communes usually starts right after the Tet holiday, while the La Chi people in Ban Phung commune open their fields in the rainy season, from April to September of the lunar calendar. Before proceeding to renovate the field, they also need to carefully calculate the length and width of the field, the low altitude between the fields, the location of the water channels, the way to conduct the water … effort, time consuming. Usually they will ask elderly people who have experience in clearing fields to take care of the design of the fields. The selection of farming sites is carefully conducted by the local people. The area that meets the requirements must be a place where the soil is loose, fertile, without big rocks, formerly a primeval forest. The slope of the land is not large, it is possible to create a wide and long field. The most important thing when choosing land to exploit is that in the area or nearby there must be a source of water, a place where water can be brought to the field easily and without much effort. Once the calculations are done, get to work. The first is to create a field surface, the tools to exploit the field are very simple, only a hoe, a pickaxe, a wooden harrow and a knife. The process of clearing the field is started from the highest place to the lowest. Depending on the topography and slope of the hill, the height and width of the terraces are also different. Once the ground is available, they proceed to embankment and then bring water to soak the field feet. Usually, it is not until the next year’s crop that they start plowing. For the Red Dao people in Ho Thau commune, they subtract a small area of ​​forest around the field for each area of ​​the field to keep the land from landslides; while the La Chi in Ban Phung commune keep the top layer of soil. After clearing the field, they spread that layer of soil and cultivate it right away. In order for the fields to be shaped, shaped, can be cultivated and ensured productivity, the farmers in Hoang Su Phi have spent many days in the rain. The work of cultivating the fields is continued by the ethnic people here from year to year, from generation to generation, creating the slopes of the fields like monumental art paintings hanging on the hillsides. The industrious and creative labor of the people of Hoang Su Phi has helped to make life full and create a beautiful picture of nature. The golden rice mats in the shape of raspberries, streams, and winding rivers continue to stretch to the horizon. From his labor, the farmer drew a beautiful picture of nature from the song of breaking the ground. Developing tourism associated with the heritage of terraced fields Hoang Su Phi terraced fields in the ripe rice season. Photo: Duc Long Mr. Then Ngoc Minh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoang Su Phi district said: The terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi not only ensure food for the people but also create an attractive tourist product, because of its high aesthetic value and high aesthetic value. rich in art. In recent years, not only encouraging, mobilizing and supporting farmers to get rich on terraced fields by measures, such as: Bringing new high-yield rice varieties into production, planting winter crops; At the Party Committee level, the government of Hoang Su Phi district also promotes tourism development based on the available potential as the National Monument of Terraced Fields. “In order to promote the full value and create different tourism products, in the coming time, Hoang Su Phi district will create many conditions to attract and promote investment in community tourism in the terraced fields or areas. specific products associated with people’s agricultural cultivation, such as: Water season; encouraging the planting of specialized crops or the same type of rice to have the same ripening time, harvest time… At the same time, the district also focuses on investing in transport infrastructure, projects related to terraced fields, Key projects with the emphasis on terraced fields such as paragliding grounds, check-in points, stopovers, terraces sightseeing spots …”, Chairman of the District People’s Committee Hoang Su Phi, Then Ngoc Minh affirmed. Up to now, Hoang Su Phi has over 3,720 hectares of terraced fields spread throughout 24/24 communes and towns. In 2012, terraced fields in 6 communes (Ban Luoc, San Sa Ho, Ban Phung, Ho Thau, Nam Ty and Thong Nguyen) of Hoang Su Phi were certified as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. family. By 2017, 5 more communes (Ta Su Choong, Ban Nhuong, Po Lo, Thang Tin, Nam Khoa) were added to the list of terraced fields in the heritage area. The whole district has over 2,196 hectares of terraced fields in the protected heritage area. From value and promotion, the image of Hoang Su Phi terraced fields is now not only limited to domestic but also international. For many years now, foreign tourists have known Hoang Su Phi through the path of travel and discovery, especially discovering and experiencing the heritage of terraced fields. However, for terraced field tourism in Hoang Su Phi to develop sustainably and create long-term livelihoods for local people, the locality wants the province to continue to have orientations to guide tourism development; pay more attention to the investment in facilities so that the locality can focus on developing tourism in the direction of agricultural tourism, community tourism combined with preserving the national cultural identity to attract tourists. .

Song Moc village is green in the middle of the mountains and forests Song Mooc village (Dong Van commune, Binh Lieu, Quang Ninh) is located halfway up the high mountain range of Phieng Che – Cao Ba Lanh. With a total natural area of ​​over 375 hectares, Song Moc only has about 69 hectares of agricultural land. This feature has created a village in the middle of mountains and forests with poetic beauty, bearing all the characteristics of Binh Lieu highland. Amidst the green color of the mountains and forests, there are terraced fields. The journey from the beginning of the village to the Song Moc House junction, visitors start to descend, going down to start discovering Song Moc B village along the winding road on the hillside. From here, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the gentle Moc B River with the yin and yang roofs hidden in the green anise and cinnamon forests. Coming to Mooc B River especially in the summer, visitors can enjoy the fresh air, the new green color of the trees and the bustling atmosphere in the planting season, the terraced fields in the pouring season… Among the terraced fields are the roofs of the wall, which are kept and preserved quite intact by the people. The terraced fields winding around the traditional houses are always a must-see destination in the journey to discover the land of River Mooc B. On the journey down, many sections, you can go through the roads, in the middle of the tall, shady anise forest. When you come here for the first time, you certainly can’t forget the feeling of enjoying the fresh air, the scent of cinnamon, anise, mixed with the kitchen smoke emanating from the traditional houses of the indigenous people. An experience not to be missed is to visit the colored yin and yang tiled roofs of the Dao ethnic people halfway up the slope. It seems small, but when you come in, you will see a large space with a spacious yard, a cool feeling when entering the door of the house. And the image you are most likely to see is sisters and mothers in Dao costumes who are attentively embroidering colorful brocade clothes. A familiar image that tourists can see when visiting the house of the Dao ethnic people in Song Moc B village. Visiting Mooc River B, visitors will learn about the daily life of the Dao people. The people here still keep a lot of beautiful customs and traditions, festivals such as the Wind Abstained Festival (April 4), Han New Year (March 3)… Currently, Song Moc village is also a destination, in The journey connects to beautiful routes when the road is quite convenient, the distance from Mooc River to points such as: to Hoanh Mo border gate (about 10km), Khe Tien (distance about 3km), Cao Son flower garden (about 3km). 10km), Khe Van waterfall (20km)… Mooc B River is an extremely attractive destination, a stopover to explore and relax for every visitor. https://dulich.petrotimes.vn/

Sa Pa tourism industry has put on the discovery tour with many products that are not new but different than many years ago. Visitors to the famous town of Lao Cai not only know about Fansipan, Cat Cat village, O Quy Ho pass peak, Ham Rong mountain but also experience many other types of culture. Sa Pa strawberry garden about 6 km from Sa Pa ward, in Ma Tra village, Ta Phin village, Sa Pa (near Ma Tra village primary school) is one of the destinations attracting the attention of young people and families. family. Strawberry fruiting season is usually from November to June next year, especially in the sunny months with many delicious and beautiful fruits. In the photo, Ms. Nha, a tourist from Hanoi, goes to pick strawberries. Although this time of May, the strawberries are not yet fully ripe, but each person can choose from 1-2 kg to bring home as a gift easily. In the garden, visitors are recommended to try a maximum of 2 fruits for free. Then they can pick them and bring them to the door to weigh in. The price of strawberries here is 250,000 VND/kg. Ta Phin rock garden is also a new place that attracts the attention of many tourists from far away when coming to Sapa. This place has an area of ​​​​over 12,000 m2, designed and planned into a closed chain of tourism products and services. In the rock garden, there are many species of natural and cultivated plants, and of course, a buckwheat flower garden is indispensable, attracting young people. It is known that tourism products and services at Ta Phin Stone Garden have been rated 4 stars by the provincial OCOP product rating and evaluation council. With this rating scale, for the first time, Lao Cai province has OCOP certified rural tourism products and services. The trend of forming shows to promote the culture of ethnic minorities in the highlands is also included in the tour by tourism units. In the photo is the performance “Spring day market” performed by Dao girls. The Dao leaf bathing is a tourism product that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. For each bath, visitors have to pay from 80,000 to 100,000 VND depending on the location of the bathtub you choose. The bathing location has a beautiful view, watching the nature, mountains and forests. Time for each guest to enjoy this unique medicinal drink from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on demand. If you do not bathe, you can choose to soak the Dao leaves in the open air. The herbal remedy of the Red Dao people in Sa Pa includes more plants than that of other Dao groups, from 10 to 120 species, belonging to many different plant families and life forms. An outdoor dining session for a group of 200 tourists in Ta Phin village. The Dao girls stand to welcome and invite guests to enjoy a cup of unique medicinal tea of ​​their nation. While having a buffet dinner, everyone can watch the Dao wedding show by the campfire. According to custom, on the way to pick up the bride, the bride is covered with a red and black scarf, the bridesmaid uses a veil to cover the bride’s face. For the Dao people, the bride cannot see the sun because she is afraid of losing her soul and will have no luck in her later life. The show was performed quite elaborately in about 30 minutes with a relatively complete set of rituals and customs of a Red Dao wedding. Sa Pa has many attractive dishes, just hearing the name of many people have felt craving such as pig under armpits, seven-color sticky rice, kitchen buffalo meat, bitter bamboo shoots… All are offered for visitors to enjoy. In addition, the traditional stall dance performance of ethnic minorities is also held in many places, ready to serve visitors.

Ho Ly is formed from two slots: Khe Ly and Chanh Chanh, but people take the name of Khe Ly as the name for the lake. The lake is divided into two large branches and is surrounded by rolling hills, poetic scenery. Also because of the charming scenery, as beautiful as the fairyland, Ly Lake is compared to the “absolute cup” version in Phu Tho. Nature has endowed this place with a dreamy landscape with identical mountains and blue lakes. (Photo: Internet) From Hanoi, down Highway 32 in the direction of Trung Ha Bridge for more than 100 km, to Yen Lap town, ask for directions to Thuong Long commune. The lake is near the end of the commune, the entrance is small, there is no signpost, so it is quite difficult to go. However, when standing in front of the majestic beauty of Ly Lake, you will not regret the effort of diving the distant roads, smog to come here. Ho Ly appeared as a water-ink painting that people thought only existed in comics. Ho Ly is compared as “absolute cup” version in Phu Tho. (Photo: lmotmi) Surrounding the lake is a small road, jagged rock and markings of wheels. One side is the lake and the other side is the mountains planted with cinnamon of the people. To visit the lake bed, you can rent a motorboat for about 100,000 VND / time. The boat driver will take you around the lake and introduce you to every corner, path and type of fish in the lake. Visitors can tour the lake bed by boat to admire the poetic beauty. (Photo: Internet) With a water surface area of ​​about 40ha, you will be able to take a boat ride for about an hour. The surface of the lake is still, the boat glides lightly on the blue water, the fresh air makes people dream, letting people go into nature and want to forget the hustle and bustle of life. At Ho Ly, there is a romantic suspension bridge, you can drop the cool check-in follow me or “deep” forget the melancholy. (Photo: nda.dung) Standing on the bridge, you can admire the majestic scenery of mountains and forests, the gentle beauty of the calm lake surface. This peaceful place makes your mind feel at peace after the bustle of crowded streets. In particular, in the mop season, young people take a test to check-in Ho Ly in Phu Tho, because the previously peaceful scene becomes even more romantic when there are white areas, swaying with the wind and glowing. An entire mountainous area around the Lake! Standing on the bridge, visitors can enjoy the pristine beauty of the mountains and take beautiful pictures. (Photo: Internet) In addition to sightseeing and relaxing in the mountains and forests, coming to Ly Lake in Phu Tho, you can also participate in many interesting experiences when exploring the culture of weaving, enjoying the specialties of the Dao ethnic people. Muong. Coming here, everyone’s heart silently wished if they had had a small house so that they could be in harmony with nature at the weekend and live in peace with the gentle and simple people here. (Photo: Internet) (Photo: Internet) Visiting Ly Lake on the nearest day, you can invite close friends, prepare furniture, bombard here, or rent camping picnic gear, nothing better. Take-out food should be ready-to-eat, or dry to save processing time. If you intend to have an overnight picnic, you still need the consent of the management of the Ho Ly dam!

The seeds are prepared. According to Ms. Trieu Thi Tiep in 2 Tuc village, Phuc Loi commune, Luc Yen district, Yen Bai province: By the day of good luck, people must prepare all kinds of seeds such as maize, rice, gourd, pumpkin, sesame, peanuts, beans, beans … and these seeds are put into the pan to cook so that the pests harmful to the plant will be eliminated. “Since ancient times, the Red Dao people have had a strict etiquette. Waking days often have to get up earlier than usual and prepare all the seeds that the family often sow in a pan to roast with the meaning of killing insects while still in the egg so that there is no muscle. The association broke out, causing damage to plants ”, – Ms. Trieu Thi Tiep said. After being roasted, the seeds can be eaten and spread to vegetable gardens and rice fields to see off pests. The hand spread the seeds while saying, “Today is a good day, the family has fully prepared the seeds and also done the eradication of pests. So I would like to send off the pests that are not harmful to the family plant ”. Get rid of pests by roasting the seeds. After completing this work, the new woman and her family have breakfast before going to farm work. The hard days are not the same as those of the Yen Bai Red Dao such as: abstaining from the god of thunder, the god of the wind or abstaining from tigers …, people are not allowed to do farm work, but only rest at home. , visit friends, neighbors, and especially do not make any loud noises. On the contrary, after completing the strict procedures, people still continue to do their daily jobs. “The grinds are not strict, like the great taboo days like the god of thunder, the god of the wind, or the day of abstaining from the tiger. On a good day, the family still goes to work normally, but before going to work, it is necessary to eliminate pests, that is, to roast all the seeds that the family has planted. This practice is still practiced by family and neighbors every year, ”added Thieu Thi Sinh, Lung Ha Hamlet, Phuc Loi Commune, Luc Yen District, Yen Bai Province. Nowadays, science and technology have been more developed, Yen Bai Red Dao people also know how to apply technical advances in preventing harmful pests and diseases, increasing crop productivity and quality. However, the strict tradition is still promoted by the Dao people here, such as reminding their children and grandchildren about a way to protect plants against the harm of their fellow pests from ancient times./.

Illustrations: LE ANH. The road from the Tay village to Khuoi My, the village of the Ao Dai Dao is not very far, nor is it entangled with a steep and steep pass. The charming curves tighten the waist, slowly slack like an indigo lap. At times, the ears also buzzed, the neck was cold, but the clouds were able to calm them. The clouds here are warm like kitchen smoke in my friend’s house, wrapped around the body, hugging the mountain. Thanks to the altitude and humidity, which is different from other localities in the region, the roofs on stilts in Khuoi My are mostly green and mossy. The moss from year to year is good, and when you go inside, it feels warm like a blanket of heaven and earth, the mountains and forests are already warmed, covering the roofs of the four seasons hidden in the smoke, wind and clouds. Khuoi My is small, dreamy as the name itself, like the embodiment of the mountain girl. There are a few dozen households in the whole village, taking a short walk is the end of the day, everyone whose voice is strong, speaking at the beginning of the village, the end of the village is clear. Many people still say that the green on the roofs here often evokes feelings of sadness and regret. Those who come, go and return to this place will see a different moss color in each season. The moss green was darker, deeper, the blanket felt on the roofs heavier by the pain and attachment. I personally do not have that feeling. I find love, tolerance and protection very close, warm, peaceful, and peaceful. In the green color of young moss, the yellow color of the old moss is wilting and peeling, there is the warmth of mountains, clouds and the air radiating from each roof. The house where the whole village has joined hands to support each other since childhood. Nobody rented, bought or sold anything. Every house built a house, carved the whole village to make the roof. The tighter the roof, the more durable the sentiment. People cut palm leaves to dry, someone sharpens something, someone knocked on that, for a while they should have a home. The visitors arrived, the man of Dao Ao Dai ethnic group still kept his hands on a big cast iron pan. He looked back excitedly pointing to the seat for the guests, mourning: “Try to wait for this batch, we will invite tea!”. His family has made tea for many generations, harvested from the old Shan Tuyet tea tree, the body is as big as two embracing adult arms. People who want to pick tea have to wear the baskets on their backs, and take half a day to climb the mountain. The drinking table made from a forest log has dozens of different pots in size, style, and material. It seems that enjoying tea in mountainous regions is also very meticulous, no less next to other regions. This white tea is as white as snow, still with curved leaves, plump buds. This tea bar is thinner, the background is radiating in the warm terracotta. In addition to the “tea tools” made of wood, bamboo, and all kinds of terracotta pots, porcelain, and china, there are also pots of cymbidium, mountain ginseng covered with purple and turquoise cotton buds. I do not know if it is thanks to “rewarding” the delicate, pure tea flavor every day, but coming to Cymbidium, mountain ginseng, the plants that only like to stick deeply rooted in the source are still healthy, green but flowering, buds. Only at the tea table, we saw the harmony of yin and yang, the people who enjoyed the tea were more serene and more relieved. Tea infused, the host slowly raised a small cup with both hands to invite guests, the guests called to the kitchen to invite his wife to enjoy tea. The woman rubbed her wet eyes from the smoke of the kitchen. Women in this region have very beautiful skin, are always tense, red, with slightly freckled cheeks, sting marks, but also adorn their beauty to become salty, deep. On the head of the Ao Dai woman, her hair is neatly buned at the nape of her neck, above her forehead is skillfully wrapped around like a brim of a crimson hat, blue fringes are hanging above. The beauty is like a small portrait, with wild banana petals holding green stamens waiting for the day to come, gently covering her silky black hair, and above that, green moss-like roofs like the echoes of mountains and forests.