Unique nature of Xa Phin

07:21, April 19, 2024

BHG - Xa Phin village, Phuong Tien commune (Vi Xuyen) is a small Dao village nestled under the Tay Con Linh mountain range, where the climate is cool, the village architecture still retains its traditional features with many unique customs and practices. Especially when coming here during the rice season, visitors will fully feel the peaceful life of the highlands.

Xa Phin, along with three other villages, Mao Phin, Nam Te, and Na Mau, are all located below a majestic mountain range more than 1,000 meters above sea level. These small villages are covered in fog all year round, especially in the morning and evening, and the air is always cool and airy. The steep terrain has created Xa Phin with terraced fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

For generations, rice and terraced fields have played an important role in the life and culture of the people here. Rice has nurtured generations of Dao people, accompanied them on moonlit nights and appeared in important rituals of the community's beliefs. Not only a food crop, rice has contributed to creating the soft, simple and generous features of the people here.

Tourists visit and experience Xa Phin village.

The rice season in Xa Phin is usually later than other regions. Planting takes place in mid-June, early July and harvesting begins in mid-October. If you have not had the opportunity to visit Hoang Su Phi to see the ripe rice season, you can visit Xa Phin, only about 25 kilometers from the center of Ha Giang city. The large area, steep slopes and the altitude of over 1,000 meters, the fresh air make the terraced fields in Xa Phin as beautiful as other places. Come to Xa Phin during the green rice season, admire the beauty of the rice plants on the immense green terraced fields to immerse yourself in the majestic nature and understand the resilience and creativity of people in production labor.

Xa Phin village has more than 50 Dao households living, the architecture is mainly thatched-roof stilt houses, built on low mounds, in valleys near rice fields. The people here said that due to the high humidity, cool all year round, each month has about 20 rainy days, creating very favorable conditions for moss to survive and grow. After about 5 years, the roof will have moss, usually moss grows a lot from October of this year to April of the following year, every 15 days it withers and then grows a new layer of green. Over time, the Dao stilt houses have an old beauty, the moss-covered roofs create a peaceful, relaxing feeling of a mountain village.

Mr. Dang Van Hau, Head of Xa Phin village, shared: “Moss-roofed houses are suitable for the weather here. Previously, many families had their roofs made of corrugated iron, but in recent years, they have switched to thatched roofs, which is both suitable for the weather and preserves the identity. In recent years, local people have known how to take advantage of the natural landscape and available potential to develop tourism . Many tourists have come to visit and experience. Since then, the lives of the people have been significantly improved.”

The Dao people have settled down to cultivate, build houses and establish Xa Phin village on the high mountainside for many generations. Living on the top of a high mountain covered in clouds all year round, facing many difficulties in production, the Dao people in Xa Phin are always hard-working, know how to make terraced fields, grow one crop of rice each year to have rice to eat all year round, know how to raise salmon to keep up with market demand, know how to grow cardamom under the forest canopy to escape poverty and especially know how to take advantage of natural conditions to grow Shan Tuyet tea to develop the economy .

As a village that fully converges the factors to attract tourists and develop the economy, Xa Phin village is actively orienting towards building a community cultural tourism village, gradually turning tourism into a development strength.

Article and photos: Nguyen Yem

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