Highland tourism attracts visitors at the end of the year.

Winding roads amidst terraced rice fields, villages shrouded in mist peeking out from beneath the blossoming plum and peach trees welcoming spring, or bustling highland markets filled with laughter and chatter... All of these make a trip to the highlands at the end of the year more exciting than ever for tourists.

Tourists take photos of clouds at Cao Son, Co Lung commune.

In Cao Son village – also known as Son, Ba, and Muoi (Co Lung commune) – during the end of the year, as you wander along the winding paths lined with traditional stilt houses, it's easy to spot groups of domestic and international tourists leisurely walking or cycling, enjoying the beautiful natural scenery. Taking the opportunity to visit some homestay owners, you'll find them busy tidying up their houses, gardens, and photo-worthy spaces to prepare for the arrival of tourists. Mr. Le The Ngan, owner of Son Ba Muoi Ecolodge homestay, said: "Son Ba Muoi Ecolodge homestay was built and put into operation in 2023, on an area of ​​2,000m2 with 1 communal room, 8 bungalow rooms, and 3 VIP rooms designed in the local style. At the end of the year, Son Ba Muoi takes on a magical and vibrant beauty with fluffy clouds, blooming peach and plum blossoms, interspersed with the bright yellow of mustard flowers, creating a vibrant picture of spring. Therefore, this is also the season when many tourists come here."

Here, besides sightseeing and accommodation, visitors can immerse themselves in the local way of life with traditional stilt houses and terraced rice fields, creating a rustic, poetic, and nature-friendly landscape. They can also enjoy unique and flavorful ethnic dishes such as bamboo rice, grilled meat, free-range chicken, and stream fish, all infused with the distinctive aroma of the mountainous region. At night, visitors can enjoy lively songs and music around a campfire with the locals. Thanks to these enjoyable activities, Son Bá Mười Ecolodge homestay consistently attracts a large number of visitors, especially during the end of the year. Furthermore, most visitors have a positive impression of the service and recommend it to their friends.

As the year draws to a close, the atmosphere in the Dao villages of Cam Thach commune is bustling and lively. Putting aside the worries and stresses of a year of hard work, they gather to celebrate the Year-End Festival – one of the most important festivals for the Dao people – to report to and thank their ancestors for the results of a year's labor and to pray for good fortune and peace in the new year. This year, despite their busy schedules, Mr. Ban Van Bao, head of Binh Yen village (Cam Thach commune), still organized a complete and thoughtful Year-End Festival. Mr. Bao said: "Normally, the New Year's festival is celebrated by the Dao people from November to the end of December (lunar calendar). This is a beautiful cultural tradition that has been deeply rooted and preserved through many generations of the Dao people. To prepare for the New Year's festival, several months beforehand, families in the village select good breeds of pigs and chickens to raise, and plant fragrant sticky rice so that at the end of the year they have food and sticky rice to make dishes for ancestral worship. Besides pork and chicken, sticky rice cakes are indispensable offerings for the New Year's festival. Sticky rice cakes are made from glutinous rice; after steaming, they are pounded in a stone mortar until smooth, forming a pliable dough. Then, they are shaped into round cakes, sprinkled with sesame seeds, arranged on a tray, and offered to the ancestral altar."

“Every year, during the Dao people's New Year celebration, many tourists come here to learn about and celebrate the New Year with the locals. Visitors can directly learn about the origins and meaning of the New Year, the steps involved in the celebration, and how to make sticky rice cakes and prepare offerings for ancestors. They can also enjoy the food after the ancestral worship ceremony. This is what makes this place so attractive to tourists,” Mr. Bao said.

From winding roads like soft silk ribbons, clinging to the vast green forests shrouded in swirling mist in Son, Ba, and Muoi villages, to the warm and bustling atmosphere of the Lunar New Year celebrations in the Dao ethnic minority villages of Cam Thach commune... all these elements combine to create an irresistible attraction for tourists visiting the highlands of Thanh Hoa province at the end of the year. Furthermore, the highlands of Thanh Hoa province boast incredibly rich and diverse natural tourism resources, beautiful landscapes, and the unique and captivating cultural identity of the Thai and Muong ethnic groups living there. To meet the needs of tourists, mountainous localities have actively "renovated" themselves, launching a series of attractive tourism products such as: trekking and mountain climbing, relaxing in the mountains, cloud-watching tours, visits to traditional weaving villages, traditional market tours, and ecotourism...

In particular, in recent years, the province's tourism industry has encouraged mountainous localities to promote green tourism, community tourism, and experiential agriculture , encouraging local people to participate in sustainable tourism so that each trip is not simply a tourist's journey, but also an opportunity to help people increase their income and preserve their cultural identity. This also contributes to enhancing the brand of winter tourism in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province.

Text and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/du-lich-vung-cao-hut-khach-dip-cuoi-nam-276221.htm