Whispers at the windy mountaintop

For me, Northwest Vietnam is home to the Lung Cu flagpole, the northernmost point of the country, with the red flag with a yellow star always fluttering in the wind; Fansipan peak, the "roof of Indochina," which is becoming a popular check-in spot for young people; and the picturesque Ban Gioc waterfall with the majestic Truc Lam pagoda located in what seems like a remote, isolated place, where the sound of the bell of sovereignty resonates day and night in this border region.

The Northwest region still holds in my memory images of the Xoe dances and Xoan songs; the bamboo-tube rice served with fragrant grilled meat of the Muong people, the five-colored sticky rice of the Thai people, and the "heart-wrenching" men men dish that H'Mong children shared with me during my journey exploring the Dong Van Stone Plateau.