Spectacular view of White Rock Pass peak on an early winter morning

The rocky mountain scenery is covered with a blanket of white snow. Thung Khe Pass (White Rock) winds and meanders like a soft silk strip across the mountainside, appearing and disappearing magically in the early morning mist.

This place is considered by photographers to have a beautiful landscape like the snowy mountains of Northern Europe.

Young people also often choose Mom Da Trang as a check-in point on their journey to the Northwest Highlands.

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Following the back path, visitors can climb the steep stone steps to reach the flagpole. However, this is not recommended because it is very dangerous.

This year, winter came late but quickly, bringing with it cold winds, bringing with them the typical cold of the Northwest highlands. The journey back to the source just flew by, the road followed the pass, the fields followed the forests, running straight to the foot of the mountain. Far away in sight, the Hoang Lien range was immense, silently watching the convoy of vehicles biting each other as they crawled up the mountain slope.

The pass road is like a soft silk strip across the mountainside connecting Mai Chau and Tan Lac districts of Hoa Binh province. Thung Khe pass is about 120 km from Hanoi, at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters above sea level. In the early morning or late sunset, the pass is immersed in a sea of mist and beautiful clouds.

Thung Khe Pass, or as the locals often call it “White Stone Pass”, was named after the mountain was broken and Highway 6 was widened; pieces of limestone slid down from the mountain top, scattered all over the rocky slopes, creating a beautiful natural masterpiece. The whole area was covered in white like some snowy mountains in Europe.

Stopping on Da Trang Pass, I could clearly feel the cold air in the early morning mist of early winter.

Coming across a couple cuddling, holding hands, taking pictures of each other halfway up the cliff, I went to talk and get to know them. Mr. Phan Ha Tien, a worker at Thang Long Industrial Park, happily said that the company had no more work to do and had temporarily stopped production to wait for data entry, so we took the opportunity to ride our motorbikes to Dien Bien to visit and introduce our girlfriends. This was the first place to stop to rest, sightsee and relax after a long journey from Dong Anh ( Hanoi ).

I have heard a lot about the scenery here, but in fact, you have to see it with your own eyes to fully appreciate the majestic and overwhelming natural beauty of this place. We had to climb to the top of the rocky mountain to have a panoramic view of the valley, to see the winding pass that had just taken us here, the feeling was wonderful, my girlfriend named Lan Anh continued.

Thung Khe is like a soft silk strip across the mountainside, carrying convoys of vehicles through the pass.

The winding, curving road, along with the majestic, beautiful mountain scenery, captivates many travelers.

Travelers on their journey to the Northwest cannot help but stop at Mom Da Trang, less than a hundred meters from the top of Thung Khe Pass.

The group of young people also chose Mom Da Trang as a stopover on a short, adventurous student trip. Tran Thuy Vang Anh happily shared that he was very impressed when he arrived here after the hairpin bends, the white peak of the pass appeared and disappeared in the mist, so strangely beautiful.

“Go up a little further, at the top of the pass there are rows of roadside stalls with many attractive local dishes. There are also skewered meat, grilled potatoes, boiled corn… holding them in your hand is both warm and delicious,” Vang Anh exclaimed.

Indeed, there is nothing more wonderful than enjoying a small restaurant overlooking the valley, enjoying a warm and fragrant rustic dish such as hot boiled corn or fragrant and fatty grilled meat skewers by the red fire, sipping a sip of Hoa Binh's specialty fermented rice wine to add spice.

Or simply with a peanut candy, sipping hot tea in the cold of early winter is like a paradise on earth.

At the top of the pass, roadside stalls sell local products and are a stopover for many travelers.

Ms. Hoang Thi Duyen, a local resident, occasionally waves a bamboo fan to make the coals more red and to dispel the white smoke coming from the layer of burning corn leaves. Ms. Duyen shares that here, in a day, there are all four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Her business brings in a good income. On average, she welcomes a few dozen guests a day, including many foreign guests who pass by this season.

“They often come in groups of 4-5 people riding motorbikes, stopping temporarily on their journey to explore the Northwest Highlands, stopping to sightsee and enjoy the local specialties,” said Ms. Duyen.

White Rock is a check-in destination that cannot be missed by tourists.

From the rocky outcrop you can enjoy a panoramic view of the valley.

Hidden in the early morning clouds, there are a few stilt houses of the Muong, Thai, Mong ethnic groups... interspersed.

The scenery hidden in the clouds seems like it is lost in a fairy tale land.

"Near the top of the pass, there is a "sharp rocky cliff" with a national flag on top. Children often like to go up there to admire the scenery and take pictures. I have to remind them to climb carefully because the limestone is very soft and fragile, especially when it rains and is windy," Ms. Duyen said worriedly.

Indeed, climbing the precarious cliff can capture in your sight the majestic space of the pass and the valley below, but this is extremely dangerous. I think the local authorities should put up signs to restrict and warn tourists.

Photographer Tran The Phong took a souvenir photo of the delegation of propaganda, press and publishing officials from Ho Chi Minh City on Da Trang Pass during the journey to the source "Through the Northwest" (December 12 - December 16, 2023).

Getting on the bus to leave in time for the journey, Photographer Tran The Phong regretted that if only the group had stopped one more time at the top of the pass, they would have been able to "hunt" for more wonderful photos; especially the bustling scenes of the locals and tourists, huddled together to warm themselves around the stove of roasted sweet potatoes and boiled corn, and capturing the whole view of the Snowy Mountain in their lens would have been even more wonderful...

I sympathize and comfort him, it's okay, the incomplete things make us want to come back and come back many more times to be able to leisurely and freely admire this beautiful scene like a fairyland.

Well, let's just leave it at that. I'll come back another time, for sure!

(According to 24h, December 22, 2023)

Source: https://baovinhphuc.com.vn/tin-tuc/Id/104354/Ngoan-muc-dinh-Deo-da-trang-mot-buoi-chom-dong