The "fairy tale" village

When talking about tourism in Ha Giang, people often mention the Nho Que River, Dong Van Old Town, Ma Pi Leng Pass, Lung Cu Flagpole... But there is another interesting destination that few people know about: Lo Lo Chai Village - a village likened to a fairytale land in the Dong Van Stone Plateau, with a peaceful natural landscape and rich local culture.

Lo Lo Chai is nestled at the foot of Dragon Mountain, 1 km from the Lung Cu flagpole, in Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province.

The road leading into the village is quite narrow and gently sloping, revealing Lo Lo Chai with its three-bay houses with traditional earthen walls and yin-yang tiled roofs, some of which are hundreds of years old.

Exploring Lo Lo Chai is like discovering the unique cultural colors of this land. With 90% of its population being Lo Lo people, the village has almost completely preserved the distinctive cultural features of the Lo Lo people, from the traditional architecture of their houses and traditional crafts such as embroidery and carpentry, to traditional festivals such as the Forest God worship ceremony, the new rice harvest festival, the new house celebration, and folk dances.

The rammed earth houses of the Lo Lo people are mainly built with clay and loam, each wall 50-60 cm thick. They are warm in winter and cool in summer, hence they are also called "two-season" houses. The foundations are reinforced with pebbles, wooden frames are erected, and the earthen walls are tightly compacted before being roofed with yin-yang tiles. The houses of the Lo Lo people possess the distinctive and exquisite beauty of the architecture and house-building techniques of the mountain ethnic group. Currently, Lo Lo Chai village still has 37 rammed earth houses that have preserved their original architecture, with a lifespan of over a hundred years.

Upon arriving at Lo Lo Chai cultural village, visitors can try on elaborate, colorful dresses and blouses – the product of the diligence and hard work of the Lo Lo women. Although many types of fabric are available for sale today, Lo Lo women still prefer fabrics they weave and dye themselves using forest roots and leaves. The patterns and motifs on the clothing are all hand-embroidered by the women themselves. Creating a traditional dress takes 2-3 years with many elaborate and meticulous steps, which is why the current selling price of each traditional Lo Lo outfit can reach over 15 million VND.

A traditional Lolo woman's outfit is a combination of many details such as headscarves, trousers, shirts, belts, bibs, handkerchiefs, leggings... and various types of jewelry.

In November 2018, Lo Lo Chai was recognized as a Community-Based Cultural and Tourism Village, and in 2022 it was recognized as a Typical Cultural and Tourism Village associated with the OCOP Program.

Nowadays, the Lolo people are becoming more professional in the tourism industry. Their old traditional houses are being converted into accommodations costing hundreds of thousands to millions of dong per night. They have also transformed these ancient houses into homestays equipped with modern amenities to meet the needs of tourists. Corn and vegetable fields cultivated by the locals themselves are used to provide fresh food for visitors. Each simple, honest, and hospitable Lolo person is a friendly tour guide.

Lo Lo Chai village is a rare peaceful and quiet spot amidst the current rapid tourism development of Ha Giang.

Visit Lo Lo Chai once to find peace, turn off your phones, relax on the porch sipping tea or wine, read a few pages of a book, find yourself, temporarily set aside your worries and immerse yourself in a fairytale land.

Performed by Huynh Anh

Source: https://baocamau.vn/ngoi-lang-co-tich--a32600.html