The vibrant colors of spring awaken the villages.
Each spring, the seemingly bare and withered branches of trees gently stir, reaching out to welcome the spring sunshine. Along with tender shoots and green buds, countless flowers burst forth, awakening the highland villages after the gloomy, cold winter. Flowers not only beautify the mountains and forests but also usher in a new rhythm of life – vibrant, joyful, and full of hope.
At this time of year, Bac Ha enters its most beautiful season, when the plum orchards burst into bloom simultaneously, covering the hillsides in a pristine white blanket of flowers. Adding a touch of color to this pure white landscape are the delicate pink hues of wild peach blossoms and the vibrant yellow of interwoven mustard flower fields, creating a romantic and captivating beauty during this transitional season.
While admiring the scenery at the Bac Ha Fruit and Vegetable Farm, Mr. Nguyen Ba Tinh, a tourist from Hanoi, was amazed: “I was standing amidst a blue sky and vibrant flowers. The people were also beautiful and hospitable, and we didn't know what to say except thank you to Bac Ha for giving us the experience of so many beautiful gardens like this.”
Choosing Bac Ha as their spring destination, Ms. Dang Ngoc Minh Tham from Tang Loong commune took the opportunity to capture many beautiful moments of her family amidst the vibrant spring scenery. Ms. Tham shared: "Although this is not the first time my family has gone on a spring trip during the flower season, this scenery still brings me many new and exciting emotions."
Amidst the vibrant spring blossoms, Minh Hai, a freelance photographer in Lao Cai, finds abundant inspiration for his creative journey. For him, the beauty of the flowering season compels him to capture meaningful moments on the theme of spring. “Although I’ve photographed many seasons of flowers, every time I press the shutter button, I feel a surge of emotion. Not only do I want to capture beautiful moments for tourists, but I also want to create many beautiful photos to contribute to promoting local tourism, ” Minh Hai shared.
This Lunar New Year, Minh Hai's first photos were all dedicated to capturing the spring blossoms in the highlands.
Transforming the beauty of flowers into economic value.
Flowers are a gift from nature, but to fully realize their value, each locality needs a suitable strategy for exploitation and development, linked to landscape conservation, preservation of cultural identity, and sustainable economic and tourism enhancement.
This year, Lung Phinh commune will organize the "Meeting Point for Pear Blossom Viewing and Plum Blossom Enchantment" festival with the theme "Lung Phinh - The White Colors of the Plateau". According to the plan, the festival will be held in the center of Seng Sui and La Di Thang villages – areas with a high concentration of plum and pear blossoms; the timing will be adjusted flexibly according to the actual blossom season. The event will be organized on a commune-wide scale and will include participation from communes in Bac Ha and Si Ma Cai districts (formerly), Pa Vay Su commune (Tuyen Quang province), along with a large number of local people and tourists.
Mr. Ha Duc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lung Phinh commune, said: "The festival is a series of rich activities, harmoniously combining culture, sports, tourism, and the promotion of local products. Within the framework of the program, there will be activities such as cultural exchanges celebrating the Party and the Spring Festival; performances of traditional arts of ethnic minorities; and the first ever Lao Chinh Sang mountain climbing competition and the first ever open spinning top competition… In particular, visiting plum blossom spots and orchards, experiencing the cultural activities and life of the local people will be a highlight, contributing to affirming the tourism brand 'Lung Phinh - The White Plateau,' gradually building the image of an attractive destination during the spring flower season. Currently, farmers in Lung Phinh are very excited to welcome this event."
Ms. Trieu Thi May from Tan Chu village has proactively decorated and added some small landscape features to her garden; at the same time, she has many new ideas to help tourists have more interesting and convenient experiences. "I put a QR code sign here, tourists can pay a small fee, or not pay if they don't want to, instead of having to go all the way up to my house, which is quite far," Ms. Trieu Thi May shared.
The entire Si Ma Cai commune currently has 842 hectares of temperate fruit trees, of which 413 hectares are producing fruit, yielding approximately 2,900 tons. The VH6 pear variety was introduced to Si Ma Cai more than 10 years ago, but only in the last 5-6 years has it truly been considered a poverty-alleviating crop in Si Ma Cai, with the exploitation of its flowering season also bringing significant benefits.
Mr. Nham Tien Duc, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Si Ma Cai commune, said: This year, the commune plans to continue maintaining the White Pear Blossom Festival, a characteristic tourism product organized by the former Si Ma Cai district since 2022. The highlight of the event is a series of unique experiential activities such as visiting and admiring pear blossoms; enjoying Mong folk songs, khen flute dance, and coin dance; watching traditional martial arts performances; participating in folk games such as tug-of-war, stick pushing, and mountain climbing... promising many interesting and surprising experiences.
Over the past four years since the local festival began, the people of Si Ma Cai have become more proactive in caring for their gardens to attract tourists. The pear orchard of Ms. Hang Thi Gio's family in Seo Can Ho village has over 300 trees, meticulously cared for, with beautiful canopies and consistent flowering. Ms. Gio said: “My family also grows cabbage and mustard greens under the pear trees, both to increase income and to add a scenic touch to the garden. Last year, many tourists came to experience it.”
Connecting the seasons of flowers and fruits.
Recognizing that flower-season tourism is a strength offering "double" benefits, localities in Lao Cai with strengths in temperate fruit trees have developed plans to extend the flower season, connecting it with the fruit season to increase value.
In Cao Son commune, over the years, many households have boldly converted their low-yield corn and rice fields to cultivate fruit trees such as Tai-nung pears, Tam Hoa plums, early-ripening plums, and Hau plums. Many households have also boldly invested in and tried their hand at agricultural models combined with experiential tourism.
Since 2018, the family of Mr. Tan Seo Hy in Na Cap village, Lung Khau Nhin commune, has planted over 200 plum trees to replace their less productive corn fields. The plum orchard has been yielding harvests for the past six years. In previous years, during harvest season, Mr. and Mrs. Hy worked hard picking plums, transporting them to the market, and inviting traders to buy them from their orchard. Since 2023, when the family added services allowing visitors to experience spring blossom viewing and summer fruit picking, selling plums is no longer difficult, and the family has gained additional income from tourism.
“Last year, during the flowering season, we earned about 60 million VND from ticket sales, and during the fruiting season, we welcomed 5,000 to 6,000 visitors, each earning 20,000 VND. The income was relatively stable. This year, the flowers bloomed early, and our family also welcomed thousands of visitors. Many of them promised to return to the garden in the summer,” Mr. Hy shared.
Mr. Dang Cong Huan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Son commune, said: Instead of fragmented farming, local people are proactively escaping poverty by changing their production mindset. By 2025, the number of poor households in the commune will decrease by 11.95%, down to 29.03%. The goal for 2026 is to further reduce the poverty rate by approximately 7.58%. To achieve this goal, bold approaches such as restructuring crop patterns are encouraged by the local authorities, including promoting agriculture linked with tourism. And tourism during the flower and fruit seasons is a direction that many households have implemented quite effectively.
Springtime blossom viewing, summertime fruit harvesting – this connection is being effectively implemented by localities in Lao Cai province, helping to enhance the value of over 4,000 hectares of temperate fruit trees in the area. Promoting intensive cultivation of temperate fruit trees in conjunction with ecotourism development also opens up a new direction for the province's agricultural sector.
In reality, exploiting seasonal landscapes, linked with cultural experiences and the daily lives of local people, is becoming a suitable direction for tourism development in Sa Pa, Bac Ha, Mu Cang Chai, and some other highland areas. This not only creates opportunities to attract tourists but also contributes to diversifying tourism products, aiming for sustainable tourism development, linked to the preservation of landscapes and local cultural values.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/noi-nhung-mua-hoa-post894169.html
Comment (0)