Nguyen Hoang Nga (commonly known as Nga Lua, from Hanoi) - a travel content creator - has just completed a 28-day journey exploring Heilongjiang, one of the coldest regions in China. During the trip, she experienced many days with temperatures dropping to -30 to -35 degrees Celsius, an extremely harsh environment.
Besides visiting crowded places in Heilongjiang such as Harbin city and Xuexiang Ancient Village, Huang Nga also travels to many pristine locations untouched by tourists. One of the most special places for Nga is Beihong Village (Mohe City, Heilongjiang Province) - where temperatures can drop to -53 degrees Celsius in winter and the roads are deserted.
Hoang Nga spent four days in the snow-covered village of Bac Hong.
"This is a place where if I don't wear gloves for just 30 seconds, I start to feel numb, aching, and the pain goes deep into my bones—worse than a hot water burn. This is also a place where if you throw 100°C boiling water into the air, it will turn into ice in an instant," Hoang Nga described.
"But this place is also very beautiful, with a pristine, peaceful beauty, different from the famous tourist villages of Heilongjiang," the Vietnamese female tourist shared.
Bac Hong village has not yet developed tourism extensively; it mainly attracts tourists who enjoy experiencing its unspoiled natural beauty.
While the Arctic Village in Mohe attracts countless tourists each year to admire the aurora borealis, Beihong remains largely undeveloped for tourism. It's still pristine, with dense forests, small houses peeking out from the trees, and a peaceful atmosphere. The sound of cars is rare during the day; instead, the most common sounds are those of horses' hooves on the snow.
Hoang Nga traveled from Harbin to Mohe City by train, a journey of about 17 hours, and then took a car for another 2 hours to reach Beihong Village. The train connecting the two cities passed through many famous landmarks, making it extremely crowded.
For the first five hours, the train carriages were packed. "Outside, it was snowing heavily, the windows were frozen solid, and it was freezing cold, but inside the train it was very hot because of the air conditioning and the large number of people, making the air stuffy. We had to gradually take off layers of thermal clothing, and our bodies were exhausted," Nga recounted.
Outside, the snow was a blanket of white, but inside the train it was hot and stuffy.
As passengers gradually disembarked at each stop, the train carriage became less crowded. Nga and her friends found empty seats and took the opportunity to lie down and rest.
Train stop in Mohe City
They arrived at the village at sunset, after a two-hour bumpy car ride. A brilliant golden-orange light bathed the pristine white village. The beautiful scenery made the female tourist forget all her fatigue.
The beauty of the village at sunset.
The Vietnamese tourists stayed in a local's house, warmed by hand-burned wood, with no electric heaters. Throughout the village, people moved around, transported goods, and carried guests all by horse-drawn carts.
"The village has a lot of horses. Their fur, noses, and mouths are all frozen. I know that horses in Heilongjiang have thicker coats than usual and stronger hearts and lungs, so they can withstand the cold. But honestly, seeing the horses here, I feel sorry for them because they're surrounded by snow," Nga recounted.
The village scene at night.
During her stay, Nga spent most of her time experiencing the life and culture of the local people. The villagers were very friendly, proactively greeting and chatting with tourists.
"After days of exploring crowded places with lots of services, arriving at the village felt like I was 'recharged' by the sense of peace, the lack of hustle and bustle, and the absence of commercialization," Nga said.
The village now also offers tourist activities such as tubing and off-road vehicle rides at a lower cost than other areas, only 100 yuan (approximately 370,000 VND) to play all the games.
Russians experience skiing on off-road vehicles in a village.
Anyone who comes here can't miss the experience of tossing boiling water into the air and watching it freeze into ice in an instant.
Nga said that the cost of renting a homestay and eating in the village is not cheap. The food here mainly consists of mushroom hot pot. Fish that are only slightly larger than a hand cost around 800,000 VND. According to the female tourist, this village would be more suitable for those who love unspoiled nature and want to experience life with the local people.
Photos and videos : Nga Lua
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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nu-du-khach-viet-di-17-tieng-den-ngoi-lang-sieu-khac-nghiet-it-nguoi-ghe-tham-2483797.html
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