Backpacking in the highlands during Tet (Lunar New Year)

In recent years, besides celebrating Tet (Lunar New Year), people also place great importance on enjoying the holiday. Taking advantage of the long Tet holiday, many families, groups of friends, and people with similar interests choose to go on "backpacking" trips to the highlands during Tet, because the journey to unfamiliar places gives them many emotions, especially the opportunity to better understand Tet in the highlands.

Leaving the city for the mountains to celebrate Tet.

After its merger, Tuyen Quang celebrated its first Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse) with many new opportunities. In the highland communes of the province, especially in the Dong Van Stone Plateau, this time of year seems to awaken after a cold winter's slumber. Peach and plum blossoms bloom beside traditional houses with earthen walls, yin-yang tile roofs, and stone fences. Here, the atmosphere of traditional Tet (Lunar New Year) remains quite authentic, with the smoke from wood-burning stoves rising in plumes. For the Hmong people – the majority inhabitants of the Stone Plateau – they celebrate Tet a month earlier and it lasts throughout January. During Tet, they wish each other good fortune, hold festivities, and celebrate a prosperous new year.

More and more people are enjoying backpacking trips to mountainous regions during Tet (Lunar New Year).

Along the winding roads through the clouds and rocky slopes, even during Tet (Vietnamese New Year), many groups of backpackers can still be seen. This is especially true in the Dong Van Karst Plateau, which recently received the title of "Leading Tourist Destination in Asia and the World ." The allure of tourism here is captivating. According to travel companies, few localities offer such outstanding backpacking tourism products as Tuyen Quang. Just traveling a few hundred kilometers across the Dong Van Karst Plateau, visitors can experience a range of emotions and discover many new things. Each photo-worthy spot is unique and interesting.

Meeting a group of motorbike travelers at the Heaven's Gate landmark in Quan Ba ​​commune, Mr. Tran Dung, one of the members of the group from Hanoi, said that his group has about 20 members, mostly close friends who share a love for travel. Before the Lunar New Year, the group met and planned a detailed trip. They had already contacted their destination early to book accommodation and meals at homestays. They also prepared for potential breakdowns and unexpected incidents. According to Mr. Dung, the beauty of a Tet holiday motorbike trip is that the members get to enjoy the atmosphere and flavors of Tet in the highlands, the sacred northernmost region of the country.

Motorbike travelers all agree that self-driving motorbike trips to the Dong Van Karst Plateau are truly exhilarating, especially during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year). Hoang Thang, a long-time tour guide in the Dong Van Karst Plateau region, shared that in recent years, motorbike trips during Tet have become a unique tourism product. There are many ways to go on these trips, such as organizing group motorbike rides, taking a bus, renting a motorbike, or hiring a driver. Hiring a motorbike taxi with a driver is currently a popular service in the area. Tourists just need to enjoy the ride, while the motorbike taxi drivers take care of everything else. While the price for a motorbike taxi is usually 500-600 thousand VND/day on weekdays, it can fluctuate to 600-800 thousand VND/day during Tet, but everyone is happy with the price. This service is particularly popular with Western tourists who are eager to explore and experience Tet in the Vietnamese highlands. Another type of motorbike trip is self-driving by personal car. Generally, motorbike tours in the highlands are inexpensive, offer many beautiful views, and provide a genuine experience for tourists. Currently, in Ha Giang 1 and Ha Giang 2 wards alone, there are hundreds of households offering motorbike rental services, not to mention the thousands of motorbikes available in the Dong Van Stone Plateau communes. The price for self-driving motorbike rentals depends on the quality of the vehicle; for example, Sirius and Blande motorbikes cost 150-200 thousand VND/day; Exciter and Winner manual transmission motorbikes cost 200-300 thousand VND/day; and Honda XR150 off-road motorbikes cost 300-500 thousand VND/day. The rental service includes helmets, gloves, raincoats, boots, bags, tie-downs, and maps. Renters must deposit money and provide identification documents such as their citizen ID card, and may also receive a rental contract, stating that the motorbike must be returned at the same location or at a different address. Customers should inspect the vehicle, brakes, tires, fuel level, and take photos before accepting the car. They should also ask clearly about insurance and liability in case of an accident.

Foreign tourists explore the Lunar New Year celebrations of the people in the Dong Van Karst Plateau.

The Call of the Clouds

The Dong Van Stone Plateau remains bitterly cold before, during, and after Tet (Lunar New Year), reflecting the atmosphere of gray rocks and cloud-covered valleys. Sung Mi Phin, from Sa Phin commune, has prepared his homestay rooms well to welcome guests during this time. He says that Tet is very important to the Hmong people; all work is focused on family, clan, and village life. However, in recent years, welcoming tourists has brought about many changes. Welcoming tourists is also a way for the people to promote the Hmong Tet culture to the public. At Phin's family home, visitors can learn about and experience the traditional Hmong Tet, such as how to make sticky rice cakes, how to decorate objects with red paper, and participate in cultural and sporting activities. With the addition of tourists, his family's Tet celebration is more lively and joyful.

Photographer Luu Minh Phung, a member of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Association of Literature and Arts, affirms that what he enjoys most about traveling during Tet (Lunar New Year) is capturing the beautiful scenery and people of the highlands during springtime. While traditional Tet celebrations in the lowlands or urban areas have become somewhat "modernized," Tet in the highlands remains quite authentic – something photographers and tourists eagerly anticipate. Regarding the beauty of ancient peach blossoms and plum trees bursting with white blossoms in people's gardens, few places are as stunning as the Dong Van Stone Plateau.

Nowadays, traveling to the highlands during Tet (Lunar New Year) is not just a trip, but a precious spiritual "tonic." It not only helps travelers escape the hustle and bustle of city life but also opens up opportunities to experience an authentic Tet, where cultural values ​​remain intact in every home and village. Leave behind the worries of the old year and boldly pack your bags. Because the most beautiful Tet is not just about lavish feasts, but also about the moment when you stand on the mountain pass, breathe in the crisp, cool air, gaze at the vibrant peach blossoms under the deep blue sky, and fully feel the peaceful harmony between nature and people. The highlands of Dong Van are still there, with their genuine smiles, warm corn wine, and the inviting call of the clouds. What are you waiting for? Plan a very different, very "me" Tet in this new spring.

According to Baotuyenquang.com.vn

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/phuot-tet-vung-cao-a476908.html