Fantastic routes Bac Ha – Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang – Dong Van – Lan Ha (episode 4)

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Trip of couple Anne-Marie and Christian AUDE with the local agency Vietnam Evasion

From September 20, 2019 to October 2, 2019

Tour : Hanoi – Bac Ha – Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang – Dong Van – Lung Phin – Lan Ha Bay

Episode 4 : The rice fields of Hoang Su Phi and on the way to the “Heaven Gate”

A small winding road in the mountains (amazing!) and then in the valley leads us from Ban Luoc to Nam Hong where we stop in a gargote which does not look like much (as all gargotes do), but where the cook prepares us in a few minutes a succulent meal.

Although the dictionaries give the following definition for gargote: “cheap restaurant with mediocre food”, I use this term for local restaurant, often without charm, even not very engaging. One rarely meets tourists there. Well chosen by Vinh who has his addresses everywhere, the food can be tasty. Anyone who has traveled in Asia can see what it is all about.

The menu is not infinitely expandable, but each time you choose between 2 or 3 dishes and in a few minutes at any time an excellent dish is set before you.

I don’t remember many prices, but the one paid in these gargotes stayed with me because of its very low level: 150000 to 200000 dong, that is to say 8€ for 2 (for 1 meat dish each with a mountain of rice + beer, water or coffee).

On the other hand, we did not practice the “street cooking” except in Hanoi.

In Nam Hong, we leave again the valley of Chay to go up to Hoang Su Phi where we stay in pretty bungalow in the middle of rice fields overhanging the valley… that ends up not being very original.

After a last walk in the surrounding hamlets, a hot bath with wild herbs is supposed to restore us physically by relaxing our muscles sore from long hours of driving.

I don’t know if the goal was reached, but it was a very pleasant bath with the smell of unknown herbs… in spite of the smallness of the container a little bit too small for my big legs.

The tub: I spare you the picture where I’m folded like a chicken in a can :

The woman, of the red Dao ethnic group, who prepares us the bath with her baby in the back :

The meal is here more classic, copious but not as good as the day before.

A plastic bottle is placed in the middle of the dishes: not having a glass I take a big glassful to quench my thirst… and there astonishment…… it is not water but rice alcohol, immediately spit overboard (I know it is not done, fortunately we overlook a rice field and we are almost alone here)

The view at the breakfast is correct ;)) :

As the previous days, the rice fields are beautiful in the early morning, with this golden yellow of before harvest and the valley still in the mist :

We leave once again in stroll, and that does not happen as usual: a 1st way leads us to a ravine, we make 1/2 turn and we get lost again, then Vinh asks his way to go down to Nam Hong :

… we get lost again.

We say to Vinh that he is not in form today, that he should have drunk less alcohol yesterday evening and we suggest him to stop the expenses, we already walked well the previous days

More seriously, he proposed us every day beautiful hikes, often easy, but always interesting: villages, rice fields, varied meetings.

The rice fields of Hoang Su Phi are the last of the series. A completely different, but even more amazing landscape awaits us further north.

Here we go to Ha Giang, the big city in the north (about 150 000 inhabitants) located on the Blue River which flows from China to Vietnam: this valley helped the Chinese in 1979 when they wanted to invade Vietnam, because they did not like that the Vietnamese put down the abominable Khmer Rouge regime. They did not go further than Ha Giang which they almost razed to the ground and returned home after 2 weeks.

Let’s go back after our 15 minutes “Let’s grow”.

2-3 hours of road and here we are in Ha Giang where Vinh leads us in one of his best addresses, we will enjoy it

For once, there is a couple of tourists (French) with their guide.

Nghia and Vinh in front of beautiful plates of a succulent pork with I don’t know what

Vinh asks me for my camera to take me with a beautiful picture of flowers. After coming back and seeing the picture, I think it was to take me with uncle Ho… but the result is nice. Note that I eat with chopsticks (no choice in the restaurants anyway), which was not always easy.

In Ha Giang, this sign marks the beginning of the “Road to Happiness” which will take us to the “Gates of Paradise”… nice program, indeed we will not be disappointed by the landscapes.

From the exit of Ha Giang, the landscape becomes strange with innumerable sugar loaves :

The road goes up, they are more and more numerous to leave the fog

After 45 km, we reach the Quan Ba pass or the “Heaven Gate” that some translate as “Gate of Paradise”.

On the other side of the pass is the karst plateau of Dong Van classified by UNESCO for its unique landscapes and its rich heritage.

The karst peaks extend as far as the eye can see :

This is the moment to quote the legend of the mountains of Quan Ba :

According to the legend “The Mount of the Fairy”, the fairy Hoa Dao fell in love with a Hmong man who played with an unparalleled virtuosity of the Vietnamese Jew’s harp Ðàn Môi.

She left the sky for the earth, they got married and chose to settle on this beautiful land, their love gave them a son.

But the Jade Emperor was furious and forced Hoa Dao to return to Heaven

Forced, she left her breasts to her small child so that this one could feed itself.

This is how the “Fairy Mountain” or “Quan Ba Mountain” was born.

…. and it gives this with the breasts in the foreground

At the foot of the pass is the village of Quan Ba (or Tam Son) and 10 km further on the small village of Nam Dan where our lodge is located.