Binh Son - A harmony of grasslands, tea hills and vast waves

Binh Son has Ghenh Che Lake with a cool green landscape all year round, an ideal destination for many tourists inside and outside the province. This place is likened to a green gem located in the middle of a peaceful valley. The lake is about 50 hectares wide, with clear water and is surrounded by acacia and eucalyptus forests and gently sloping tea hills shaped like an upside-down bowl, looking very poetic.

The lake has about 45 small islands, creating a rich natural landscape, as beautiful as a watercolor painting. When the sun rises, the sunlight gilds the water, we watch boats carrying tourists passing through the small island clusters, occasionally stopping for tourists to admire the scenery; or they can stop for a long time to camp, fish...

The lake surface is calm and peaceful, but in the rainy season, when water from Nui Coc Lake flows back, the water level rises and overflows the dam, creating a fierce flow that falls onto large rocks, creating white foam like a small waterfall in the middle of the forest. The sound of water mixed with the sound of the forest wind creates a rustic, vibrant natural music.

From the center of Binh Son commune, we followed a small road along the Cong River to a place that resembles the Mongolian steppe - Ba Van Horse Farm, part of the Mountain Livestock Research and Development Center.

Amidst the lush green grasslands stretching to the horizon, hundreds of horses leisurely graze under the golden sunlight, creating a peaceful scene that touches the heart. No car horns, no reinforced concrete, just the horses' hooves gently touching the ground and the wind blowing gently through the grass. It feels like the pace of life is slowing down amidst pure nature.

We stood by the water tunnel connecting the Cong River, through two communes: Binh Son and Ba Xuyen. This season the water rose high, the current roared loudly, and the foam was white. Looking at the surrounding scenery, on one side was a long grassland with flat slopes; on the other side was the shadow of distant mountains, with the roofs of livestock huts looming; underfoot was a velvety green carpet of grass, above was the deep blue sky, and my soul felt so relaxed.

Ba Van Horse Farm is being invested in and developed in the direction of farm experience tourism . Visitors here can participate in activities such as: learning about horse breeds, feeding horses, taking photos with horses on the pasture, and especially experiencing horse riding under the enthusiastic guidance of staff.

Sitting on a horse, swaying with each step, walking through the young grass covered in morning dew, listening to the chirping of birds, the scent of wild grass mixed in the wind... is a new and poetic experience that visitors will never forget.

From Ba Van Horse Farm, we continued along the red dirt road through the hillside to Cao Son tea area, known as the “green heart” of Binh Son commune. The tea growing area is about 50 hectares wide, managed by Cao Son Tea Cooperative and cultivated according to the typical clean tea model of Thai Nguyen province.

From afar, the rolling tea hills appear like upside-down bowls, with young buds reaching up like hands to welcome visitors, ready to receive the essence of heaven and earth. Each tea patch is a different color, bright and young when buds first appear, dark green in the beds that have not been picked for a long time, and yellow when the late afternoon sunlight dyes the leaves.

People here do not just grow tea as a job, they take care of tea as if raising a child. "Each tea bed is our flesh and blood" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a member of Cao Son Tea Cooperative, told me while she was nimbly picking each fresh tea bud.

Cao Son Tea Cooperative is applying clean production methods according to VietGAP standards. From tree care, harvesting to processing and packaging, all are closely monitored. The Cooperative's tea products are present in many provinces and cities and are exported abroad, becoming the pride of Binh Son people.

With beautiful scenery, fresh air and unique tea culture, tea growers in Cao Son now produce tea according to VietGAP standards while developing village tourism combined with experiences. Visitors coming here can directly pick tea, roast tea, make tea and enjoy rustic dishes in the warm and affectionate houses of the people.

Not only possessing beautiful natural beauty, Binh Son is also a land bearing the mark of revolutionary history, this place used to be an important part of the revolutionary base during the anti-French period.

During those difficult years, Binh Son became a shelter and a place of operation for many central agencies. Ba Van Communal House, a prominent relic, used to be the place where secret mailboxes were placed to transmit important orders and instructions from the Northern Regional Party Committee. This was also the place to organize cadre training, build local revolutionary movements and create resistance forces.

Many military agencies such as the Office of the Military Ordnance Department, the Office of the Military Medical Department, the Military Medical Station, etc. used to choose this area as their place of operation. Not only did they shelter the revolution, the people of Binh Son also directly participated in transporting weapons, taking care of wounded soldiers, and were a solid rear base for the battlefield.

With such great contributions, Binh Son commune was recognized as a Central ATK commune. This is not only a recognition from the State but also a foundation for the locality to develop cultural and historical tourism in the future, bringing visitors back to the heroic memories of the nation.