The golden terraced fields in Du Gia are a highlight that attracts tourists. |
The rustic sounds
I had the opportunity to return to Du Gia on a day in early July, following the mountain pass from Duong Thuong with many hairpin turns that tested the driving skills and patience of anyone. The highland summer day brought a bit of scorching sunlight pouring down on the towering cat-ear rocks; along the road, patches of green forest, lush corn fields and terraced fields began to turn yellow, the scenery somewhat compensated for the hardships after a long trip. I stopped my car at a bend where I could see the entire center of the commune, Du Gia still maintained its peaceful, clear beauty, making me forget the hot and humid lowlands, leaving only the rustic scent of the mountains and forests.
Du Gia is considered the "gem" of the Stone Plateau, partly because it is located in the Du Gia National Park area. In the story about nature conservation, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Van Mam commune provided me with many valuable documents about the "treasure" of biology, geology and local geomorphology. It is known that Du Gia National Park has a core area of over 15,000 hectares and a buffer zone of about 8,850 hectares with an extremely rich flora and fauna. Behind the peaceful scenery of the old forests is the habitat of more than 1,000 species of higher animals and plants, including rare names listed in the Red Book such as Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, white-cheeked gibbon, northern red pine... This valuable geographical and biological feature creates great potential and advantages for the commune in developing ecotourism, scientific research and attracting investment in recent years.
An early dawn at Du Gia. |
Returning to Du Gia this time, I had the opportunity to go deeper into each village, exploring destinations that I had only heard about before. Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Van Mam commune "invited" me to experience walking down to Coc Pang village. During the trip, he told me more interesting things about the local life and culture. He shared: “The commune has many ethnic minorities, of which the Mong, Tay, and Dao people make up the majority. People live in valleys and hillsides covered with clouds all year round, diligently cultivating and creating agricultural specialties, both serving their lives and meeting tourism needs. Over the years, the locality has persistently implemented solutions to preserve ethnic culture, preserve traditional architecture and festivals and beliefs as a way to preserve the cultural source of the nation. Notably, the Phong Luu Du Gia Love Market, early spring festivals, new rice celebrations, Gau Tao festivals... are maintained as a bond of morality and origin. Along with the landscape, traditions, ethnic cultures are catalysts to attract tourists to the locality. In the first 6 months of 2025 alone, the commune welcomed nearly 56,000 visitors, of which international visitors accounted for the majority.”
“Awakening” the potential of community tourism
In recent years, Du Gia has seized the potential of community tourism to develop livelihoods associated with preserving local traditional culture. Amidst the vast mountains, 9X Nguyen Van Khuy's Homestay was built in the style of a Tay people's stilt house. He and 36 households doing community accommodation in the commune have joined hands to do green tourism, helping tourists truly immerse themselves in the life of the local people. In the bright yellow afternoon sun in Coc Pang, Mr. Khuy's stilt house is rustic, with a faint smell of kitchen smoke. I had the opportunity to meet him for the first time in 2018, the owner of Du Gia Homestay was just 23 years old at that time. While preparing dinner with his wife for a group of guests from Hanoi, he excitedly shared with me the changes after a long time of not seeing each other. The most gratifying thing is that he now owns another Homestay called Du Gia Panorama with 1 stilt house and 8 bungalows, accommodating up to 30 people.
The beauty of the weekend market in Du Gia. |
Mr. Khuy is a native Tay ethnic. In 2018, when he realized that the number of visitors to Du Gia was increasing and accommodation was scarce, he renovated his house to welcome guests. He confided: “At first, Du Gia Homestay was still in its infancy, I had no experience and did not know how to welcome guests, but I met many people and participated in tourism courses, so now I am more confident. Every year, the family welcomes over 1,000 guests, mainly foreigners. Western guests like to sleep in stilt houses, eat with the family, ask about farming and animal husbandry, I am also happy because I can share my hometown life”. That evening, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Van Mam commune and I were invited to stay for dinner with braised carp, sticky rice and stir-fried cardamom sprouts with meat hung from the kitchen. Under the yellow light, stories about life, crops and the desire to do green tourism of people like Mr. Khuy made Du Gia night closer and warmer than ever.
Du Gia is skillfully preserving traditional culture, exploiting local strengths to develop sustainable tourism. From traditional houses, ethnic cultures to golden terraced fields and cool Tham Luong stream, all together tell the story of a peaceful land that impresses visitors. Brandon Parker, a Canadian tourist, shared: “I was really overwhelmed when I came here, the landscape and geology were all very pristine. The people are very sincere and hospitable, and the cuisine is wonderful. I found a close, peaceful connection that is rare anywhere else.”
Leaving Du Gia, I carried with me a feeling of nostalgia for the sincerity and efforts to preserve identity in the flow of community tourism. The natural and cultural values that are gradually being “awakened” will open up a sustainable direction for the locality. Then, every step that travelers take stopping at Du Gia will not only be an experience, but also a promise to return to this poetic land.
Pham Hoan
Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/phong-su/202507/du-gia-not-nhac-bong-tren-cao-nguyen-da-27e1b14/
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