"Fairy tale countryside" attracts tourists during holidays

Ngoc Chien has long been famous as the "fairyland", not only because of its beautiful natural landscape, mild climate, and unique cultural heritage, but also because of its many unique destinations and tourism products, built by the hands and creative minds of the ethnic people here.

A corner of Muong Chien I and Muong Chien II villages, Ngoc Chien commune.

Nestled among majestic green mountains, hidden in the early morning clouds, Ngoc Chien is home to four ethnic groups: Thai, Mong, Kinh, La Ha, preserving many unique cultural features. On the occasion of National Day September 2 this year, despite the rainy weather, many tourists still chose the "fairyland" to rest, visit and experience. Homestays and motels were fully booked a week before the holiday, continuing to affirm the unique community tourism brand in the middle of the Northwest.

The road to Ngoc Chien commune after the night rain still had a few puddles, forcing tourist buses to slow down when passing through. However, that created an opportunity for tourists to see the mist drifting across the mountainside; the sound of flowing streams mixed with the scent of ripe rice from the terraced fields stretching across the hillsides. The buses followed each other to take tourists to visit Luot, Na Tau, Phay villages and up to Nam Nghep village.

New rice festival in Ngoc Chien commune in 2025.

Outside the gate of Viet Bac homestay, Lut village, cars are parked. Inside, there is a bustling sound of laughter, white steam rising from the hot mineral baths, tourists relax after a long journey. While preparing dinner for the Hanoi group, Mr. Lo Van Hac, the homestay owner, shared: The family has 5 community guesthouses, 4 closed rooms, serving about 200 guests/day. In addition, we also leveled 2,000 m² of land to make a camping site for tourists.

Ms. Shawna, a Canadian tourist, shared her excitement after experiencing the landscape and learning about the people's lives: I learned about Ngoc Chien through the internet and was lucky to come at the right time when the commune held the New Rice Festival. Ngoc Chien has a pristine, fresh beauty, pleasant weather, golden rice fields, ancient po mu wooden stilt houses, moss-covered stone walls and wild flowers that captivated me. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and traditional culture is still preserved through unique costumes and music . I will definitely come back with my friends.

The village's art troupe performs for tourists.

According to homestay owners, the National Day holiday on September 2nd this year has decreased compared to previous years, but the number of tourists staying for 2 days or more has increased, showing that the reputation of this "fairyland" is increasingly spreading and becoming an attractive stop on the journey to explore the Northwest.

Mr. Luong Van Xien, Director of Ngoc Chien Community Tourism Cooperative, said: This year, due to many major events and rainy weather, the number of visitors decreased compared to last year, but the homestays were still fully booked early. The cooperative currently connects more than 22 homestays, 22 stilt houses, 50 closed rooms and bungalows, serving about 500 guests per day. In addition to hot mineral baths, the cooperative also organizes bicycle tours, experiences and has 5 art troupes for evening exchanges. Households are required to publicly list prices, maintaining a friendly tourism image.

Not only Lut village, Nam Nghep village is also an attractive destination for tourists this time, when the hawthorn is ripe, and the purple chi pau flowers bloom on the mountainside. The whole village currently has 4 homestays, with a capacity of 40 guests/day, along with 5-6 households qualified to receive guests, all of which are fully booked. Mr. Thao A Vang, the owner of a homestay in Nam Nghep village, said: His family has 2 homestays, with a capacity of 20 guests, and all rooms are fully booked from August 30 to September 2. The service price during the holiday remains the same at 450,000 VND/adult, including accommodation, 2 main meals and breakfast.

Golden rice fields in Ngoc Chien commune.

Mr. Nguyen Son Lam, Chairman of Ngoc Chien Commune People's Committee, said: The 2025 New Rice Festival takes place on August 30-31 with many attractive cultural, artistic and sports activities. Therefore, visitors to Ngoc Chien on this occasion will experience the cultural identity of ethnic groups. To serve the holiday, the commune has implemented safety measures, from food hygiene and safety, epidemic prevention, fire prevention and fighting to traffic flow and security and order. The Commune People's Committee also requires accommodation establishments to post prices, not to increase prices unreasonably, creating peace of mind for visitors.

Ngoc Chien commune currently has 35 homestays, capable of accommodating 1,500 guests. Hot mineral baths, heritage trees, windmills, water wheels, a pair of love trees, golden rice fields along Chien stream, stone fences and gates... always attract tourists. Businesses have attended training courses on food preparation and non-alcoholic beverage preparation to best serve tourists. In particular, after many years of organization, the New Rice Festival is still maintained as a unique cultural feature, attracting the attention of tourists.

The bustling nights of music and entertainment with the sounds of panpipes, xoè dances, and gongs under the flickering firelight captivate visitors, making Ngoc Chien even more attractive because of its uniqueness, originality, sincerity, and hospitality. The “fairytale countryside” is always an ideal destination on the journey to the Northwest.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/van-hoa-xa-hoi/mien-que-co-tich-thu-hut-du-khach-dip-nghi-le-IZfsXF9Ng.html