Vietnam - Rain, Landslides and the Rice Terraces of Hoàng Su Phì

Monday 04 July 2022

It rained all morning in Ha Giang.  Undeterred we strode out to a local waterfall passing numerous dwellings and paddy fields.

We arrived at our goal, a waterfall, but the river was too high for it to be very fall-like and we weren’t able to swim in the pool as there was too much water.

After lunch we left Ha Giang and headed off to Hoàng Su Phì, which was one of the highlights of our trip with its awesome rice terraces.

We passed a road construction area and I was fascinated by the lorries reversing up to the edge of the precipice and dumping their load over the side.

However, the reason for this rock removal soon became clear when we were stopped in our tracks due to a landslide. 12 trucks of soil/rock (yes, I counted them!) and 1.5 hours later we were free to move on.  15 minutes later we hit, not literally, the next landslide so we strolled around taking photos.

This one was only for 15 minutes.  More snaky, windy roads followed and then, again, another stop.  This was for 45 minutes whilst they detonated some explosives on the cliff above the road.

It was more than a bit frustrating to be stuck so many times, although our driver, guide and JC seemed to rolled with it, and we wound our way up to our lodge on increasingly narrow and pot holed roads eventually arriving at 1915.  Such a long drive - 5.5 hours instead of 3.  By the time we’d unloaded and had a quick shower it was 2000.  The lodge fed us, but bizarrely it was too late to even order coke, although cans of beer were still available - very odd.

Tuesday 05 July 2022

We were up and out by 0815 today with a local guide. The plan was to drive 70 km to the “most beautiful view in Vietnam”, then walk amongst the rice terraces, and wind our way home stopping for short trek amongst the paddy fields.  The views on the way were good.

But the 3 hour drive - due to narrow hairpin roads - took 3.5 hours due to another road closure.  Once at the viewpoint, the heavens opened and a monsoon storm rushed in.  I stopped taking photos when you couldn't see anything. 

Fortunately we were dry, standing under a lodge’s balcony, but the magnificent view dissolved in front of us as the clouds took over.  The lightning strikes were pretty spectacular but gloom descended as we realised this wasn’t a short snappy shower.  After an hour, during which we lunched and I amused myself by photographing the numerous butterflies, moths and bettles that took shelter in the lodge, we set off to see the terraces ensconced in waterproofs.

We weren’t able to get too close, due to skiddy paths, so we didn't have the most amazing ever experience, but it certainly wasn't bad!

Ploughing a rice terrace in the rain didn't look fun.

Local landslides.

The plan was then to drive back and stop for walks.  As the rain was set in, this changed to a scenic drive back to the lodge.  Unbeknown to us, this drive was extraordinarily long and, after a few hours, I was feeling pretty queasy.  I think our local guide was trying to show us the best views but they were mainly all cloud covered so of limited interest, except if we got very lucky.  I felt so nauseous I lay down for an hour or two.

We eventually returned to the lodge at 1915 after a 5 1/4 hour drive. Too long. I was feeling so sick I forwent supper and was delighted to crash into bed. But not before giving Caitlin a quick ring to wish her a happy birthday whilst 3 toads hopped across the restaurant floor from a local pond.

Vietnam - Dong Van and the Path of Fecundity

Sunday 03 July 2022

Before we left Dong Van this morning we visited their famous Sunday market.

It was a typical bustling local market full of every imaginable item you would ever want to buy.  Many people were dressed in their ethnic clothes with beautiful velvet and embroidered fabrics.  Lovely to look at but pretty hot to wear. 

At the back, livestock were being traded.  The piglets on leads were sold and then shoved into bags squealing loudly as you can imagine.  The sacks had air holes so, once transported back home on the back of a motorbike or a basket, they would have been fattened up for a tasty supper.  This pig ended up in a basket.

Hair cut? Knives?

We headed west and stopped after 15 km at the Kings Palace.  This was the ancient northern palace of the king of Vietnam.  It is very understated and simple, in keeping with the area.  The last king of Vietnam, Bảo Đại, abdicated in 1945 and then acted as a puppet king until 1955, when he was finally ousted by a referendum that installed a Prime Minister.  It is now pretty much empty, and a tourist attraction.

Our road today, like Saturday, was mountain snaky passes pretty much all day long.  Slow going but fun to stop and photograph.

After lunch, we stopped by the Lùng Tám hemp cooperative.  This government supported compound showcases the hemp cloth industry and aims to retain local traditional skills.  It’s a long process to get to a hemp mat.  The stems of the hemp plant are stripped, pounded in a mortar, then split and twisted by hand.  Women twist hemp as they walk to make use of the time to/fro market etc.  Once twisted it is wound onto spindles, with lumps smoothed out using the bamboo cane (expertly demonstrated by JC below).  Next it is stretched on a cane frame then soaked for 4 hours to soften it.  It may then be dyed.  Now it is ready to be woven into fabric.  Once the material is completed it can be smoothed using a seesaw arrangement of a large stone balanced on the rolling log (inexpertly demonstrated by me).  Not as easy as it sounds.

We stopped a few more times at vistas.  We climbed this viewpoint to see the Fairy’s bosom, named in memory of the fairy who came to earth and fell in love with a human and had a child.  They were incompatible from the heaven/earth point of view so she had to return heavenward and left her breasts behind to feed the child and comfort the man.

This road from Dong Van, known as the path of fecundity, passes through Heavens Gate.  This narrow pass, at one stage, was gated off by a local chief determined to control access.  But now it is simply a high, narrow pass.  We stayed arrived at our home stay in Ha Giang just as the sun was setting.  Such a beautiful vista overlooking paddy fields.

Vietnam - Dong Van, Sky Path and a River Trip

Friday 01 July 2022

We drove from Ba Be Lake to Dong Van today.  The scenery was awesome and the further north we drove, the more the mountains soared.

It was only a few hundred km but took us all day due to the twisty, turny roads which were very slow going.  I was also a little confused by the timings as our guide advised us it was 3:45 hour drive to a ethnic village they wanted us to see, but it took nearly 5 hours excluding stops.  We hadn’t asked to see this village so its inclusion in our itinerary confused us.  Anyway we dutifully walked up to see the Lo Lo ethnic village and sit on a local’s mat to have tea, but it wasn’t really (at all) why we’d come to Vietnam.  And whilst we were having tea a dog chewed JC's shoe.

Our itinerary seemed to change as we drove which irritated us.  We'd agreed a plan months ago with the tour agency but for some reason it wasn't actually possible to do what we'd suggested.  But surely the agency should have known that!  Anyway, we managed to agree a plan for the Saturday - we cut out all the ethnic villages they kept wanting to take us to - and confirmed that it was all about the views.

We eventually arrived in Dong Van at 1900, checked into a hotel and ate out that evening.  Dong Van is a lot bigger than we’d expected and a buzzing hub.  All in, a long and tiring day with not much effort expended by us at all.

Saturday 02 July 2022

We had breakfast out, as our hotel breakfast looked pretty uninspired (bread, jam, tea/coffee).  JC went with Mr Long to have chicken noodles whilst I went with Dat to a cafe making rice pancakes. 

Then we headed for the Sky Path.  This is a 10 km route created sitting above the Ma Pi Long pass, the scenic road from Meo Vac to Dong Van.  It was amazing! The walk is around 1700 m above sea level and the views of the mountains and valleys were breathtaking.   

We climbed up to the overhanging rock and took the requisite photos.  I didn't look down but it was a long drop!

I was glad to descend from that precarious perch.  We then decided to continue exploring the area walking up a hilly path to see what was on the other side (a dwelling).  It looked back breaking work to be carrying so much.

Dodging the motorbikes that are ubiquitous to any semi drivable path, we then headed to a path described as “a bit dangerous with a handrail”.  We were certainly up for that.  What he had failed to mention was the incredible view that came with it.  The soaring white limestone cliffs dwarfed us as we walked beneath them.  

A pretty nifty coke stop though.  

We finished off the skypath descending through paths fringed with corn on the cob.  The lone cameraman.

Lunch was in Meo Vac - too much food!

Next was a drive down towards the Sông Nho Quế (Nho Quế river), and a steep descent on foot through corn fields down to the river bank.  We had a fantastic 45 minute boat trip through the narrow canyon, the steepest in Vietnam I believe. 

We were accompanied by 4 friendly Vietnamese men who posed, and then included JC, in their photos.  They were very amused by this tall white guy and his camera.

It was a very hot and sweaty climb back up.  Over 550 steps but I declined the motorcycle pillion offer as I like the exercise.  Up at the top Mr Long, our driver, was waiting and JC enjoyed a fresh coconut drink.  The local kids gathered around him to watch and I snapped a photo of this.  They then gathered around me giggling to see themselves on my camera screen.

We ate again in a local Dong Van restaurant and bumped into the Vietnamese guys again. They were full of rice wine and very happy to see us!