The beauty of Jiuzhaigou
Jiuzhaigou is a new name to Vietnamese people in recent years. However, this nature reserve is gradually becoming more known and has quickly become a dream destination for many people.
The name Jiuzhaigou means “nine Tibetan villages”. The name comes from the fact that this scenic area is located in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the north of Sichuan Province, China.
Jiuzhaigou is beautiful in all four seasons. In spring, the red peach blossoms adorn the primeval forest, fluttering gently on the blue water. In summer, the clear blue sky reflects in a calm mirror. In autumn, the carpets of red and yellow leaves create a magnificent natural picture, and in winter, the white of snow and the flowers flutter in the quiet winter afternoon, the reed branches bend in the cold wind.
People often visit Jiuzhaigou in late autumn, when the carpet of yellow and red leaves is brilliant in color across the land of Sichuan and the clear blue lake reflects the vast blue autumn sky.
The Chinese have a saying: “Huangshan returns without seeing any mountains, Jiuzhaigou returns without seeing any water”, meaning that whoever has been to Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province will never have to visit any other mountains, and whoever has once set foot in Jiuzhaigou will never have to see any other lakes. It is an exaggeration but also contains the recognition and admiration for Jiuzhaigou Valley.
Jiuzhaigou is known as the land of “sea lakes” with 108 large and small lakes and ponds, the lake surface is clear and calm like a mirror in a canyon longer than 5km. Surrounded by white snow-capped mountains, interspersed with blue streams, creating a scenic area like in a fairy tale. The water in Jiuzhaigou is crystal clear, deep blue, you can see all the way to the bottom of the lake 30m away, sparkling under the sunlight, making the scenery on both sides of the lake even more shimmering and magical.Each lake has its own beauty and is naturally arranged into magnificent scenes, including Princess Lake.Liu Mao Lake, Fire Flower Lake, Guijie Lake, Five Flower Lake, Bamboo Lake, Jianzhu Lake... The 2,587-meter-long, 14-meter-deep Panda Lake is hidden under a lush green bamboo forest. Pandas are considered a symbol of good luck and are greatly loved by Tibetans. The Panda Lake is as bright as a mirror, as clear as the eyes of a baby bear, as green as the color of bamboo leaves. In the wind, in the sunlight flickering through the canopy, the clouds drift, the green bamboo banks rustle and sing, the silver leaves rustle. Along the lakeside, countless natural black stalactites or snow-striped rocks lie side by side, just like mischievous pandas.
The Shuzheng Waterfall is the most majestic of the 17 waterfalls in Jiuzhaigou. Through the dense primeval forests, we occasionally hear the roar of beautiful waterfalls, splashing white foam, weaving through clear streams with schools of colorful fish showing off in the water. In the midst of the forests that have turned a brilliant yellow, we can go deep into the forest, admire the beautiful natural scenery with lakes reflecting at the bottom, green moss swaying gracefully in the water and meet many animals such as squirrels, rabbits, woodpeckers or pandas running around in the forest. People come to Jiuzhaigou because they are fascinated by the wild and charming natural beauty, others come to Jiuzhaigou because of the vast bamboo forests bending in the wind and many people visit the beautiful lake that was filmed in "Hero" and "The New Condor Hero."
Where love begins
At the end of September, after the busy wedding, Thien An and Trung Dung, a young couple of the 8x generation, started their honeymoon trip. Having known about Jiuzhaigou through photos of friends, the young couple was fascinated by the scenery here and decided to have a romantic honeymoon here. They were accompanied by 2 other friends, who were both sightseeing and wedding photographers.
Area CuuTforestCEuropeIt consists of three main valleys: Rize Gully and Zechawa Gully, running from the south, converging at the central point of Shuzheng Gully.Right at the entrance of Jiuzhaigou, there are vehicles ready to pick up and drop off passengers. These convenient vehicles are arranged to run continuously from 7am to late at night for tourists in the sightseeing area. The young couple chose the main destinations located in the famous Y-shaped area of Jiuzhaigou. The right branch of the Y stretches with prominent lakes such as Grass Lake, Swan Lake, Bamboo Lake, Five Flower Lake or Mirror Lake. On the emerald green water, crystal clear to the bottom, couples walk hand in hand on the dark wooden paths. The scenery on both sides of the lake soothes even the driest soul. By the lake, the ginkgo tree has put on a brilliant yellow coat and red maple branches blend in with the endless blue sky. The sound of the water trickles, the sound of someone's footsteps accidentally on the rotten leaves. Occasionally, under the blue water, schools of fish swish their tails in the shimmering water. The lake surface is like a giant transparent mirror reflecting the deep blue sky and the magical colors of autumn. The natural scenery makes passersby stop and take in the beautiful colors. Meanwhile, the left branch of the Y and the branch leading to the main gate have a series of special lakes. If you are lucky, you will even find yourself lost in a white snow space when reaching Dai Lake in the early morning when the mist is still lingering.
Thien An and Trung Dung spent 2 days just wandering on the right side of the letter Y, where the most beautiful scenery of Jiuzhaigou is concentrated. They had beautiful photos with the splendid natural scenery behind. The pleasant weather with gentle sunshine helped them a lot in their wandering to find a place to take wedding photos. In Jiuzhaigou, the system of wooden paths is always placed parallel to or surrounding the lakes. Therefore, instead of following the path that most tourists choose (usually on the side close to the bus path), couples should try to choose the paths in the distance, hidden in the forests of trees changing leaves. What could be happier than capturing new frames with your partner? The outfits they brought were packed in two backpacks with a simple wedding dress, accessories such as flower pins, veils, hand-held flowers and makeup, plus a few dresses and ao dai for the bride. The groom is simpler with a ready-made suit, plus one or two colored shirts. Since the weather is starting to get cold this season, they bring a warm coat and light food, enough for the picnic.
In the evening, there were many Tibetan-style music and dance performances. The powerful music in the dance and cheerful lyrics, a cozy evening together was the private time they spent together. They slept in Jiuzhaigou, in the middle of the bright moonlit night in the beautiful nature, under the simple and cozy roof of the local people. After 6 days of sightseeing and resting in Jiuzhaigou, the young couple had a happy holiday together and a new love blossomed for the couple on the trip.
Many ways to "Heaven on Earth"
In 1990, Jiuzhaigou was rated by the China National Tourism Administration as the top destination among the 40 best tourist attractions in China.In 1992, Jiuzhaigou wasUNESCOis a world natural heritage. And in 1997, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area was included in the list of 5 world biodiversity conservation areas in the IUCN classification.
From Hanoi, you take a bus to Nanning (Guangxi, China), then take a plane to Chengdu (Sichuan). From Chengdu, there are continuous lines of buses carrying passengers to the “Heaven on Earth” – Jiuzhaigou every day. If you want to shorten the travel time, you can take a 40-minute flight from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou Airport and then take a bus for another 90km to Jiuzhaigou.
Another option is connecting flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur – Chengdu on low-cost airline Air Asia.
The entrance fee to Jiuzhaigou is about 270 yuan, including 80 yuan for the bus. For international students, the ticket price is reduced by 50 yuan.
From November to March is the cold winter season with few visitors, the ticket price is reduced to 160 RMB/ticket (including 80 RMB bus fare).
Tickets to the evening music show are about 180 yuan.
You can stay overnight in Jiuzhaigou in simple Tibetan houses at affordable prices.
From Chengdu, you can buy a tour to Jiuzhaigou from travel agencies in town. Or design your own tour with the main points.
The best time of year to visit Jiuzhaigou is September and October, when the weather is not too cold, the lake is clear and blue, and the trees are changing color.
If there is more time, couples can add other interesting destinations to their itinerary such as Huanglong (a national park about 100km from Jiuzhaigou), Leshan Giant Buddha (the world's largest sitting Buddha statue) or Mount Emei (one of the four great mountains of Chinese Buddhism).
With a cost of about 8 - 10 million VND/person for a trip, you can consider a honeymoon abroad or a week of domestic travel with a similar cost.
Contact tour to Jiuzhaigou at:
Vietravel Tourism Company
190 Pasteur, Ward 6, District 3, HCMC
Foreign tourism block:
Tel: 08. 38228898
Article and photos: Phan Le - Lam Linh
