Rich in highland cultural identity in a stilt house over 100 years old in the Northeast

Welcoming travelers from afar in the historic land of the Northeast

Having the opportunity to set foot in the majestic Northeast region, I did not hesitate to choose Me farmstay - one of the top accommodation places in Cao Bang. Located on Provincial Road 203, Truong Ha Commune (Ha Quang), nearly 50 km from Cao Bang city center, Me farmstay is both an accommodation place and a combination of tourism with a garden farm model. Coming here, you will have leisurely days of rest in a space imbued with the identity of the highlands and experience many daily activities that are truly ordinary and simple.

Enjoying a prime location with an area of ​​over 8,000 m²The whole house and garden, leaning against the high mountains or with Lenin stream flowing down to the foot of the mountain range, Me farmstay is embraced and surrounded by cool green mother nature, bringing a feeling of immense peace.

Having the opportunity to chat with Mr. Vu Khac Thanh (1991), the owner and current direct manager of Me farmstay, he shared: “I am the youngest of four brothers. We worked together to build Me. My father passed away early, and my mother worked hard to raise us all. Starting with the ethnic name, Me means mother. The initial idea was to build just a stilt house for my mother to live in, with a space filled with nature, trees, flowers and leaves. Later, it was expanded due to the increasing number of tourists coming to Ha Quang, Cao Bang”.

Officially in operation since the beginning of 2022, Ha Quang land - where Me farmstay is located is also a historical site, where Uncle Ho came to be the first base of the Vietnamese Revolution. That is why Me was born by combining indigenous architecture, preserving local traditional values ​​and recreating stories and landscapes with strong identity.

My impression of the campus at Me is that there are many trees and flowers planted. Because it is a farmstay model, Me is surrounded by many shy flowers blooming, or lush lawns, and a curved stone gate that fascinates many travelers. In particular, the house is located opposite a range of deep green mountains, so the scenery always brings a majestic and magnificent look.

Around Me there are ponds, gardens, barns, combining both relaxation and production models. Coming to Me, you will be immersed in the fresh air of Cao Bang land and sky. Enjoy peaceful moments and feel every minute of life passing by so smoothly and comfortably with the chirping of birds, the murmuring of streams and the sounds of the mountains and forests. Just that much is enough to dispel all stress, to spend a slow but no less poetic day.

Currently, Me farmstay consists of 12 private rooms, 4 dormitories, divided into the main house and small houses, forming a large complex similar to traditional highland houses. In addition to the stilt house, the separate wooden bungalows are also roofed with yin-yang tiles taken from the houses of the ethnic people that are no longer in use, the color has been covered with moss over time, to recreate the ancient feeling.

“The stilt house in Me retains the typical style and architecture of the Tay people, built with ironwood and covered with moss-covered yin-yang tiles. We bought the original old house that was over 100 years old from the locals, then renovated it to suit its function. Perhaps that is why many guests coming to Me are surprised because they did not think that staying in a stilt house would have such fully equipped rooms,” said Mr. Khac Thanh.

A special feature of Me that I noticed right from the moment I stepped into the gate was the uniform and the friendliness and naturalness of the staff here. The staff uniform at Me exudes the rustic, traditional look of the Nung ethnic people's costumes.

Mr. Khac Thanh said: “The staff at Me are all local human resources. When talking to people here, visitors can also learn about the culture and unique traditions. His family has a total of 10 employees who are local people. Previously, their job opportunities were very limited, mainly working on the fields or having to go far away to work. While the tourism potential here is available, there is a 'labor drain'. It could be as simple as the source of agricultural materials his family purchases, which has created jobs for them to increase production compared to before. Since Me was born, investment in tourism here has also developed more and brought economic resources to the locality."

Rich in highland identity

In the evening, I was treated to typical dishes at Me by the enthusiastic invitation of Thanh's family. All the dishes had a very different and delicious taste, especially the wild bamboo shoot soup, stir-fried water spinach and homemade sausage.

For most tourists, in addition to the scenery when coming to Me, the attraction that attracts them to come back is the cuisine. Tourists can enjoy a series of unique dishes such as five-color sticky rice, stream fish, khau nhuc, canarium sticky rice, wild fern salad, etc. Most of the dishes have a strong local color from the spices to the source of ingredients.

In addition to the accommodation experience, Me farmstay also has a connection with the Then singing club for visitors who want to learn more about the traditional culture in the lives of the Tay and Nung people. In addition, there are also unique activities such as: rafting, campfire, bamboo dancing, sup rowing, foot bath with medicinal leaves, renting ethnic costumes for photography...

Moving from the coordinates at Me farmstay, visitors can also visit many historical sites, enjoy the beautiful landscapes in the border area of ​​Truong Ha, Ha Quang district, Cao Bang such as: Lenin stream, Pac Bo cave, Cac Mac mountain, Kim Dong historical site...

“What we brothers need to do when building Me farmstay is to do sustainable tourism. Hopefully in the future, when units come to Ha Quang to exploit tourism with many services, the orientation will be planned, meticulous, long-term and highly sustainable. We will gradually develop according to the number of visitors and exploit tourism according to their needs, possibly linked to the local cultural potential, and will certainly be very successful. The lives of the local people will also improve because of that, contributing to promoting the development of the local tourism industry”, Mr. Khac Thanh confided.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao