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Journey into the valley of clouds
Tuyen learned about Si Thau Chai two years ago, through a few videos that went viral online. At that time, he was surprised to see a highland village doing community tourism so meticulously and “lowkey”: “Everything there is simple, just right, not noisy but still naturally beautiful”. But it was not until this year, after many trips to the Northwest, that Tuyen had the opportunity to set foot in the place he calls “a small village in the sky and clouds”.
The night bus leaving My Dinh station took him to Tac Tinh intersection before dawn. From there, it was about seven kilometers of winding mountain road to Si Thau Chai - a small village located halfway up Pu Ta Leng mountain. The feeling of breathing in the cold morning air, hearing the rooster crowing in the distance and seeing the mist covering the valley made him almost forget the fatigue of the long journey.
Located halfway up Pu Ta Leng mountain, Si Thau Chai is surrounded by mountains, forests and clouds of the Northwest.
In Si Thau Chai, he stayed at A Giang's homestay - a place considered to have the most beautiful view in the village. In front of the house is a large lawn overlooking Tam Duong valley, just pull out a wooden chair to sit and you can see the sea of clouds, the sunset falling on the small houses. Everything here is rustic: thick cotton blankets, wooden floors, the faint smell of kitchen smoke and the gentle smiles of the host couple.
Not as majestic as Hoang Su Phi or as splendid as Mu Cang Chai, Si Thau Chai has a beauty suitable for those who love slowness. The whole village is inhabited by only over sixty households of the Dao Dau Bang ethnic group, with scattered wooden houses with po mu roofs, winding stone-paved roads, and flowers on both sides. Walking around the village takes about two hours, but every so often you want to stop to take a photo, or simply take a deep breath of the scent of wild grass and damp soil typical of the highlands.
Meals at the homestay are as simple as the people here. Home-cooked meals, sometimes chicken hotpot or fresh fish caught from the stream. Every morning, he and a few friends bring the dining table out onto the lawn, sit under the peach trees, and eat while looking down at the misty valley. In the mild cold of the highlands, each dish suddenly becomes warmer and more delicious than usual.
“There is not much needed here,” Tuyen said, “just sitting and watching the clouds in the morning, walking around the village at noon, and sipping a cup of tea in the afternoon is enough.”
Enjoy a local meal while watching the clouds and mountains
A day in the gentle nature
In autumn, Si Thau Chai seems to have all four seasons in one day. In the morning the air is chilly like early autumn, at noon the golden sunlight gently spreads through the foliage, in the afternoon the wind blows up from the valley carrying mist, and when night falls, the whole village is immersed in a thin layer of mist with a sky full of stars.
Tuyen spent the whole day walking around the village. Si Thau Chai is small, it takes about two hours to walk around, but every corner makes people want to stop. Sometimes it is the moss-covered stone fence, sometimes the wild grass on the small slope, or simply the smiles of children running around. “It feels like going back to my childhood, when everything was pure and slow,” he said.
The simple scene typical of a northern highland village
In the afternoon, Tuyen often sits in the front yard of the homestay, watching the clouds drift across the Tam Duong valley, with the roofs hidden in the mist in the distance. He also spends time visiting a small coffee shop in the village, where there are only a few wooden tables and few customers, sitting there watching the sunset, listening to the rustling wind and feeling life is so light.
A sea of white clouds covers the valley
In the evening, after a day of wandering, he soaked his feet in herbs prepared by the Dao people themselves - a simple habit that easily makes people enjoy. The warmth spread, the scent of medicinal leaves wafted, all fatigue seemed to disappear, leaving only a rare feeling of relaxation in the mountains and forests.
If you have more time, you can rent a car to go to Tac Tinh waterfall - about five kilometers from the village. The white waterfall flows down from a high cliff, surrounded by deep green forest, creating a majestic yet poetic picture in the clouds of the Northwest.
The majestic scene of mountains and sky blending like a painting by Si Thau Chai
Keep the soul in the middle of the tourism journey
Among the tourist villages he had been to, Si Thau Chai impressed Tuyen the most because of the way the people preserved their identity. Here, tourism is developed but still "pure" when all activities are organized by the local Dao people under the management of the local government. Therefore, from accommodation, cuisine to experiences, all preserve the simple, genuine indigenous culture.
“Maybe that's why the village still retains such familiarity and closeness,” he said, “people come here not only to sightsee but also to live with the locals, eat together, chat together, and breathe the true rhythm of life of the Northwest.”
In the process of tourism development, the local people still preserve their inherent simplicity and authenticity, giving tourists a feeling of closeness.
Each homestay is a traditional wooden house, each resident is a natural guide, and each story told around the fire makes people love this land more. Tourism in Si Thau Chai is not ostentatious, not noisy, but only gently spreads like the smell of kitchen smoke in the morning mist, delicate and warm.
Tuyen said, perhaps it is this “perfection” that makes Si Thau Chai so attractive. A place beautiful enough for people to stop, quiet enough to find themselves amidst the hustle and bustle of life. In this small village in the clouds, every morning is a new sky, every sunset is a different picture, and every person who passes by brings back a bit of the peace of the mountains and forests.
