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Escaping this world, only to encounter another.
Starting from Hanoi, we traveled by motorbike for about 120 km to Huu Lien commune, Huu Lung district, Lang Son province. It was already winter, but the weather was still mild; two layers of clothing were enough to keep us warm throughout the journey. After two hours of travel, I began to feel the fresh air and the scent of plants and trees.
Huu Lien is surrounded by limestone mountains, dense forests, and valleys of rice paddies. The diverse shades of green create an incredibly rich and varied ecosystem, featuring rugged limestone mountain ranges, caves, underground streams, waterfalls, and large lakes that fill with water seasonally.
Lost in a pristine village isolated from the world, Lan Dat village of the Dao people.
Every year, I visit Huu Lien once and stay at the community tourism village, which brings together the unique cultural identities of the Kinh, Tay, Dao, and Nung ethnic groups… with spacious and airy stilt houses. I always stay at Goc Da homestay because I love the hospitality and delicious meals of the owners. I originally just wanted to get away from the city for a few days and relax at the homestay, but the owners offered to take us to explore an isolated Dao village. So the next morning, after a hearty breakfast, our group followed Mr. Phoc, the owner, on a trekking trip into the village.
Dong Lam grassland, from here we began our trek across the mountains to the village.
The road to the village winds through cliffs and is quite difficult to navigate. However, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the lush green forest.
The only road into the village was on the right side of the Dong Lam grassland. Motorbikes could only reach the end of the grassland, so we parked there and started walking. We walked along cliffs with many sharp rocks, steep slopes, and rough terrain. Surrounding us was a lush green forest, filled with the sounds of the wind, birds singing, roosters crowing, and streams gurgling.
The road to the village was dangerous, slippery and winding with many sharp turns even in light rain, but after an hour of climbing, the first feeling upon seeing the village was one of overwhelming peace. Thus, separated from the Dong Lam grassland by a range of towering mountains, we arrived in another world, the isolated world of the Dao ethnic community.
A peaceful scene in a secluded village.
The roofs of the Dao people's houses are visible in the distance.
The village of 5 is nestled deep in the mountains and forests.
In the middle of the vast valley, only a dozen or so small, old houses are nestled. Previously, Lan Dat village had 30 households; now only 16 remain. Since last year, the children in the village have been sent to the commune center for boarding school, whereas before, teachers had to trek through mountains and forests to reach the village to teach. During the flood season, the journey to the village becomes even more difficult, as villagers have to row boats to reach Dong Lam, but Dong Lam is also submerged in vast amounts of water. To reach the commune center, they have to continue rowing across the grassland, a journey of about two hours.
The Dao people in Lan Dat village are simple, honest, and warm-hearted.
The flow of urbanization seems unable to reach Lan Dat. A cliff separates the village from the bustling world, preventing them from accessing the necessities of modern life: electricity and transportation. Years pass, and the village remains devoid of five "nots": no electricity, no roads, no motorbikes, no markets, and no internet.
The village retains its most pristine features, such as traditional stilt houses with yin-yang roofs, lush green meadows, caves, cliffs, lakes, and wooden bridges. The natural scenery is breathtaking. The people live in harmony with and depend on nature, so they cherish every little thing in life.
Simple stilt houses nestled amidst the mountains and forests.
The meal in the village was prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Trinh.
We visited Mr. Trinh's house for lunch, where he and his wife prepared a hearty meal including chicken cooked with turmeric, local pork cooked with ginger, and vegetable soup. The chickens in the village are raised for up to two years before being slaughtered. In the village, everyone lives self-sufficiently, even in making roof tiles for their houses. Mr. Trinh told us that during the flood season, Dong Lam can be submerged more than ten meters deep. Lan Dat village was completely submerged, and the villagers moved to the mountains to escape the flood. Their buffaloes, horses, and chickens were scattered everywhere; whatever they could gather after the flood was a cause for celebration. The lack of modern equipment combined with the unique weather conditions makes farming and livestock raising in the village very difficult.
The wooden bridge was designed by the local people themselves.
Mr. Trinh knows there are a few places in the village where he can get a phone signal, so he often walks around and holds up his phone to "test" for a signal. If he needs internet access, he has to climb a long distance to the summit of Ong But mountain, which is halfway to Dong Lam, to find 3G network. Mr. Trinh's stilt house has basic equipment like a battery, solar panels, electrical wires, and a fan, but electricity is still incredibly precious. His family is ready for a life with electricity, but electricity is not yet ready to reach the village.
Because of the difficult roads, only occasionally do groups of tourists visit Lan Dat village and have a meal, providing the villagers with a little extra income. One thing I really appreciated about going to the mountains was how the staff put their heart into even the smallest things. They were welcoming, enthusiastic, guided us to explore various places, cooked delicious food, and always asked if we had any suggestions or anything we weren't satisfied with so they could improve little by little.
During your trip to Lan Dat and Dong Lam, you can combine it with an exploration of Nong Dung Lake – a stunningly beautiful, emerald-green lake.
Mr. Trinh kept asking us repeatedly if the turmeric-cooked chicken was to our liking, and if the pickled bamboo shoots with chili were to our taste, so he could adjust the seasoning. He didn't know that, for us, people who "live in the heart of the city but dream of a secluded town," nothing could be better than a meal in the mountains, where we could relax both physically and mentally, eat simple yet high-quality dishes, sit amidst the mountains, breathe in the fresh air, and chat with the genuine locals.
If one day you want to discover the most pristine things, be sure to visit Lan Dat village of the Dao people!
Dong Lam grassland during the dry season
