Buckwheat flower festival showcases the beauty of Ha Giang

Endless buckwheat flower fields. To prepare for this year’s festival, four mountainous districts of Ha Giang have grown nearly 400 hectares of buckwheat. The flower blooms from September to December, with the full-bloom period occasioned with the festival. Buckwheat is cultivated for its grain-like seeds, which are used to make specialty food by ethnic minorities in the mountainous region. Year-end is the time when buckwheat flower fields burst into full bloom, embellishing the beauty of Ha Giang, located in the far north of Vietnam. The hills and mountains are covered by the white and pink of the flower. The flower symbolises love and happiness, so many couples shoot their wedding photos in these fields. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tham Ma slope - a popular photo spot with a winding road between two tall mountain ranges. Tham Ma, about 5 km long at an altitude of 1,500 metres, is one of the most dangerous zigzag passes in Northern Vietnam, connecting Ha Giang city and Meo Vac district. The pass earns its name as it was used to evaluate horsepower. The horses carry goods from the bottom of the slope. If a horse can reach the top of the slope and is still strong, it’s a good horse. Today, this pass evaluates the steady driving skills of riders. The natural scenery around Tham Ma is beautiful and enchanting. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tu San canyon, Nho Que river. Nho Que is one of the most beautiful rivers in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang. From above, it resembles a shimmering green thread descending from the sky, hidden in the middle of the mountains. Nho Que river originates from the Yunnan mountainous region of China, and flows in the Northwest and Southeast directions into Vietnam from Seo Lung village, Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district of Ha Giang. The river passes through Tu San canyon – the deepest in Southeast Asia, and then runs along Ma Pi Leng Pass, one of the four great mountain passes in the North of Vietnam. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ma Pi Leng Panaroma - A hotel and coffee shop built on Ma Pi Leng pass. From this site, visitors can contemplate the green Nho Que river. Daren Romero, an American tourist, shared that the nature here is majestic. It was a wonderful experience for him to see the view from above and it gave him goose pimples when taking a boat tour through Tu San canyon. The canyon is deemed the deepest one in Vietnam in particular and Southeast Asia in general. It is home to cliffs measuring up to 800m in height, 1.7 km in length and 900 m in depth. One of the most outstanding destinations of Dong Van karst plateau formed millions of years ago, Tu San canyon is believed to be a wonder of nature. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Tu San canyon, Nho Que river seen from Ma Pi Leng Panaroma. Most of the year, Nho Que river boasts beautiful emerald-green water, shining between grey rocky foothills and next to dark green patches in a majestic space of old forests, mountains, and clouds. The river looks like a silk ribbon embracing Seo Lung village. Coming here, visitors must try a river tour by boat. Although this area has not developed much in tourism, this service is available. Visitors usually buy tickets to the boat tour when they reach the place, but they should book in advance to save time if they go in big groups. Tickets cost 100,000 VND (4.02 USD) per person for a 30-minute boat trip. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The Ha Giang god cliff. The god cliff, which is also known as White Cliff, is located at an altitude of 1,700m above sea level on Ma Pi Leng pass, between Pai Lung commune and Pa Vi commune, Meo Vac district, in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang. For the people here, the god cliff is a place of sacred significance associated with the legend of a love story between a husband and his wife. For visitors, this place is a paradise to admire the panorama of the imposing beautiful site of Ha Giang below. The cliff is majestic, high and dangerous between the clouds. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A panoramic photo taken from the god cliff. Ma Pi Leng pass is often known as the pass part of National Highway 4C, also known as the Road of Happiness. However, there is another small Ma Pi Leng pass road (also called Ma Pi Leng B) that only motorbikes can traverse. The cliff is located on this small Ma Pi Leng pass. However, you can only ride a motorbike for about 3km, then have to walk another 2km. The path is not easy at all because it is extremely narrow, bumpy and twisting. One side is a cliff, the other side is an abyss. So, if you can't ride a motorbike, you have to walk the whole 5km. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Community-based tourism, culture hamlets. Besides the wild and majestic natural landscapes, visitors to Ha Giang cannot miss the cultural space of ethnic minorities in cultural hamlets such as Lo Lo Chai, Nam Dam and Lung Cam. Although the hamlets are located in different districts, they all boast impressive natural beauty and the characteristics of ethnic minorities. At the foot of Lung Cu National Flag Tower, the country’s north pole in Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, there is a miraculous village, which is often depicted in legends. Its name is Lo Lo Chai. The village, one of the most remote villages in the north of Vietnam, offers some wonderful sightseeing, with green colours falling into the rocky mountains, not to mention the unique culture and architecture. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The beauty of a Mong ethnic woman. The mountainous province has a population of 800,000, 90% of whom are ethnic minorities with their unique culture and lifestyle. Over the past years, Ha Giang has become an attractive destination for both domestic and foreign holidaymakers whose number increased 14% each year during the 2010-2015 period, and 14.6% between 2015 and 2020, contributing 8.8% to the local gross regional domestic product (GRDP). As Ha Giang has been endowed with many magnificent unspoiled landscapes, local authorities and ethnic people have constantly made great efforts and worked together to reduce poverty, with the aim of turning difficulties into momentum for development. (Photo: VietnamPlus)