Which season should you go to Dong Van - Ha Giang?
Due to the mild climate, you can come here at any time of the year, but the most typical times are the following times:
January-February: Peach blossom, plum blossom, and yellow mustard flower season
Due to living in harsher climatic conditions, peach and plum flowers here often bloom later than in other places. But the scenery at this time is much more special; Thousands of beautiful flowers bloom like thousands of butterflies spreading their wings, making those pristine mountains also become gentle and loving.
March-April: rice flower season
The past peach and plum blossom season is also the time when rice flowers begin to bloom. Especially in March, everywhere is just a bright red color like a fire warming the whole village.
September-October: Ripe rice season
What could be more wonderful than standing high up and enjoying the majestic stone plateau with endless terraced fields. Below, there are still optimistic people who, even though they are poor, always keep a bright smile on their lips.
October-December: Buckwheat flower season
Normally, flowers will bloom in late October and early November, which is also the most beautiful time in Dong Van.
Buckwheat flowers have a life cycle of about one month. At first, the flowers bloom white, then turn pink, purple and finally dark red.
How to get to Dong Van?
If you want to go to Dong Van, you can take a bus then go to Ha Giang to rent a motorbike or private car. If you want to take the initiative in the time and route right from Hanoi, you can use a private car or motorbike to go from Hanoi to Ha Giang, then from Ha Giang follow Highway 4C to go to Dong Van.
Travel by bus to Ha Giang
From Hanoi, you should take the night bus Hanoi - Ha Giang departing from My Dinh bus station at 9pm and arriving in Ha Giang at 5am (Some reputable bus companies are: Hai Van, Bang Phan, Cau Me , …). The car will travel directly from Hanoi to Ha Giang city.
Note: you should take the bus on the night trip from 20:30 - 21 - 22:00 the night before (usually Thursday or Friday night) to sleep one night on the bus, and return on Sunday night, thus saving 1 night on the bus.
Hai Van bus (Hanoi - Ha Giang city), departure time: Hanoi 20:30 - Ha Giang 20:35, phone: 0944962323, 0437222588.
Hung Thanh Bus (Hanoi - Ha Giang City). Departure time from My Dinh wharf: 8:30 a.m.-10:05 a.m.-10:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Gia Lam: 09:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Contact: Hanoi - 0988287741, Ha Giang 0989 416416.
Cau Me Bus (Hanoi - Ha Giang City). Departure time: Ha Giang 8:20 a.m.-10:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m., My Dinh 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Contact phone: In Ha Giang (0946445099, 0912 848216, 0948 773033), in My Dinh (0946 445369, 0983 823780, 0946 509479)
Some private car rental services for you: From Ha Giang: Dong Van Loop Car Tour - 2 Days 1 Night, Private transfer from Hanoi to Ha Giang or vice versa, Private transfer from Hanoi to Ha Giang. With this service, you can freely experience the trip in your own way, fully enjoying the trip in the most comfortable way.
Travel from Ha Giang to Dong Van
Normally, tourists traveling to Ha Giang often choose to take a bus to Ha Giang the night before, stay overnight on the bus, and arrive at Ha Giang City at about 5 a.m. the next morning.
When you arrive in Ha Giang City, have breakfast, then rent a motorbike to go around from Ha Giang City to Dong Van, Meo Vac, Lung Cu Flagpole, return to Yen Minh and then return to Ha Giang City because of the distance from Ha Giang. Going to Dong Van, you will pass most of the most beautiful tourist destinations in Ha Giang.
You can also rent a bus to take a large group from Hanoi straight to Dong Van (break for lunch in Ha Giang City), but that will miss many beautiful landscapes of Ha Giang on the way.
Tourist destinations when coming to Dong Van
Tham Ma Slope Ha Giang
The first tourist destination in Dong Van (from Yen Minh) is Tham Ma slope. According to legend, in the past, people used horses to carry goods from the foot of the slope to the top. Any horse that is still healthy will be kept to feed, so the slope is called Tham Ma.
Nho Que River
Nho Que River originates from Yunnan, China, flows northwest - southeast, through Dong Van and Meo Vac districts in Ha Giang province to join the Gam River in Cao Bang. The part of Nho Que River flowing into Vietnam is 46 km long, from Lung Cu through Tu San canyon and then running along Ma Pi Leng pass. A unique feature of the river is that most of the year, the water is turquoise. In recent years, local travel companies have provided sightseeing boat or kayaking services for tourists. Rental prices range from 2 USD to 8 USD per boat, depending on the type.
Pho Bang
Pho Bang town is located deep in Sung La valley, surrounded by rocky mountains. The whole town has about a few dozen ancient roofs of Mong and Chinese people, scattered on the main road and some small branches. Traces of time are clearly visible on the mossy brown walls, old wooden doors, and yin and yang tiled roofs. Ancient and mysterious are what visitors will feel when arriving in Pho Bang.
Palace of the Vuong family
Vuong Family Palace - King Meo Vuong Chinh Duc's palace was built in the early 20th century, modeled after the architecture of the Manchu Dynasty (China). The house has an area of over 1000 meters. This place is not simply a house but it is also a defensive fortress standing tall in the middle of a rocky plateau. In 1993, Vuong Palace was recognized as a national architectural and artistic monument.
Lung Cu flagpole
Lung Cu flagpole is a tourist destination in Dong Van with sacred historical significance. It is located at an altitude of about 1,600 meters above sea level.
Standing on top of Lung Cu, you can see the entire Then Van valley on the right side. Meanwhile, on the left side is the upstream Nho Que River (starting from Yunnan, China).
Dong Van ancient town
Dong Van ancient town is nearly 1 km long, located in the center of Dong Van town. The neighborhood was built hundreds of years ago. Walled houses, yin-yang tiled roofs, stone floors... are the typical architectural style here.
Currently, Dong Van ancient town has more than 40 ancient houses ranging in age from 100 - 300 years. Among them, the Luong family owns the oldest house. On full moon days, the streets are decorated with brilliant red lanterns.
Ma Pi Leng - four great passes in the North
In the Mandarin language, Ma Pi Leng means "horse's nose". The figurative meaning of this word refers to the ruggedness of the mountain top, standing up like the bridge of a horse's nose.
Ma Pi Leng Pass is about 20km long, located on Hanh Phuc road connecting Ha Giang city with Dong Van district and Meo Vac town. This is a place that any backpacker wants to conquer in their journey to explore Ha Giang.
Dong Van Plateau
Located about 300 km from Hanoi, the rocky plateau is like a picture of poetic and wild beauty. With cat-ear cliffs located at an altitude of 1000m to 1600m above sea level, the rocky plateau creates a rare rustic beauty. Unique natural landscape, long-standing cultural traditions and high biodiversity are the characteristics that help Dong Van Karst Plateau attract the attention of many tourists.
Where to stay when traveling to Dong Van?
Homestay
Old House Homestay 1925 is located right in Dong Van old town, convenient for moving and sightseeing. This place offers a cozy, quiet space with unique ancient house architecture, imbued with local culture. The homestay serves specialty dishes prepared by local people at reasonable prices around 15-20 USD/night.
Bui Homestay possesses beautiful views of majestic mountains and green valleys from the hillside. The homestay has modern architecture, comfort, spacious and airy space. In addition, Bui Homestay also provides many diverse services such as motorbike rental, organizing tours, campfires, cultural exchanges,... with reasonable prices of about 20-25 USD/night.
Guest house
Quang Trung Guesthouse: Famous for its prime location, affordable price of only 14 USD/night and has a high rating of 4.8/5 on Google.
Anh Quang Hotel Dong Van: Offers a classy accommodation experience for $16/night, with an impressive rating of 4.9/5.
Hotel
Hoang Ngoc Hotel: Located in the center of Dong Van town, convenient for moving and sightseeing. The hotel possesses a modern, luxurious design and a complete amenities system, giving visitors a wonderful vacation experience. Room prices start from only 20 USD/night, with many attractive incentives.
Karsterly Rock Lodge Hotel: Located on the hillside, offering breathtaking views of the majestic natural scenery of Dong Van. The hotel possesses unique architecture, modeled after the Meo King's mansion, creating an impressive and inspiring accommodation space. Room prices range from 32 USD/night, suitable for travelers who love new experiences.
Some specialties you should enjoy when coming to Dong Van
Banh cuon chan
The dish is prepared quite simply, just thin pieces of rice paper rolls on a wood stove, served in a bowl with meat, eggs, and bone broth, but it creates an irresistible flavor.
In addition, chopsticks are added to the bowl of soup, mixed with the sweetness of bone broth and the aroma of green onions to create a special creation.
Pho Trang Kim
This dish is prepared quite simply, using pho noodles, hill chicken,... but with very unique recipes it creates a delicious, rich flavor. The noodles are chewy, cut quite roughly, but have an extremely impressive mountain flavor.
Thang co and corn wine
Thang co and corn wine are not only attractive specialties in Dong Van, but also favorite dishes of the majority of highland people. Thang co dish is made from horse or cow internal organs, thoroughly prepared and cooked but not seasoned to preserve the characteristic smell. When used, you can sip with corn wine to enhance the flavor.
Sausage in the kitchen
It is a favorite dish of many highland families. Kitchen sausage is often steamed or fried to make wine, or can also be used to prepare with many other ingredients to create a variety of dishes.
Au Tau porridge
To fully explore Dong Van cuisine, you cannot miss Au Tau porridge. Porridge is made from rice, minced meat or pork leg, and spices. In particular, people will add au tau - a highly toxic food that can be life-threatening if you do not prepare it properly, but it is because of the bitter and strange taste of au tau that makes it so. attractiveness of the dish.
Thang den
As a specialty of the rocky plateau, at first glance, Thang amaranth resembles the banh troi doi of the people in the lowlands but has very unique features. The amaranth cake balls are placed in a bowl with a mixture of sweet sugar water with coconut milk and ginger creating a sweet, fatty and spicy flavor.
Men men and sour soup
It can be simply understood that it is a dish made from plain corn through many steps to get corn flour and then steamed. Men men dish is enjoyed when hot, chewed thoroughly, a sweet taste is felt on the tip of the tongue. Sour soup is made from bean flour, cooked with mustard greens and has a cool taste, so it is often eaten with men men to create a more harmonious whole.
Things to note when coming to Dong Van - Ha Giang
1. If you ride a motorbike, you need to bring: identification (driver's license and documents), buy gasoline (1.5l bottle) and borrow repair equipment (pump, tire opener, patch, etc.) glue...) backup from the car rental owner. Now motorcycle repair services are available on almost every road, but these things are very necessary as a backup for a safe motorbike trip.
2. Clothing: If you go in the winter, you must definitely bring warm clothes, scarves, and gloves, because winter in Ha Giang is very cold, and in summer you should also bring a thin jacket, the highland climate at night is cold. slightly cold.
3. Shoes: preferably climbing shoes or walking shoes.
