Without having to travel to distant provinces, those who love to experience and explore can fulfill their dream of cloud hunting right in Huong Hoa district. Having been lucky enough to immerse themselves in a scene that seems to only exist in paradise, some young people have built a bridge to bring tourists from near and far to hunt clouds in the middle of the vast Quang Tri forest.
Vo Tat Huy (standing 2nd, from left to right) and friends take souvenir photos during a cloud hunting trip - Photo: NVCC
Wake up before dawn
“If you want to hunt clouds, the first thing you need is... diligence,” Vo Tat Huy, a young photographer, said when I shared my desire to go cloud hunting. Huy was born in 2000 and lives in Tan Lien commune, Huong Hoa district. Having been in the profession for less than a year, this young man has had many photo collections that have left everyone in awe. In particular, the photos Huy took during cloud hunting trips with his friends have attracted and guided many Huong Hoa residents and tourists from near and far to this special experience. Most of them asked Huy to be their “navigator” for their cloud hunting trips in the middle of the mountains.
Explaining the “hard work” he mentioned at the beginning of the conversation, Vo Tat Huy smiled and said that the most important thing is that everyone must wake up before dawn. Normally, to prepare for cloud hunting trips, Huy has to wake up at around 4am. After welcoming guests and preparing the necessary things, Huy and the guests will go to the cloud hunting location. In the cold at around 5am, they prepare food and drinks together and choose a favorable position to capture the most beautiful moments of the land, sky, mountains and forests... in the clouds. Knowing that guests come because they love the beautiful scenery and want to have a beautiful experience, even though he is busy with many unnamed jobs, Huy still tries to keep photos for them. That is what makes tourists love Huy even more.
According to Vo Tat Huy, in the past 3 weeks, he has led 4 tours of young people inside and outside the province to hunt clouds. Before that, most of the tourists had cloud hunting experiences in Lam Dong, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Son La... They came with the desire to learn about the poetic and unique features of the Huong Hoa cloud hunting tour. "On average, each of my tours has about 6 - 10 guests. After each tour, the positive feedback from guests has given me more motivation. Many guests affirmed that the scenery of cloud hunting locations in Huong Hoa is not inferior to other provinces, even having very unique highlights that are difficult to find anywhere else, such as the wild mountain and forest scenery, wind power...", Huy said.
Magical beautiful scenery during Vo Tat Huy's cloud hunting trip - Photo: NVCC
For a cloud hunting trip, each guest usually sends Vo Tat Huy 300,000 VND to be a tour guide, served breakfast, coffee, take photos... Before each trip, Huy and the guests must regularly contact each other to choose the time, location, way of moving, tour combination... appropriately. The cloud hunting locations that are currently popular with tourists are: Huong Tan Wind Power Plant, Cu Vo Hill, Lien Lap Wind Power Plant, AMACCAO Wind Power Plant... Each cloud hunting spot has an irresistible beauty that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who has visited. Mr. Nguyen Tien Linh, residing in Cam Chinh Commune, Cam Lo District, shared: "Recently, on the occasion of my son's 1st birthday, my family went cloud hunting in Huong Hoa. Before that, my wife and I had gone cloud hunting in Da Lat, but the experience in Huong Hoa was still very interesting and wonderful. I love watching the wild scenery of Huong Hoa mountains and forests at dawn".
Potential to be unlocked
Talking about cloud hunting, Mr. Pham Hoang Phuong, Director of Ken Travel Joint Stock Company, said that he had hunted clouds in many famous places in the country. Recently, in early December 2023, he had the opportunity to hunt clouds in Huong Hoa. For Mr. Phuong, it was a very interesting experience. “Compared to other famous places, cloud hunting in Huong Hoa district has some outstanding points. First of all, the scenery at the cloud hunting spots is very wild and lyrical like in a fairy tale world. The wind turbines are a special highlight, quite valuable in the landscape painting. In particular, the road to the cloud hunting spots is very convenient. This is a big plus point,” said Mr. Phuong.
According to Mr. Pham Hoang Phuong, currently, Huong Hoa tourism is developing strongly with many unique features in a diverse overall picture. Therefore, forming cloud hunting tours and connecting with other tourism products is extremely necessary. Together with organizations and individuals, Ken Travel Joint Stock Company is currently implementing professional cloud hunting tours. Mr. Phuong shared: "The good news is that many tourists from outside the province have contacted us. In addition to cloud hunting, they also want to visit famous relics, home stays, farms... in Huong Hoa".
Mr. Pham Hoang Phuong added that cloud hunting in Huong Hoa is usually most favorable in the last months of the year. At this time, clouds are often thick, covering the mountains and forests. When the sun rises, the scene is strangely beautiful. However, tourists cannot always successfully hunt clouds. Because this is an experience that depends on many factors, especially the weather.
Therefore, cloud hunting tour operators always have to find ways to help customers have more interesting experiences. The goal is that whether the cloud hunting is successful or not, tourists will still have good impressions of the land and people of Huong Hoa. "Currently, Ken Travel and tourism operators in Huong Hoa are planning the tour "Lifting the cloud curtain, welcoming the dawn". We are determined to prepare many "delicious" and interesting dishes for customers, and cloud hunting is one of them," Mr. Phuong revealed.
Through the stories shared by Mr. Pham Hoang Phuong and Vo Tat Huy and the feedback from many tourists, it can be seen that although it is just the first steps, cloud hunting tours in Huong Hoa district have brought positive signals. The good news spreads far and wide, more and more tourists are coming to the West of Quang Tri to enjoy the specialties of mountain wind and clouds. This tourism product has also helped promote other types of businesses and services, contributing to the socio-economic development of Huong Hoa mountainous district.
However, to make these first steps faster, stronger, and more solid on the journey of thousands of miles, it is necessary to have the attention, investment, and participation with full responsibility of not only individuals and tour providers but also related levels, sectors, units, and tourists. Who knows, in the near future, Huong Hoa may become a special destination on the map of cloud hunters in Vietnam.
Tay Long
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