Ta Xua, when spring comes

Ta Xua - the land of clouds and sky intertwined with mountains - has recently become an attractive destination for tourists on their journey to discover the wild beauty of the Northwest region. The clouds roll in waves, lively, undulating, filling the valley like a giant white cotton blanket protecting and enveloping. It is no coincidence that people call Ta Xua "the realm of clouds" - where visitors can experience the feeling as if the clouds are supporting their every step.

Homestay scenery in the middle of the "sea of ​​clouds" of Ta Xua. (Photo: HA MANH LUAN)

Beautiful in many other things...

In a tropical monsoon country, near the equator like ours, the areas where the annual temperature does not exceed 27oC or below zero can be counted on the fingers. Most of those places are in the high mountain ranges (at least 1,500m above sea level) in the north. If Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Mau Son (Lang Son), Tam Dao (Vinh Phuc), Phia Den-Phia Oac (Cao Bang)... all bear the footprints of the French, then Ta Xua (Bac Yen district, Son La province) proudly bears the mark of discovery by the Vietnamese themselves and although it has "changed its skin", it still retains its wild, rustic features.

We were welcomed by Ha Manh Luan - the owner of two homestay establishments. Since he was a student of Writing major who had just graduated from university, he first came here, was so fascinated by the "clouds" that he decided to stay, and it has been nearly 10 years now. He said that at that time, Ta Xua was just starting to "stir" tourism, and the locals had almost no thoughts or beliefs.

No one expected that Ta Xua would become an attractive destination in Vietnam and promise to reach international level. The lowland student who was unfamiliar with the mountains and forests now looks no different from a local. His tourist facilities are uniquely designed with Thai stilt houses and designs made from po mu wood that the H'Mong people have stored for many years.

Homestays here are mainly built by people from the lowlands, with a variety of rooms from small to large. Each area can accommodate about 150 guests, serving accommodation, cuisine, local arts... Some homestays are designed in a modern way and many establishments still persist in preserving the ancient stilt houses of the indigenous people, using old wooden materials, interwoven with brocade and many details imbued with traditional cultural colors...

Spring in Ta Xua is like a constantly changing picture. The whole "cloud realm" is lit up in the colors of peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, plum blossoms... under the golden sunlight like weaving silk, reeling silk. The H'Mong people in traditional costumes rush out into the streets, playing spring, throwing cones... bustling with festival season. The H'Mong people's Tet usually lasts a whole month, with each household in the village taking turns preparing feasts. The common people have enough pigs and chickens; the rich have buffaloes, cows, goats, horses... to entertain each other and guests.

Therefore, visitors to Ta Xua at this time, in addition to attending the spring festival, can also enjoy a bustling Tet meal, enjoy warm "mỏ" rice wine, sip a piece of thick fatty meat soaked in the salty taste, and smell the smoky aroma of the kitchen. Spring is like the feeling of heaven and earth, spring is filled with human emotions.

“The clouds in Ta Xua are so strange and beautiful! But I’m used to it. Actually, Ta Xua is also very beautiful in many other ways. Tourists sometimes travel all the way up here and still miss it,” Ha Manh Luan excitedly chatted while welcoming us. The highlands have rivers, lakes, high mountains, terraced fields, waterfalls, villages...

From Ta Xua, in the direction of Xim Vang and Hang Chu communes..., the terraced fields in the ripe rice season are no different from Mu Cang Chai in miniature. Xim Vang still retains dense forests, streams and waterfalls that flow noisily all year round... The rich soil and nature make people work very hard to grow rice, with yields much higher than the average of the five highland communes of Bac Yen district.

From Ta Xua, there are many paths leading to many ideal stops for tourists. Suoi Sap 2 Hydroelectric Lake - the confluence of countless small streams from the two most remote villages of Son La, Hang Dong and Lang Sang - has a dreamy beauty. The lake surface is usually very calm, the water is the color of mussel soup, sometimes turning to jade. Rowing a boat on the lake, tourists always have the feeling of being lost in a fairyland.

Following the rhythm of the oars, the scenery on both sides of the river appears wild and mysterious. On the boats, there are sometimes grilled fish, and a jar of Hang Chu wine, which is poured into small sips, so that visitors can enjoy themselves amidst the beautiful landscape. When talking about Hang Chu wine, it is impossible not to mention Mr. Giang Khua Nenh, who is famous throughout the region. He practices and passes on to the locals the secret of the ingredients and the process, which is very meticulous and elaborate. To brew wine, it must be made from carefully selected rice "slaughtered" on the fields, then germinated, boiled... then mixed with traditional leaf yeast, and then continued with the fermentation and distillation process... to be completed.

Mr. Nenh has made an important contribution to the development of the traditional wine-making profession, helping people improve their income and promote local specialties to tourists. Currently, Hang Chu commune has 10 villages with more than 30 households making wine, of which Pa Cu Sang village has the most households following this traditional profession.

Hang Chu “slaughtered” rice wine is not simply a product but also the crystallization of the beauty of the soul, the connection between people and nature, between the past and the present. Each story from the life of grandfathers, fathers... in the light of wine, encapsulates the simplicity and sincerity of the land and people of the white clouds.

The season of flowers blooming with the sky and clouds...

The number of tourists coming to Ta Xua is increasing and they have become accustomed to the constant changes of nature and landscape. They will not be disappointed if one day the familiar cloud carpet completely disappears. The clouds are gone, the sky is wider, the mountains are higher, many interesting things are waiting to be discovered.

The Dolphin Point, located on the Ta Xua landslide avoidance road in the direction of the hydroelectric river, is a very attractive check-in point because visitors can "hunt" for strangely beautiful photos. The "lonely apple tree" over the years has grown a giant mushroom-shaped canopy by the emerald green river in the middle of the vast windy hills, poetic but also full of nostalgia.

The land slope next to Lang Sang River, extending into the valley, the grass grows evenly like a carpet, people often call it the steppe. This place is not suitable for large groups, just alone, or a couple who needs a moment to sit quietly and look into the distance to easily find peace in the mind...

For tourists who love to experience strong feelings, they can retreat to Hang Dong, Lang Sang... to see with their own eyes the majesty and mystery of high mountains, primeval forests, and dense vegetation. There, the U Bo mountain peak is said to belong to the mysterious triangle with a very strange attraction of nature that has created many difficult to explain phenomena.

However, the terrain here is quite complicated, so people often remind and recommend that tourists need to prepare the necessary skills and should have local people familiar with the terrain accompany them. There are many attractive places that make up the "brand" of Ta Xua. Dinosaur Ridge - a large strip of land rising in the middle of the immense valley like a dinosaur's back, from beginning to end the "back" is up to 1,200m long.

On a cloudy day, walking step by step on it will be an experience full of emotions. On the opposite side, Camel Point - the mountain on the other side of the valley is higher than Dinosaur Ridge, if you can climb it, you can see the sea of ​​clouds on this side and the sea of ​​clouds on the valley side of Bac Yen district.

The interesting and attractive features of Ta Xua are also deep in the cultural layers and customs of the H'Mong people with the proud and generous origin of the highlands, which is summarized in the verse "walking on the mountain road/ all the peaks are lower than the knees". For generations, the people have let go of their hands and touched the clouds, while riding on the clouds... The flowers of all four seasons are flickering in the endless sea of ​​clouds.

In late spring and early summer, peach blossoms fall, followed by the season of white bauhinia and hawthorn flowers. Hawthorns are most abundant in the Hang Chu and Xim Vang areas, with plump yellow fruits, and some varieties with peach cheeks are rosy. In summer and autumn, Ta Xua is gradually covered in less fog, the sky is bluer, the wind blows endlessly, and the view extends to villages, forests, and mountain ranges... It is the season of singing, reflecting the streams, waterfalls, rivers, and lakes.

“On late nights when I go back to the village, I see the moon gilding the entire pass, the road ahead seems to lead to heaven. Ta Xua at night is quiet, the chorus of fresh air is wonderful, it is beautiful because it is not polluted, not diffused”, Ha Manh Luan said dreamily, proud of the land he considers his second homeland. There are many people from the lowlands who have become children of the mountains and forests like that.

In our conversation, the eyes of the people here still have not stopped being haunted. The natural disasters of the past year still left their mark of human and property damage. Some people from the lowlands came here, just full of aspirations to develop, bring job opportunities, change the lives of the people, but they have died here forever. But the new rhythm of life is growing like the eternal law.

People are lost in memories and step into the future. Waking up early in the morning, the pink sun rises above the sea of ​​white clouds, the scene is so splendid and warm, contrasting with the fierce cold weather. Giang A Tua, Mua A Pao, two H'Mong children, dressed in new clothes, chattering, leading a group of tourists for a walk in the spring morning. The sun has risen high, the valley of clouds sways with each gust of wind.

“It feels like I’m flying in the sky,” Mua A Pao exclaimed. Ta Xua, where the earth and sky blend together with the sweet dreams of children, where dreams are given new wings of innocence… perhaps for this reason, visitors often don’t say goodbye. They believe they will return soon.

Lu Mai

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ta-xua-khi-mua-xuan-ve-post854192.html