Homestay services in Ta Van, Lao Chai and Ta Phin have recently been
packed with domestic and foreign holidaymakers who love to learn about
the daily life of local residents through eating, living and working
with them.
Located in Muong Hoa valley, at the foot of Hoang Lien Son mountain
range, Ta Van commune impresses tourists at first sight by spectacular
natural scenery with terrace fields, high mountains, and traditional
houses.
Patrick O’Regan from New Zealand shared that he knows Sa Pa through
his friends who traveled there and had a lot of compliments on the
nature as well as the unique culture of Vietnam.
That was the reason why he and his family chose a homestay tour in a
rural area in Sa Pa to explore the local culture and customs, he said.
Dev Dervesh, a tourist from India, said he enjoyed very much the
stay at The Little H’Mong House at Ta Van’s Giang Ta Chai Mong village.
He planned to stay longer in Sa Pa during his trip to Vietnam.
Bui Thi Oanh, owner of The Little Hmong House, said her traditional
wood house, which can accommodate 30 guests, was filled during the
first several days of 2018.
Several companies have invested in facilities after the homestay
model with a modern note. Director of Vietdiscovery Co., Ltd. Do Trong
Nguyen said the company’s La Dao Spa Ta Van facility offers homestay
services plus several extra treats such as herbal bath of Dao people and
traditional dishes of Mong and Giay ethnic people.
Le Manh Hao, Vice Chairman of the Sa Pa People’s Committee, said
the district is home to nearly 500 accommodations with 6,000 rooms,
including 154 homestay facilities in Ta Van, Lao Chai, Hau Thao, Nam
Sai, Ta Phin, Ban Ho, Thanh Phu and Thanh Kim communes with 2,800 beds.
The district is focusing on community-based tourism development to
increase incomes for locals and preserve traditional cultural values, he
added.
Located 350km northwest of Hanoi capital city, Sa Pa is 1,600m high
above sea level, with the average temperature of 15-18°C. The whole
town is dominated by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range which is famous
with the Indochina’s highest mountain of Fansipan at a height of 3,142 m
above sea level.
Discovered in 1903 by the French, Sa Pa has many natural scenic
sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall), Cau May
(Rattan Bridge), Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. The hill town is home
to six main ethnic minority groups, including Kinh, Hmong, Dao, Tay, Day
and Xa Pho with various traditional festivals and unique cultural
practices, especially the Bac Ha market and Sa Pa love market.
The resort town of Sa Pa was recognized as a national tourism site in December 2017.
Source: VNA