(HBO) – With beautiful landscapes and unique culture of the Thai ethnic minority group, Mai Chau district in Hoa Binh province is an ideal choice for tourists in March when the region is shrouded in the whiteness of blooming Ban (bauhinia) flowers.
Visitors take photos with Ban
flowers in Van village of Mai Chau town (Mai Chau district).
February and March is the blossoming peak
of Ban flowers. The road to Mai Chau
valley winds through fruit-laden trees in orange farms in Cao Phong and pomelo
orchards in Tan Lac.
From the peak of Thung Khe, the Mai Chau
valley looks like a beautiful girl wearing a green dress with white flowers on
it. Ban flowers blossom on the top of mountains, on cliffs, family’s gardens,
and along roads. The road from Tong Dau commune leading to the centre of the
district is lined by Ban trees which have shed most of their leaves to show off
their flowers. Looking closer, full-blossom flowers are like flying butterflies.
Some flowers have a purple petal among white ones, some have a light pink
petal. The Ban leaves are shaped like horseshoe, but many Thai girls like to
think that they have the shape of double hearts.
Kha Thi Tuyet, a Thai girl from Mai Chau
town told us the local story about Ban flower. The story has it that a
beautiful girl named Ban and a smart man named Khum were in love with each
other. Unfortunately, Ban’s parents did not accept their love because Khum was
poor. Failing to persuade her parents, the girl left her home on a Spring
morning to look for her lover. She went and went deep into the forest, and
finally collapsed and died. In the spot where she died, trees grew with thousands
of flowers, the petals of which look like the girl’s beautiful hands. Khum came
to the place but all he could find was Ban’s head scarf. He desperately called
her name until he died and became a bird named Loc Khum. Since then, when spring
comes, white Ban flowers blossom across the forest, while Loc Khum birds keep
on singing like the voice of the man calling his lover throughout the Ban
flower season.
There is another story about the flower,
which says the flowers have their origin in the white cloth that local people
tied on trees in mourning of local insurgents fighting against evil and
oppressing forces./.
Tan Lac district’s three highland communes of Quyet Chien, Ngo Luong, and Van Son sit at altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,000 metres above sea level. Known for their wide forest coverage and rich biodiversity, the areas boast a cool, temperate climate in summer and is home to several scenic spots and caves recognised as provincial and national heritage sites. Besides, the region still preserves the cultural traditions of the Muong ethnic group, alongside a variety of agricultural products, which add to its unique appeal for visitors.
The survey on selecting and developing the new tourism products and tours.
On September 27th and 28th, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism collaborated with Hanoi Unesco Travel Club to organize a survey program to select and develop the new tourism products and tours that highlight the unique features of the lake region in Da Bac district. The survey group included the experts for developing the tourism product, the members of the Vietnam Travel Club, the Vietnam Travel Association, the representatives from businesses, travel companies, domestic and international tourism operators, and media agencies from both inside and outside the province.
Blessed with a stunning natural landscape, fresh air, and a unique cultural identity, Mai Chau district, where the Thai people make up over 60% of its population, has located itself on the Vietnamese tourism map with community tourism.
Leveraging the natural landscapes and the cultural identity of the ethnic minority communities, many rural areas in Hoa Binh province have developed the unique tourism products to promote rural tourism (RT).
Boasting stunning landscapes, and standout cultural traits, many localities across Hoa Binh province have developed unique offerings to bolster rural tourism.
The People's Committee of Hoa Binh province hosted a conference on August 22 to evaluate the implementation of a project to develop Hoa Binh Lake tourist area into a national tourist area by 2025. Nguyen Van Toan, Permanent Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee and head of the steering committee for implementing the project, presided over the conference.