Bamboo airways – Talk Vietnam

Two women dressed in traditional peasant attire walk through the village gate. Tran Quoc Trung said he was motivated to make this collection by fear that Duong Lam Village would become a victim of modern urbanization in the near future. The village, about 45 kilometers west of downtown Hanoi, still preserves many of its historical and cultural features. It boasts 956 ancient houses, including those built in 1649, 1703 and around 1850. Though there are many entrances to the village, the Mong Phu Gate remains a popular starting point for tourists. This is reportedly the only ancient village gate left intact in northern Vietnam. The Mong Phu communal house is the heart of the village and village life. Legend has it that it was built on the forehead of a dragon in 1684 under the reign of King Le Hien Tong in the shape of a capital "I." The stately building hosts public events, festivities and …

FANTASTIC FEAST: A hotpot with horse meat, herb-flavoured alcohol, lots of fresh vegetables and signature black sticky rice bars. VNS Photos Mỹ Hà by Nguyễn Mỹ Hà After more than a year of social distancing, lockdown and devastating health issues, we got a chance to sneak away to the mountains and stay at So H'mong Homestay for a few days. Of course, we all had our obliged two-shot vaccination and declared on national COVID health apps on our phones. Even a 72-hour real-time PCR test would not be accepted. At a health control post, we all had to get out of the bus to provide health certificates and get the backs of our palms stamped with blue ink. Only then were we allowed to get on the highway heading to Bắc Hà District in Lào Cai Province. I still remember the good impression So H'mong Homestay left on my last visit. It's a stilt house overlooking a lawn with Sa Pa rose plants leading down to a guava orchard in the valley below. The lawn provides a makeshift centre stage for …

Committing to posterity a time when time stood still

So H’mong Homestay offers Bắc Hà’s best treats