The Retreating Market: Where Culture Keeps Time in Sa Phin

25/11/2025

Long before the sun touches the peaks of the Dong Van Stone Plateau, the Sa Phin market comes alive, following a calendar that defies modern time. This is the "Lùi" Market (The Retreating Market), where ethnic minority vendors from remote villages, cloaked in mist and carrying heavy woven backbaskets, gather on a unique six-day cycle that retreats by one day each week. More than a place to trade home-spun linen or Thang Co hotpot, this market is the enduring cultural heartbeat of the Hmong people, where ancient traditions—from the spinning of a single thread to the rhythm of the mountain—are preserved and celebrated.

Forest Communion: The Opportunity for Green Tourism Development

21/11/2025

"Forest Communion" (originally Shinrin-yoku in Japan, where it emerged in the 1980s) is rapidly emerging as a global tourism trend. For localities with extensive forest coverage like Tuyen Quang, this practice presents a significant opportunity for the development of green tourism.

Na Tong Tourism Village: Soaring with the Phoenix

10/11/2025

Leaving behind a past defined by barren fields and the label of a "poor village," Na Tong—the mythical land where 99 Phoenix-shaped peaks reside—has rewritten its own script. This isn't just another community tourism site: it's a story of extraordinary economic transformation, where indigenous Tay locals are leveraging their centuries-old heritage as an economic springboard, eradicating poverty, and soaring alongside their legendary symbol.

The Culinary Essence of Tuyen Quang

22/09/2025

A culinary odyssey begins where the highlands meet. Following the merger of Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang, the region has become a culinary "treasure trove," bringing together the finest flavors of the Mong, Dao, Tay, Lo Lo, and other ethnic groups. Each dish and beverage is not only tied to local customs, seasons, and farming practices but is also being elevated through the OCOP program, transforming local products into valuable cultural and economic goods for tourism.

Tuyen Quang Lantern Festival: Where Lanterns Tell Stories

20/09/2025

A beacon of cultural pride, the Tuyen Quang Lantern Festival has evolved from a grassroots community event into a nationally recognized spectacle. Now holding multiple Guinness records, the festival is a vibrant showcase of creativity and tradition, where each giant lantern tells a story of its own, captivating both locals and international visitors.

Flying Over the Golden Terraces

15/09/2025

High above the northern mountains of Vietnam, paragliders drift over a sea of golden rice terraces that cascade down the hillsides like steps to the sky. What began in 2019 as an experimental flight in Tuyen Quang has quickly grown into a signature tourism event, drawing professional pilots and thrill-seeking travelers alike. From Nam Dich to Thong Nguyen and Hong Thai, each flight offers not just a panoramic view of nature’s grandeur, but also a deeper encounter with the resilience and creativity of the highland farmers who sculpt these living masterpieces from the mountains.

A Tapestry of Tradition: The Enduring Culture of the Phu La People

02/09/2025

Nestled within the rugged, sun-drenched highlands of northern Vietnam, a vibrant cultural tapestry unfolds. This is the home of the Phu La people, one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, whose population of just over 10,000 has masterfully preserved its unique identity against the currents of modern life. In provinces like Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, and Son La, the Phu La have woven their heritage into the very fabric of their daily existence, creating a legacy as rich and enduring as the brocade they meticulously craft.

Dong Van Old Quarter Welcomes Visitors with New Cultural Landmark

02/09/2025

Dong Van Old Quarter, the cultural heart of the Karst Plateau, has unveiled a new landmark with the inauguration of its Old Quarter project. Built entirely by local Mong artisans and funded through community contributions, the structure embodies both tradition and pride. With its stone pillars and yin–yang tiled roof, it adds a striking new check-in spot for visitors and a vibrant gateway to explore the history, culture, and daily life of the highlands.

Buckwheat Beer from Dong Van Plateau: A New Taste of Tradition and Innovation

30/08/2025

On the windswept heights of Dong Van Plateau, where buckwheat flowers paint the mountains purple each autumn, a new icon has been born: Buckwheat Beer. Crafted with European brewing artistry and rooted in the soil of Viet Nam’s northern highlands, it delivers a bold taste that is at once global in style and deeply local in spirit.

Black Tea – A Quintessential Gift from Nature

21/08/2025

Harvested from centuries-old Shan Tuyet tea trees on the high slopes of Tay Con Linh, black tea (Hong Tra) has become one of Tuyen Quang’s most distinctive specialties. With its ruby-red liquor, refined flavor, and health benefits, this quintessential gift from nature is winning the hearts of tea lovers across Viet Nam and beyond.

The Indigo Hue on the Costumes of Nung U Women

12/08/2025

Tucked away beneath the pristine forest of Deo Gio, Nam Dan commune has long been known as a place that preserves almost intact the traditional culture of the Nung U ethnic community. Amid the modern lifestyle that is steadily permeating highland villages, the Nung U people of Nam Dan continue to uphold the craft of indigo dyeing and brocade weaving, creating costumes rich in their distinctive cultural identity.

Pa Then Brocade Reaches the International Market

11/08/2025

For generations, the Pa Then ethnic community in Tan Trinh commune has preserved the traditional craft of brocade weaving. With intricate motifs and meticulous stitching, each brocade product embodies a living treasury of culture, blending the spirit, beliefs, and deep inner world of the Pa Then people.

The Indigo Garment Amid the Evergreen Mountains

30/07/2025

From the rocky mountain slopes to the rolling hillsides, the indigo garments of the Giay people have quietly endured through time, serving as a flowing cultural current in the vast forested highlands. Simple, yet elegant, the traditional attire of the Giay is not merely everyday clothing - it is a symbol that encapsulates the cultural, aesthetic, and spiritual values as well as the deep bond between the people and their homeland.

Dao Coming-of-Age Ceremony: The red thread connecting descendants with ancestors

21/07/2025

Amid the vast forests of the Northwestern highlands, as drums echo through the night and flickering lanterns illuminate stilt houses, a sacred and deeply humanistic ritual of the Dao ethnic group comes to life - the Cap Sac ceremony. Whether Red Dao or Indigo Dao, this age-old rite has long marked a man’s transition into adulthood, symbolizing maturity, duty, and spiritual legitimacy.

Chieu Lau Thi: Northeast Vietnam’s “Nine-Step” Summit into the Clouds

12/07/2025

Chieu Lau Thi offers more than just altitude—it presents a captivating blend of nature’s grandeur, cultural heritage, and the promise of atmospheric spectacles. Add this sentinel of the northeast to your travel bucket list.

Blanching Palm Fruit: A Mountain Tradition of Winter

10/07/2025

As winter arrives in the northern highlands, villagers take to the slopes with knives, baskets, and small pots in tow — not to forage, but to harvest something deeper than food. Blanched in hot water over open fires, the wild palm fruit becomes more than a seasonal snack. It is memory, survival, and mountain soul pressed into every bite.

Nam Dam – A Cultural Jewel Blossoming in Ha Giang’s Plateau

10/07/2025

Nestled amid the dramatic limestone peaks of the Đồng Văn Karst Plateau - Nam Dam Community Cultural Tourism Village in Quản Bạ commune offers a picturesque, storybook setting. Its pristine natural beauty and vibrant Dao ethnic traditions make it a favorite destination for both domestic and international travelers.

Aconite Porridge: Unique Taste in the Rocky Plateau

08/07/2025

If "pho chua" (sour pho) and "thang co" (horse meat hotpot) are the daytime specialties of highland markets, Aconite Porridge is the unique nighttime culinary delight of the Dong Van Rocky Plateau.

Nam Me Waterfall - a Natural Wonder Nestled in The Majestic Highlands of Tuyen Quang

21/06/2025

With a total height of 200 meters and 15 cascading tiers, Nam Me Waterfall is a breathtaking natural wonder in Lam Binh District, Tuyen Quang Province. A visit to this waterfall during the summer months offers not only a refreshing escape from the heat but also a deeper appreciation of the region’s majestic mountains and pristine forests.

The Sacred Bell Dance of the Dao People

01/05/2025

Tuyen Quang is the only province in Viet Nam that is home to all nine branches of the Dao ethnic group, with a population of nearly 100,000. As a result, the Dao people in Tuyen Quang have preserved a rich and distinctive cultural heritage, handed down through generations. One of the most significant expressions of this heritage is the sacred bell dance, an essential element of the Dao community’s cultural and spiritual life.

Enlivening the vitality of folk games of ethnic people in Tuyen Quang

25/04/2025