HA GIANG – At the end of autumn, pink buckwheat flowers bloom, giving the Suoi Thau steppe – “Ha Giang’s miniature Switzerland” a poetic beauty.
In the past 3 years, Suoi Thau steppe, Coc Pai town, Xin Man district has become an attractive tourist destination, considered the “miniature Switzerland” of Ha Giang.
Suoi Thau is located at an altitude of 1,200 m above sea level, in Nan Ma commune, which connects Xin Man district (Ha Giang) with Bac Ha district (Lao Cai). The steppe is more than 90 hectares wide, nearly 5 km from Coc Pai town.
Each season, the steppe wears different colors. In spring, yellow mustard flowers bloom. Summer is the green color of corn fields, rice fields, and grasslands. Autumn is the time when Suoi Thau is most beautiful and vibrant with the pink and white colors of buckwheat flowers mixed with tall rows of rosewood.
Visitors can see the views of Pa Vay Su, Chi Ca, Then Phang, Coc Re communes, Coc Pai town or the Chay river winding around three sides of the steppe.
Buckwheat is a typical flower, signaling that Ha Giang is at its most beautiful season of the year. The flowers bloom in clusters, the petals are bunched together into a cone shape, initially white, with a pinkish tinge. Towards the end of the season, when cold air prevails, the petals turn pinkish purple, a darker shade.
Not only does it bring beauty to Ha Giang, buckwheat flowers are also used as a food, made into cakes or some other local dishes.
When he learned that buckwheat flowers had bloomed, Mr. Nguyen Cong Uy (33 years old, Hanoi) went to Suoi Thau on September 13 – 15 to see with his own eyes the most famous flower of the rocky plateau for the first time. From Hanoi, he took a bus to Ha Giang City and rented a motorbike with his friend to Suoi Thau. The distance from Ha Giang City to here is about 140 km.
After 7.5 hours of traveling, he arrived at the foot of Suoi Thau mountain. At that time, it was raining heavily, the road was muddy and the clouds were thick, so he stopped at a cafe. At around 4:30 p.m., the rain stopped and the sun was shining, he had more than an hour to walk, take photos and admire the dreamy beauty of the steppe during buckwheat flower season.
The first time he came to Suoi Thau to see buckwheat flowers, Uy was impressed by the scenery that was both brilliant and gentle. “The triangle of white and pink buckwheat, rice and yellow-ripe corn blends with the green of the mountain nature, and tall rosewood trees create a poetic scene,” he said.
Although he has traveled to many places in the Northern mountains, he said that no place has ever given him such a gentle, poetic feeling. You have to come and see it in person to understand why people call Suoi Thau “miniature Switzerland”, the natural scenery is extremely peaceful like in a fairy tale.
At the end of the season, when it is about to fade, the white and pink flowers turn dark red. This is the time when the buckwheat flower fields in Suoi Thau are at their most beautiful, the colors are bright and clear under the floating fog.
Vu Dang Phuong (26 years old, Thai Binh) is a tour guide with 6 years of experience leading guests to Ha Giang. Phuong said that Suoi Thau often enters the buckwheat flower season earlier than other places. This year, the flower season starts around the beginning of September and lasts until the end of October.
Buckwheat flowers bloom from October to December. If you miss the buckwheat flower season in Suoi Thau, visitors can go to some other localities such as Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac, Dong Van.
Although it has attracted a large number of tourists in recent years, Suoi Thau is still a pristine steppe without many services and amenities. Mr. Uy and his group of friends mainly walked around to take photos. From the foot of the mountain to the top, there are a number of cafes for visitors to rest and stay.
Service prices here are relatively soft. The cost for Mr. Uy’s two-day trip is about two million VND, including a two-way bus of about 500,000 VND per person, a motorbike rental cost of about 250,000 VND per motorbike per day, and the rest is personal expenses and expenses. room fee.
On the way from Ha Giang City to Suoi Thau, provincial road 177 is under construction, with a lot of mud, dirt, and rocks. Tourists should be careful to avoid going here. If starting from Bac Quang or Bac Ha to Suoi Thau, the distance will be shorter. At the same time, visitors should check the weather forecast before going and avoid going on rainy days because mountain passes and mountains are dangerous, especially for those with weak driving skills.
Suoi Thau is considered to become an attractive destination of Xin Man district with potential types of tourism such as camping, mountain biking, paragliding and agricultural tourism. The local government aims to continue promoting the exploitation of Suoi Thau by 2025 by investing in building more accommodation and tourism service providers, contributing to creating jobs and income for local community, according to the website of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Giang province.
($1=24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)