In the last days of 2021, Ms. Bich Van traveled alone from Gia Lai and then went around Lao Cai to climb Nhiu Co San, Ngu Chi Son, Ky Quan San…
On the first day of December 2021, Mrs. Bich Van, 58 , flew out to Hanoi, and her “companion” was a PCX motorcycle that was sent out first. Not staying in Hanoi due to fear of the epidemic, Ms. Van took a bus straight to Sa Pa (Lao Cai), then drove her own motorbike. Previously, through a climbing group on Facebook, she had another companion from Quy Nhon. Two people meet in Sa Pa to climb some mountain peaks.
Ms. Van shared that before, she was not passionate about climbing, but as a lover of backpacking, traveling and discovering the beauty of the country, she set her own challenges. This time, she set a goal to welcome the dawn on the top of Fansipan, climb the 4 arcs of Ngu Chi Son, Nhiu Co San, Bach Moc Luong Tu (Kuan Quan San) and Lao Than’s Lao Cai. Previously in August 2021, she successfully climbed Ta Chi Nhu, Lung Cung, Ta Xua of Yen Bai province and Chieu Lau Thi (Ha Giang).
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Ms. Van chooses the end of the year to climb the mountain because she wants to experience the winter in the North, and at the same time, where she lives and Sa Pa is a green and yellow area, so she can safely explore. On this occasion, she also aims to conquer the points missed in the previous trip because of Covid-19 such as the westernmost point in A Pa Chai, Dien Bien province and one of the “four great peaks” of Pha Din. Besides Fansipan, she went up by cable car and stayed for one night, the other peaks she climbed by herself. Before leaving, she prepared many nCoV rapid test kits, hand sanitizer and masks to ensure safety.
On December 3, 2021, when the Fansipan cable car resort reopened, Ms. Van pre-registered with the management board to spend the night on the top of the mountain to catch the sunrise. On the last cable car of the day, she had time to watch the magnificent sunset on the “Roof of Indochina”. Although sleeping in a cafe near the cable car, carrying a sleeping bag and warm clothes, at night the temperature on the top of the mountain dropped to minus 4 degrees, still making her shiver. She shared that she had a restless night’s sleep, partly because her limbs were frozen, hypothermia, partly because she was too eager to come early in the morning. When it was still dark and the stairs were still covered with a thin layer of hoarfrost, Mrs. Van managed to climb to the top of Fansipan, waved the flag to welcome the moment the sun came out, forming a red glow on the misty horizon.
After descending the mountain, Mrs. Van visited Sa Pa when there was a cherry apricot garden in full bloom, then drove with her companions to Suoi Thau 2 village to conquer Ngu Chi Son (December 7). The next peak is Bach Moc Luong Tu (December 16). From here, they divided into two different routes, Ms. Van continued to climb Lao Than (December 21) and Nhiu Co San (December 24).
On the way, Mrs. Van always drives herself because she said that her scooter is very heavy, anyone who is not used to falling easily on the mountain road. The way she often looks with Google maps, but in many places, there are no waves or the roads are too small, to enter the village, you have to ask the people. In Lao Cai, there are many ethnic people living, so it is not easy to communicate in the Kinh language. Mrs. Van has to print large pictures and then show them for them to understand and give directions.
Before climbing the mountain, Mrs. Van often looks at the weather forecast to choose warm, sunny days. On bad weather days, she spent driving to explore the surrounding scenery such as 2 elm trees in Choan Then village, Thien Sinh bridge, also known as landmark number 87 (Y Ty, Bat Xat). In addition, she also had the opportunity to visit the villages and discover the living customs of the local people.
Of the four mountains climbing this time, Lao Than is the “easiest to breathe” for her, the rest are very difficult and take a lot of effort. Ngu Chi Son is the 15th highest mountain in Vietnam, but in terms of difficulty. From afar, visitors can see 5 peaks standing like a hand reaching up to the sky.
Mrs. Van and the porter left at 8am, when the sky was clear and the road was less slippery. From the foot of the mountain to the camp, it takes about 6 hours, which goes through many different terrains such as barren hills, open forests, old forests, large timber forests and continuous steep slopes when approaching the shack located on a cliff. . Mrs. Van shared that this place is still wild, there is no camping spot along the way, so she can only try to climb to the shack. Springwater is about 2 km away, so the porters have a hard time carrying tourists.
They stayed in a shack for one night and started at 4 a.m. to continue climbing to the top to catch the sunrise. The road at this time is full of rocks and steep, the wind blows, making it easier to make people afraid and want to give up. When she reached the top of the mountain around 6:30 a.m., all of her efforts were rewarded with a dim sunrise. Because there are no tall trees on the top, you can see far away, below is a sea of floating clouds.
The time she climbed the highest peak, Bach Moc Luong Tu (3,046 m), was when the rain stopped, the road was muddy and muddy, so she had to wear boots. The climbing route is about 12 km long, starting from Sang Ma Sao commune to the shack. Crossing the slippery stream because of moss and primeval forest, she came to the slope of Nui Muoi, this is also where people set up shacks to stay overnight. From here to the Ky Quan San landmark is about 6 km, a challenge even for young people.
Early the next morning, Mrs. Van faced a challenge through the back of a dinosaur. There is rugged terrain with cliffs on both sides and you have to go along small rocks, with high and steep sections. After a long drive the day before, at this time her knee joints were very painful, so she could no longer walk but had to crawl and drag many parts. After reaching the top of Ky Quan San, there are still many challenges on the way back. Many young people traveling at the same time were tired, so they had to carry and carry them back, but Mrs. Van knew that she had the strength to go, so she tried to go by herself. “I consider myself fat and big, so I don’t dare ask anyone to carry me, if I go slowly and persistently, I will conquer it by myself,” she laughed and said.
The journey to climb Nhiu Co San peak with her is “the most memorable”. Because the schedule to climb this peak was delayed for a long time, even though she knew it was raining lightly, she was still forced to climb. This is also the day the North welcomes an intensification of cold air. At first, there was only light rain and fog, so she and Porter still decided to climb in the morning and go to the queen bee waterfall to enjoy the scenery. When they were walking in the middle of the road, they began to hear the sound of heavy rain, then thunderous hail, but fortunately there was a ledge to shelter from the rain.
After half an hour the rain stopped they continued, but at this time the rocks were still standing on the grass and the ground, forming an area of freezing cold air. Mrs. Van clearly felt her upper body numb, her hands could not move and her lips began to swell. The path at this time is narrow, slippery like ice skating and many have many cliffs, so she has to walk step by step. She shared that because this is the last mountain, she doesn’t want to have any problems, especially because she is old, so all she needs to do is slip and fall and sprain or affect bones and joints.
When they reached the top of the mountain, Mrs. Van met a group of 40 people ahead, it seemed that they encountered hail, so they were very tired, and helped each other down the mountain. Here, Porter lit a fire for her to warm her hands and feet, then ate boiled eggs and prepared rice Lam before leaving. After taking pictures, Mrs. Van went down the mountain along the goat farm road and arrived at the shack when she encountered a second hailstorm, followed by heavy rain that lasted for an hour. Although it was still raining, she still had to hurry down the mountain before dark, so she wore 2 raincoats, previously warmed gloves, and local kitchen gloves to return. On the way, they saw red maple trees dotted along the road. Mrs. Van was a little regretful that she couldn’t see the sky in the late afternoon because there was still a lot of fog because it had just rained.
After resting for a few days after climbing the mountain, Mrs. Van continued to travel alone to Lai Chau, Moc Chau (Son La) and then Dien Bien. Here, at the westernmost tip of A Pa Chai, she did not forget to visit the historical site of Dien Bien Phu Battlefield. Then she drove along the East Truong Son road, the Ho Chi Minh trail straight to Gia Lai. In the past, Ms. Van has traveled many times, including two trips across Vietnam by motorbike. So this trip only focuses on climbing, not on attractions or crowded places.
Ms. Van shared that to conquer high mountains, you need to exercise regularly. Because she lived in the Central Highlands, before going to the North in winter, she had to train herself by bathing in the rain a few times. Recognizing that she is quite a brave person, Ms. Van is not afraid when going on a trip alone, although she always pays attention to walking and eating to ensure safety. She knows that her husband and children are always worried about her safety, but still support her to fulfill her passion. She said that in March, she will climb the northern mountains during the blooming azalea season and continue to explore while she has health and time.
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