(TITC) – With beautiful scenery, fresh climate, unique cultural identity of the Mong and Dao ethnic people, Chieng Di 1 Village in Van Ho Commune, Van Ho District, Son La Province has become an attractive tourist destination.
Located close to Highway 6, bordering Moc Chau – Van Ho districts, Chieng Di 1 Village is beautiful all year round.
When spring comes, the whole village is brilliant with the colors of plum and peach blossoms. The whole sky and earth seem to be covered with the pure white color of plum blossoms, see the pinkish color of peach blossoms. In the summer, the village is green with surrounding tea hills.
Autumn comes, fields of yellow and white mustard flowers spread throughout the village. In the winter season, the yellow color of wild sunflowers behind the mist creates a peaceful, poetic look, inviting visitors to experience and explore.
Mr. Vang A Thanh – Head of Chieng Di 1 village said that the village has 174 households of Mong and Dao ethnic groups. Currently, people in the village still preserve traditional cultural features, such as: costumes, cuisine, folk games, folk arts, Khen musical instruments and paper making crafts, forge knives, weave cloth, print patterns with beeswax… The village also has typical agricultural products such as rice, taro, peaches, plums, mustard greens…
In order to develop community tourism, Chieng Di 1 Community Tourism Management Board was established. Members are tourism households in the village.
The board has established a brocade group and a bamboo souvenir group to produce craft souvenirs. Currently, there are 10 households in the village – owners of homestays, resorts and restaurants.
With the awareness of preserving and promoting the cultural values of local people associated with community tourism development, the people of Chieng Di 1 village organize a market every Saturday night.
At the market, people sell handicrafts, brocade, and local agricultural products. Coming to the market, visitors can also experience pounding day cakes of the Mong people; revel in the bell dances of the Dao ethnic group and the floating dance of the Mong ethnic group and try ethnic dishes.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, a tourist from Nam Dinh city, said: Coming to the village, we experienced the unique culture of the Mong and Do ethnic people through eating and living with local people, enjoying specialties of the mountains and forests such as buffalo meat, grilled beef, five-color sticky rice, vegetable salad… that gives us many emotions, allowing us to rest and relax with relatives and friends.
In order to support community tourism development, in 2022, Van Ho district invested in a 2.5km lighting system in Chieng Di 1 community tourism village meeting the entertainment at night.
In particular, the community project “Ban Art_Stay – Once you go to the mountain, you will stay in the village” implemented by a group of pianist Pho An My and artists in 2002 has called local people to restore traditional houses, preserve the beauty of ethnic culture.
Along with that, the group of artists turned the boring concrete walls into colorful paintings recreating the life and culture of the Mong and Dao people in the village. It creates vivid images in harmony with nature, without disrupting the landscape and adding impressive highlights.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lu, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Van Ho district, shared: by the project “Ban Art Stay”, people in the village have become aware of tourism development towards green and sustainable tourism. The preservation of the natural landscape is enhanced and thereby creates eco-tourism products, increasing tourism value, raising people’s income.
At the end of May 2023, Chieng Di 1 village was recognized as a provincial tourist destination by the People’s Committee of Son La province. This is an important premise for Chieng Di 1 to develop sustainable community tourism associated with preserving the natural landscape, promoting national cultural identities.
Tourism Information Technology Center
