Ha Giang (VNS/VNA) – Ha Giang province is a wildand charming land, and much of the northern mountainous province is incrediblybeautiful, including Xa Phin Village, Phuong Tien Commune, Vi XuyenDistrict.

Xa Phin is a village of the ethnic Dao people nestled at the topof the imposing Tay Con Linh mountain peak.

Winding roads like silk ribbons, traditional stilthouses with mossy palm leaf roofs, the friendliness andhospitality of the locals and their traditional culture are all part of thecharm of Xa Phin.

The village is located at an altitude of 1,200m above sea leveland located on the road to the mountain peak of Tay Con Linh which spreads overthe districts of Hoang Su Phi and Vi Xuyen and is one of the highest mountainsin Vietnam.

Along winding roads through the mountainside, we were head to XaPhin and on the way, we explored the primaeval forest with rich and diversifiedvegetation and beautiful forest flowers.

The small and beautiful stilt houses were inserted into theterraced rice fields, hidden away in the mist. The rice fieldsstretched to the horizon, alternating between hills and streams and theopen space of the mountains and forests to create a charming beauty.

Going through the village's welcome gate, the small villageappeared unobtrusive and poetic. In the village, we experienced the uniqueculture of the Dao and saw the oldest Shan Tuyet tea trees which are hundredsof years old.

We seemed to be lost in green tea heaven. The fresh tea buds arerather big, coated with 'lanugo'. After being processed they are covered witha milky layer of 'snow' with aromatic scents. So it is called Shan Tuyet(snow). This tea tree is considered a huge part of the lives of people here.

"Xa Phin Village has a cool climate all year round so it issuitable for the growth and development of the Shan Tuyet tea tree. Manyancient tea trees have existed for many generations, witnessing many changes inthis village. Xa Phin villagers are very familiar with tea trees. In recentyears, Shan Tuyet tea has become the staple cash crop of the village, bringinga good income for locals,” said the head of Xa Phin Village, Dang Van Hau.

The village has 70 households, all of whom are ethnic Dao.People still retain many unique traditions which are expressed in customs,rituals, folk songs, folk dances, costumes, folk games and festivals suchas le cap sac (maturity ritual), a rite of passage declaringthe coming-of-age of Dao men.

These features are also the foundation for the village topromote ecotourism in association with building community-based culturaltourism village, according to Hau.

Ha Giang is also land with miracles of nature, among which arethe mysterious caves that visitors love checking out.

We continued our journey to visit Tung Ba cave in Hong TienVillage, Tung Ba Commune. Unlike most other caves, Tung Ba cave appears acrossthe mountainside, about 10m from the valley's surface.

Tung Ba is a system of large and small caves connected to eachother. It has exits and skylights. The cave is about 890m long and in someplaces up to 25m wide.

Tung Ba is surrounded by a complex of limestone mountains and arich valley. Along the valley, there also many ravines with other small caves.

The stalactite and stalagmite system of Tung Ba cave is verydiverse and colourful alongside the cool and pure water wells.Another rare feature is that the cave also has symbiotic products, adhering tothe walls, ceiling and bottom of the cave.

In the east of cave, there are primaeval forests with wildanimals like snub-nosed monkey which is one of the rarest primate species inthe world today and is endemic to Vietnam.

In this place, you can indulge in the pleasure of breathingfresh air and admire the beautiful natural scenery to forget the chaos ofthe city./.