Western tourists eat with locals, play flutes and panpipes in Lao Xa ancient village

Gathering around a tray of food filled with delicious dishes typical of the Mong people, everyone happily raised their glasses to the rhythm of the homestay owner, regardless of nationality.

Eating with locals in Lao Xa ancient village

About 4km from National Highway 4C, the winding road leading to Lao Xa village (Sung La commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang) is immersed in a misty fog, the higher you go, the thicker the fog becomes. But the fresh air and coolness in Lao Xa make visitors forget all their fatigue.

Lao Xa ancient village does not have houses built close together, but instead has rammed earth houses typical of the Mong people on the rocky plateau. Coming to Lao Xa at the end of March, the peach and pear trees in the village are full of lovely young fruits, making the ancient village amidst the poetic rocky mountains even more poetic.

Mr. Vang Mi Hong - owner of Lao Xa ancient house, the first homestay in the village - said that this house has been home to three generations of his family for more than 70 years and is also where his family welcomes guests.

In the yard, several foreign guests arrived early to sip coffee and enjoy the fresh spring air of the highlands.

At 7 p.m., Mr. Hong brought each tray of fragrant food to the house. Today, the homestay was full, and guests were seated together in the main room of the old house.

Stir-fried cabbage, stir-fried noodles, grilled pork with mac khen, smoked meat, fried eggs… each dish has a strong Vietnamese flavor. Holding a glass of corn wine in his hand, Mr. Hong spoke both Vietnamese and English to introduce and invite the distinguished guests to his house for a meal with a toast in the Mong language.

Not sure if it was because she was tired after a long day or because the food was to her liking, but Ms. Clione (a French tourist) felt that the host's cooking skills were excellent, every dish was delicious. Having more Vietnamese friends also made her feel warm.

Western tourists try playing flute and panpipe at Lao Xa ancient house

After the meal, Mr. Hong took down the panpipe hanging on the wall and introduced to the foreign guests the traditional musical instruments of his people (panpipe, flute).

The beauty of the art of the Hmong flute is that the player has to play and dance to the melody. By the flickering fire, the space in the old house seemed warmer. Mr. Hong was passionately playing the flute, while the tourists watched attentively, occasionally a few foreign guests exclaimed with interest. As soon as the flute ended, everyone clapped their hands to cheer for the host.

With just a few instructions from the host, Ms. Clione transformed into a Mong girl with her own Khen tune. At first, she was just getting used to the Khen, but gradually this girl began to dance to the melody and imitate exactly the gestures of Mr. Hong in the previous performance.

"Because I didn't know the plan in advance, all my experiences were very surprising and interesting. The air here is very different from Hanoi, very fresh, like a place for me to heal and refresh myself. Ha Giang not only has beautiful scenery but also has the friendliness and hospitality of people like Hong's family", said Ms. Bui Thi Thom (Hanoi).

As for Ms. Clione, she seemed to have found herself again in Lao Xa. She had loved drawing since she was a child, but it had been a long time since she had picked up a pen to draw. The beauty of the people and landscape of Ha Giang urged her to put pen to paper and record those beautiful moments in a small notebook.

"I arrived in Ha Giang two days ago and drove a motorbike from Ha Giang city here. Ha Giang is really a beautiful land, we were very surprised. We always receive support from everyone, they are very friendly.

I will return to Ha Giang. I really like this land and want to share with my friends about Ha Giang and come here together," Ms. Clione expressed.