Attractive destinations in Quy Chau district

Highlights of Hang Bua Festival

On January 20-22 (lunar calendar) every year, people in Quy Chau district in particular and ethnic minorities in the Northwest of Nghe An excitedly attend the Bua cave festival held in Chau Tien commune. This is the biggest festival of the year, an opportunity for people in Quy Chau (now) - the ancient Chieng Ngam Muong, to send their spiritual wishes and review the legend of a festival imbued with myths.

According to ancient legend, the famous Bua cave is associated with the faithful love between the beautiful, talented singer Ni and the gentle, honest Ban; later, every spring, young men and women in the area would gather in the cave to confide and pray for good things for their happiness. Over time, this habit became an annual festival of the local people.

The Hang Bua Festival is also an opportunity for locals and tourists to return to participate in the festival, immerse themselves in cultural and artistic activities; experience unique and impressive folk games; and admire stalactites with strange and vivid shapes inside the cave.

The Hang Bua Festival consists of a ceremony and a festival. The festival includes cultural activities such as camping, performing arts competitions, Thai writing competitions, weaving and spinning competitions, and presentation of Thai cuisine; physical education, sports, and folk games such as crossbow shooting, stilt walking, gong carving, swinging, stick pushing, tug of war, and throwing cones, all imbued with the traditional identity.

Mr. Nguyen Hung Cuong - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Quy Chau district said: “From the first days of January 2024, the District People's Committee issued a plan to organize the Hang Bua Festival, established the Organizing Committee, and held meetings to assign tasks to members. The highlight of the opening night of the festival is the "Beauty of Hang Bua" contest along with art programs imbued with the cultural identity of the Thai people, attracting thousands of visitors from near and far to attend; thereby, the image of Quy Chau land and people is more widely promoted...”.

Unique tourism potential

Coming to Hang Bua Festival, visitors not only get to immerse themselves in the joyful and bustling atmosphere with the ethnic people of Quy Chau district, but also visit the relics and famous landscapes of Quy Chau district such as the tomb - stele - apple tree cluster of Doc Binh Lang Van Thiet, the Museum of Ethnic Cultures of Quy Chau district, the cave cluster of Tham Om, Tham Chang, Ton That, Tat Ngoi waterfall, Dua waterfall, ancient Thai village, brocade weaving village - community tourism of Hoa Tien village...

Currently, Quy Chau district has 4 villages oriented to develop community tourism, namely: Hoa Tien 1, Hoa Tien 2, Chau Tien commune; Ke Can village, Chau Binh commune; Minh Chau village, Chau Hanh commune. In Hoa Tien village, up to 98% of Thai ethnic people live peacefully along the poetic Hieu river, with 386 households and more than 300 stilt houses. In the village, there are currently 10 households upgraded to community guesthouses. In 2021, Hoa Tien Village Community Tourism Cooperative was established and recognized by the province as a 3-star OCOP product, basically meeting the needs of sightseeing and experiencing community tourism.

To promote the development of the tourism industry, in recent times, tourist accommodation establishments in the district have been invested in building spacious and high-quality facilities, with 6 accommodation establishments, motels, hotels, a total of 84 rooms, 170 beds; 9 homestays that can serve 220 guests/day and night; 156 food and beverage establishments, with local specialties to meet the enjoyment needs of tourists and local people.

Attention is paid to the preservation and promotion of traditional values ​​of ethnic minorities; in the district, there are 24 traditional cultural preservation clubs, including 1 provincial cultural club (Hoa Tien village, Chau Tien commune). Along with that, traditional cultural values ​​such as handicrafts (brocade weaving, bamboo and rattan weaving, incense rolling...); typical local products: honey, medicinal wine, culinary dishes...

In particular, to facilitate tourists when coming to attractive tourist destinations in the area, Quy Chau district has formed the tour "Back to the ancient land of Quy Chau". The tour lasts 2 days and 1 night with the schedule: Quy Chau red rock area, Khe Ban waterfall (Chau Binh commune) - Quy Chau district Ethnic Culture Museum (Tan Lac town) - Hoa Tien community tourism village - Chieng Ngam temple - Hang Bua (Chau Tien).

Thanks to the good implementation of policies and tourism development projects, in 2023, Quy Chau district welcomed about 16,000 visitors; including 4 international delegations from China, Italy, Germany, Russia; estimated revenue reached over 3.8 billion VND. Tourist attractions include: Museum of Ethnic Cultures, Hoa Tien community tourism village, Bua cave - Chieng Ngam temple, Khe Ban waterfall, Dua waterfall, Rabbit Garden eco-tourism area, etc.

Mr. Le Thanh Ha - Vice Chairman of Quy Chau District People's Committee said: "To develop Quy Chau tourism to its full potential, in the coming time, the district will focus resources to complete the Museum of Culture of Western Nghe An Ethnic Groups in Quy Chau district; Initial investment in infrastructure of some scenic areas such as Khe Ban waterfall, Khe My waterfall, Hoa Tien community tourism village to be ready to welcome tourists, thereby promoting the image and attracting investment for tourism. At the same time, invest in upgrading the relic site of Doc Binh Lang Van Thiet in Chau Hoi commune; review the master plan of Bua Cave relic and Chieng Ngam temple to make appropriate adjustments, do a good job of investment preparation... strive to have more and more tourists coming to Quy Chau in the coming years".