Discover the flower road across two countries

The road is shimmering with flowers from Muong Xen town to Nam Can International Border Gate (Ky Son). Photo: Thanh Cuong

From Muong Xen town going up to Nam Can International Border Gate, the distant mountain slopes are covered with white-flowered reeds. Closer, right next to the road, is an endless carpet of brilliant yellow wild sunflowers.

The wild sunflowers here have their own beauty, different from other regions: the flowers are bigger, the color is bright yellow... This season, many flower-loving tourists come to Ky Son to see, take pictures, and "live virtual" with the sweet yellow color of the wild sunflowers under the passionate sunlight.

Wild sunflowers blooming yellow on both sides of the road. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In the villages on the last stretch of Highway 7, right in front of the houses of the Thai, Khmu, Mong... ethnic groups, poinsettias have bloomed bright red. The people of Ky Son love to grow flowers, it is a habit deeply ingrained in their way of life. Poinsettias to the people here mean luck, peace, reunion, happiness, and a strong belief in the future... It is not known when this flower, originating from Mexico, first appeared in Ky Son, but today it has beautified and warmed the border region of Nghe An.

Poinsettia flowers bloom red in front of the porch of a Mong ethnic house in Ky Son. Photo: Duc Anh

Adorning the stilt houses and wooden houses in this border area are not only poinsettias but also many red-purple cockscomb flowers, persimmon gardens starting to turn yellow and ripen, and wild lilies with drooping white flowers.

Unlike the lilies of the lowlands, the flowers here have whiter petals, are more fragile and seem purer. In the hazy morning mist, visitors will "fall in love" and become poets because... they have fallen in love!

To explore the flower road across two countries, visitors need to calculate the schedule to come here on Sunday. On the other side of Nam Can International Border Gate is the land of Dinh Dam village, Noong Het commune, Xieng Khouang province, Laos has a special market called Huu Nghi market. The market was formed many years ago, to promote cultural and commercial exchange between the two countries.

People from both countries come here to exchange and explore each other's cultural beauty. Photo: Duc Anh

Huu Nghi Market converges all the best cultural values. People bring here many agricultural products such as sticky rice, black chicken, black pig and vegetables, tubers, fruits...; bring colorful brocades. The two most typical things of Huu Nghi Market are grilled meat enjoyed on the spot and bunches of tiny yellow mustard flowers picked from the high mountain slopes.

Grilled dishes are a specialty of Huu Nghi market. Photo: Thanh Cuong

If you have time and your passport, you should go deeper into the interior of Xieng Khouang province. There, the flower road stretches endlessly. Wild sunflowers are bright yellow in the valleys. In the garden, the peach blossoms in Noong Het district have bloomed. The climate of Xieng Khouang plateau "allows" peach blossoms here to bloom up to 3 times a year...

Xieng Khouang Plateau has recorded many heroic feats of arms of Vietnamese volunteers who helped their country in the past. Today, there are still many Vietnamese soldiers and experts who remain here and cannot return to their homeland. Xieng Khouang has also entered the dry season - the festival season and also the season of brilliant flowers.

Having the opportunity to explore the flower road of 2 countries, tourists should once visit and explore the famous landscapes of the neighboring country, which are: Tat Kha Waterfall in Khang Pha Nien village, Noong Het district. The waterfall has a charming primitive beauty, considered one of the most beautiful in Southeast Asia; Ban Noi and Ban Nhay hot springs in Muong Kham district. The spring has a year-round temperature of over 60 degrees Celsius and the world-famous Plain of Jars is extremely attractive with its legends and magical stories.../.