Captivated by winter travel in the highlands of Ky Son.
With its distinctive highland topography and scenery, Ky Son is known as the "Sa Pa of Nghe An." In late autumn and early winter, anyone who visits this majestic mountainous region is captivated. They are enchanted by the beautiful, pristine, and cool landscapes, along with the unique customs, traditions, and cuisine of the area.
Enjoy "cloud hunting" to your heart's content.
Hearing the notification sound, I opened my phone. A series of stunning photos my friend had just sent. I gazed in admiration at each picture she had taken with the mountains and forests of the highlands of Ky Son. My petite friend looked radiant amidst the endless clouds, mountains, and vibrant red rhododendrons covering the Puxailaileng range, which is over 2,700 meters above sea level.
You excitedly "boasted": This is my second time visiting Na Ngoi in Ky Son, and each time I've had unforgettable experiences and want to return. This time, I arrived just as the weather turned cool, with a refreshing breeze, a clear blue sky, and gentle golden sunshine. Along the way, vast fields of white reeds on the mountain slopes shimmered with silver in the sunlight. Interspersed between the layers of interconnected mountain ranges were layers of pristine white clouds, giving the feeling of standing amidst a sea of clouds, on the mountaintop.
Words cannot adequately describe it; only direct experience can truly capture the grandeur and captivating beauty of the pristine, sacred atmosphere of the mountains and clouds. Standing before such majestic nature, time seems to stand still, and one's heart becomes calm, peaceful, and free from the worries and hustle of life.
I've been to Na Ngoi many times, but like my friend, each visit to the mountains and forests of the Puxailaileng range brings a new feeling. It's located more than 20km from National Highway 7, with a convenient paved road. Along the way, passing through winding roads, visitors can admire the misty villages, the thatched roofs with warm smoke rising from them, mingling with the cool morning mist; gaze at the mountain peaks hidden in swirling white clouds; and admire the fresh green of the forests and terraced rice fields, a characteristic feature of the highlands.
In Na Ngoi, besides being immersed in the clouds, mountains, and rivers, visitors can also enjoy local cuisine and experience the unique cultural life of the Mong ethnic people. Now, there is an experiential tour called "Cloud Hunting on Puxailaileng Peak," accompanied by local people, experts, and safety personnel, allowing visitors to return to nature, to the purity and freshness found only in this high mountain and cloud-covered region.
Na Ngoi commune, a tourist destination offering a visit to Puxailaileng peak, the highest mountain in the North Central region, attracts adventurous tourists with its many stunning landscapes: cloud hunting, admiring rhododendron blossoms amidst rich vegetation, and centuries-old trees... This unique scenery gives Na Ngoi a mysterious yet captivating charm, satisfying visitors' curiosity about the beauty of nature's gifts.
Winter tourism in Ky Son also offers many experiences associated with tours and routes such as: the Muong Xen - Muong Long - My Ly route. This route includes many destinations such as: Tam Hoa plum orchards, peach orchards, strawberry gardens, 7-leaf 1-flower ginseng gardens...; Muong Long Sky Gate, Tu Cave, Bat Cave... in Muong Long commune; Tham Dan Cave, Xop Lot ancient tower in Yen Hoa village, My Ly commune; Pơ Mu forests in Tay Son and Huoi Tu communes; and boat tours with adventurous experiences on the Nam Non River…
Making tourism sustainable
Recognizing ecotourism and community-based tourism as sustainable directions for the socio-economic development of the district, from the beginning of the term, Ky Son district has had a plan to guide and implement the development of tourism and services, exploiting the potential and advantages of the locality. This includes the project to build an ecotourism and community-based tourism route linked with spiritual tourism in the period 2020-2025. Many initiatives and coordinations between various levels and sectors, along with the locality, have been undertaken to gradually develop tourism in Ky Son, especially winter tourism. Along with policy support, individuals and organizations operating and doing business in tourism services in Ky Son are becoming increasingly dynamic and bold in investing, creating many new features for this destination.
Accommodation services are one of the key factors driving the development of the local tourism industry, and also a condition for attracting and retaining tourists to visit, experience, and return many times. Therefore, more and more establishments offering professional tourism and accommodation services, reflecting the unique character of the highlands perpetually shrouded in clouds, are appearing in Ky Son.
On the scenic route from Muong Xen town to the "paradise of mist and flowers, Muong Long," visitors can explore a forest of over 5,000 cypress trees, take photos with lush green Shan snow tea hills, and admire the endless stretches of white reeds. After stopping at a coffee shop halfway up the mountain in Trung Tam village, Huoi Tu commune, they will pass through Xop Tu crossroads market to reach Muong Long.
Visiting this small roadside market, tourists can enjoy fragrant, chewy, and flavorful sticky rice cakes made from glutinous rice grown by the local people themselves; buy natural products from the mountains and forests, and from the diligent hands of the local people: taro, mustard greens, ginger, mắc khén (a type of spice), various vegetables, bamboo shoots, brocade fabrics, and woven bamboo and rattan items…
After taking photos together at the Muong Long Sky Gate, visitors can choose to stay at one of three homestays or the modern Muong Long Eco resort.
At homestays in Muong Long, visitors from afar are served signature dishes made from ingredients raised and prepared by the local people: smoked black pork, grilled over charcoal with mắc khén spice; black chicken cooked with medicinal herbs, sticky rice, grilled fish, grilled black chicken with mắc khén spice, accompanied by fresh mountain cucumbers and sweet, refreshing mustard greens… Enjoying fragrant marinated and grilled pork and chicken by the warm fire, along with a glass of strong rice wine, the chill of the mountains suddenly becomes gentle and sweet. In Muong Long, one day is not enough to experience all the scenery.
Besides Muong Long, which now has additional accommodation options, the Nam Can border market also has homestays serving people from afar and tourists who want to experience the border market and enjoy the products of the people of Vietnam and Laos, which takes place every Sunday. From Muong Xen to other localities with tourist attractions, there are also many homestays and accommodations such as: Phanh Dan guesthouse, Hai Van guesthouse, Tao Non Dam homestay in Muong Xen town, Ngoc Tram guesthouse in Chieu Luu commune; Pu Nghieng farm in Ta Ca commune…
The leaders of Ky Son district affirmed that, through the implementation of the tourism development orientation, the nascent tourism industry in the district has gradually formed tourism products, and the number of visitors has increased steadily, showing a clear transformation in the tourism industry. Infrastructure serving tourism has been gradually invested in, and promotion and investment attraction efforts have been strengthened.
Currently, with the support and attention from all levels and sectors from the central to provincial governments in guiding the socio-economic development of the district in accordance with Resolution No. 39/NQ-TW on the development of Nghe An province, including the development orientation of Western Nghe An, Ky Son is striving to implement programs and projects in line with sustainable development directions, helping to exploit potential and strengths, including the development of tourism services in the direction of ecotourism and community tourism while ensuring sustainable environmental protection.
