Mai Chau is a famous tourist destination with Ban Lac for quite a long time. Recently, the tourist map in Mai Chau has expanded. Have you heard about Pa Co village?
Pa Co is located in the extreme west of Hoa Binh province, on the border with Son La province. Pa Co village is home to the H’mong ethnic that makes up 0,52% of the population in Hoa Binh.
At the height of 1.000 meters above sea level, Pa Co is always wrapped in white cloud creating a very poetic scenery withplum & peach gardens. Tourists stay in Pa Co can enjoy a fresh and mild mountainous climate. Pa Co shares the same weather features and ethnic cultures with Sapa but the difference is: it’s less crowded, less professional and that’s make Pa Co a pristine place. Of course there’s tourist service but there’s no hotel room, no restaurant, no bar and coffee… Accommodation is provided by local people’s living houses with original H’Mong architechture and modern rest room, how cool is this!?
The H’mong with their rather primary customs and manners will bring tourists a truly traditional H’Mong style. They are very famous with special art of embroideries dress in wearing culture. H’Mong women’s traditional clothes including: Non Cut, Xoe rong dresses which are very sophisticated in design.
Staying in Pa Co, tourist will be introduced to the Pa Co – Hang Kia Nature Reserve. For nature lovers, it’s definitely a good idea. The site lies in the limestone range that extends south-east from the Son La plateau to Cuc Phuong National Park. The main physical feature within Pa Co-Hang Kia is a high ridge, which reaches 1,536 m in the north-west of the nature reserve, and gradually decreases in altitude to the east. Most of the nature reserve lies above 500 m.
The geology is characterised by limestone, which is partly of a non-karst nature, and has been eroded into a series of rugged, steep-sided hills between some flatter valleys. Surface water is seasonal in the nature reserve, even in the populated valleys. Water sources dry up during the dry season, and rains are quickly absorbed into underground systems.
Scientists report that there are still hundreds of hectares of primary forest in the inaccessible limestone karst as well as on the high mountain peaks. However, most of the forest in the nature reserve is restricted to ridges and hill tops, while valley bottoms have been cleared for wet rice cultivation and lower slopes for shifting cultivation of maize and cassava.
There are unique culture and diverse nature together, Pa Co is a peaceful original destination that has been appointed its name on the Northern tourist map. More people getting to Pa Co to discover, hopefully the local authority already has the policies to develop sustainable tourism in order to keep this place pristine permanently.
Compiled My Hanh - TITC
