With its rustic and unspoiled beauty, Phieng Phang not only contributes a pure green destination to Ba Be District of Bac Kan Province but also possesses precious "treasures" with the traditional culture of the Dao ethnic minority group, the quintessence of heaven and earth in a special kind of sticky rice (named Tai), and unique and charming scenery.
Phieng Phan Village is famous for special Tai sticky rice.
Less than 10km from the centre of Yen Duong Commune, in addition to community-based tourism forms, Phieng Phan Village has been famous for a special rice variety, named Tai sticky rice, which has soft and flexible grains and a characteristic aroma. Here, the rice fields give charm to the village. The undulating terraced fields wind around the hills and then down near the stream. In the village, rice fields are intertwined with the spaces and flatter fields, bringing a peaceful beauty.
Since welcoming visitors, the rice fields in the village have added a new highlight as scenes have been cleverly decorated with environmentally friendly items for tourists to rest, take photos and admire the scenery. The attractiveness of the terraced fields changes in different seasons, with the most typical beauty seen during the water floating season and ripe rice season. In Phieng Phang, after harvest, sticky rice is not only dried for storage throughout the year but also processed manually to make com (a kind of green rice pork nugget), banh com (green rice pork nugget cake) and other traditional dishes for guests.
Enjoying the rich taste of new rice, visitors will have more energy to continue their journey to discover Pu Lau Mountain. In the first stage of climbing, the most impressive is the immense green bamboo forest with its wide canopy reaching up to the blue sky and forming a natural roof. As visitors climb higher, they will hear the sound of water from the 100m high Pu Lau Waterfall pouring into the lake.
On the top of the mountain, people have taken advantage of the high mountain terrain and clean water to create artificial lakes for salmon and sturgeon farming, contributing another specialty to the land of Phieng Phang. From here, travellers can see the grandeur of Phja Bjooc Mountain, which is introduced by the locals as "Flower Mountain" (in the Tay ethnic minority language) as well as the wild space of Ba Be land. In order to fully feel the journey of discovering Phieng Phang, the friendliness and hospitality of the local people and the unique features of the Dao culture will become indispensable catalysts that gives visitors more attachment to this fresh and beautiful region.
Nguyen Le - Translated by NDO