Working with farmers a retreat for tourists to this mountainous village in northern Vietnam
Saturday, November 04, 2023, 12:21 GMT+7
It was 5:30 in the morning when the tourists staying at Dan Toan Homestay in Na Sang Village were woken up by the sound of roosters crowing and cows mooing.
They all got up excitedly as they were going to have an unforgettable experience with locals in the northern mountainous village in Van Ho District, Son La Province.
Nestled at the foot of the majestic Pha Luong mountain, about 20 km from tourist-favored Moc Chau Town, Na Sang has emerged as a new community tourism village of Son La Province.
The village is home to the Thai and Muong communities.
Still new to tourists, Na Sang retains its pristine beauty mixed with an adventurous spirit on rough mountain roads.
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| Tourists take photos at a rice terrace field in Na Sang Village, Son La province. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
The joy of being a farmer
The group of 15 guests commuted for around 1km from Dan Toan Homestay to the paddy field where they were going to “work" with the farmers.
The group snaked through the muddy roads after rainy days while following local tour guide Lo Thi Sen and listening to her about the village.
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| Local tour guide Lo Thi Sen (left) leads tourists to the field. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
En route, the tourists were stunned seeing the poetic scenery of green and yellow paddy fields surrounded by mountains.
At the end, they came to the fields of Ly, a local, where they learned how to harvest rice.
"The ripening rice season in Na Sang starts in mid-September, and locals will work together to harvest one household at a time,” Sen told the tourists, adding some instructions on how to cut the rice safely.
Laughters were heard during the harvest process as those urban tourists seemed to enjoy the experience.
Among them, Dinh Quynh Le from Hanoi, did not take much time to catch up with local professional farmers.
Meanwhile, American Samuel, who has lived in Vietnam for four years, expressed his impression on the friendliness of local people as well as his love for the local atmosphere and nature.
After harvesting the rice, the harvesters were invited to a dinner by Ly's family to express their gratitude to those who had helped them to harvest their fields.
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| A dinner served to tourists by Ly's family. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
"In Na Sang, everyone in the village joins to welcome guests together, regardless of which family is hosting the guests, this is really interesting to me," Le Nam from Hanoi said.
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| Tourists join locals to harvest rice in Na Sang Village, Son La Province. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
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| Thu Ha, a tourist from Hanoi, takes a photo with a sheaf of rice she harvested. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
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| A tourist (centered) is guided to harvest rice. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
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| Tourists take photos on the way to the rice fields. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
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| Tourists join locals to harvest rice in Na Sang Village, Son La Province. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre |
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