Slow Living in Pu Luong

One day at the end of March, we decided to follow Highway 6 to visit Pu Luong – the land of legends. This beautiful valley is adorned with undulating rocky mountains, winding roads next to smooth green terraced fields. Nature is both majestic, strange and full of vitality, making people who set foot here never want to leave.

Coming to Pu Luong, you definitely cannot forget the feeling of “flying” on the top. Located at an altitude of over 1,700m above sea level, the climate here is cool all year round and often cloudy. At 6am, we woke up to wait for the most beautiful moments of dawn. Each cloud was hovering around, then floating, gently sliding down to embrace the mountainside still dreaming in the early morning mist. In just a moment, the villages gradually appeared, dimly, shimmering in the morning sun, bringing each person in the group very special emotions.
Looking far away, on the dark green background of the mountains and forests typical of the tropics is the rich, vast color of the soft terraced fields. Each patch of green continues to stretch as if there is no end. Standing here, taking a deep breath, feeling like the body is filled with life energy. Coming to Pu Luong is coming to a strange serenity!
Listening closely, we seemed to hear the rustling sound of the forest in the wind. The faint rays of sunlight shining down on the valley made people even more fascinated by its pristine beauty.

The group decided to trek through the reserve to enjoy the scent of the lush forest. The idea only flashed for a moment but did not discourage us. Following the paths of the highlands in the early morning sun, the vastness of the fields, the wildness and majesty of the mountains and forests made people feel like they were smaller. On the way, we occasionally came across vegetable gardens planted by the locals next to simple stilt houses, or giant water wheels rotating and creaking by the babbling stream.

Passing through Don village for 13km, we unexpectedly attended the Doan market. The bustling and bustling scene with a variety of goods, but mainly the “homegrown” products of the local people, once again helped us understand more about the lives of the people here. An unforgettable impression for us was the hospitality of the Thai and Muong people, because whenever we met, they always smiled friendly. On the way back, we decided to stop at Bocbandi Retreat. Nestled in the beautiful Pu Luong valley and overlooking the majestic Lung Cao range, here, we can easily admire the terraced fields in the early morning or late afternoon sun. Bocbandi Retreat is designed in a modern style but still retains the unique features of the local people. Inspired by the Ban flower petals – a typical flower of the Northwest mountains and forests, all rooms and resorts of Bocbandi are designed based on those stylized sketches. All bring us interesting emotions, especially when sipping a cup of coffee and letting our souls wander with the blue smoke gently rising from the mountainside.

At Bocbandi, we can “travel” around the culinary world with a chain of luxurious restaurants and perfect service. The menu is rich and diverse with dishes prepared by chefs with sophistication, sophistication, taste, and strong national identity: grilled pork, stir-fried bamboo shoots with lemon leaves, ban flower salad, stream fish, etc.

As night fell, our moods were stirred and moved by the songs and xoè dances imbued with national identity. Watching the Thai girls dancing with cheerful laughter, no one wanted to leave. It was almost midnight when we finally rested. The intimate handshakes and glances exchanged between the ethnic people and the members of the group still lingered.

Pu Luong has a strange attraction! After a day or two of experiencing this place, life seems like a slow-motion film, lingering are the smiles. The smiles of hospitable people. The smiles of people passionate about their work. The innocent smiles of children…. All create a strange echo, certainly never to be forgotten in the mind of each person when having the opportunity to visit this mountainous region!