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Yen Minh District | Exploring the Enchanting Landscapes of the Highland

08:01 - 11/12/2024

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Yen Minh District in Ha Giang presents a special combination of breathtaking scenery, rich cultural legacy, and once-in-a-kind encounters. Yen Minh provides something for everyone whether your taste is food, adventure, or environment. MOTOGO Tours will delve extensively in the beauties of Yen Minh in this post.

Overview of Yen Minh District in Ha Giang

Yen Minh is a district located in the mountainous province of Ha Giang, bordering the districts of Dong Van and Chao Van Son in Yunnan, China. It is a pivotal transit point on the Ha Giang travel map, as it adjoins Meo Vac and Dong Van to the east, Bac Me to the south, and Quan Ba to the west. Yen Minh, which covers about 776.59 square kilometers, is home to the H’Mong, Dao, Tay, and Nung among other ethnic groups.

National Highway 4C, a major artery linking the northeastern regions with the city center, winds Yen Minh’s area. Most travelers explore along the route from the city center to Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, and Meo Vac, as this itinerary features many of the Ha Giang’s famous tourist attractions. Numerous accommodations and dining establishments have been developed to attract visitors.

The Best Time to Visit Yen Minh District in Ha Giang

Each season in Yen Minh and Ha Giang offers a unique beauty that cannot be easily compared. Let’s take a moment to explore what the landscapes of Yen Minh look like throughout the year, making it easier for you to choose your ideal time for a trip to Yen Minh.

In Yen Minh, spring starts early February and lasts through April. The area explodes in brilliant hues from natural blossoms. The peach blossoms bloom in vibrant pinks in the early days of spring, then the brilliant yellow mustard blossoms in March, and by April the white plum blossoms take the stage. A magnificent spring panorama is produced by this series of flowering flowers.

May through August, heat envelops Yen Minh. There is lots of rain this season, which makes the scene rich and vivid. Yen Minh seems to have more natural beauty than it has ever had right now. But the rain makes the roads rather slick, hence care should be used while driving.

Yen Minh’s autumn runs from September to November and represents the busiest travel time. The golden rice terraces cover the hillsides from September until mid-October. By late October, Yen Minh becomes a more delicate beauty as buckwheat flower fields blossom in perfect pink tones.

From December to February, winter arrives with often low temperatures between a frigid 2 to 5 degrees Celsius. Still, the cold does not stop daring folks from seeing Yen Minh. Many come to see the amazing frost on mountain tops and the chance to catch snowflakes as falling.

>>> Discover TOP 8+ Historical Landmarks in Ha Giang

How to Get to Yen Minh District in Ha Giang

Travel Routes

Accessible via National Highway 4C, Yen Minh District is around 98 kilometers northeast of Ha Giang City. The travel from the city center to Yen Minh usually takes 4 to 5 hours. There are several steep hills and hairpin twists surrounded by mountain slopes on the road that leads to this area.

Beginning from the center of Ha Giang City, visitors will first have to walk the three-kilometer length of Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Van Linh streets. You will then keep on National Highway 4C for around 90 kilometers to get Yen Minh District. Along the route, you will come across several sites including the Quan Ba Heaven Gate and Twin Mountain, roughly thirty kilometers from Yen Minh, where you can stop to enjoy the breathtaking surroundings.

Modes of Transportation

You will mostly use national highways on the path described. You can thus decide to ride a motorbike or drive a self-vehicle. As an alternative, you could choose different ride-hailing companies or taxis. Particularly for families vacationing together, a car is perfect for getting about on wet days or strong sunshine. It guarantees solitude and offers family members a nice place.

On the other hand, most youthful visitors touring Ha Giang choose motorbikes. Using this kind of travel will help you to completely conquer the difficult paths, stop whenever to take some amazing pictures, absorb in the mountains, and enjoy the surroundings. Should you arrive in Ha Giang by bus and lack personal transportation, you might make advantage of motorbike rental companies close to the city core.

In addition, you can choose guided tours like Ha Giang Loop Tour The road is challenging for the first time riding to Ha Giang, hence they will provide easy rider for you.

What to Explore in Yen Minh District in Ha Giang?

Yen Minh Pine Forest in Ha Giang

For outdoor pursuits in Ha Giang, Yen Minh Pine Forest is perfect. Covering more than 98 hectares between the two communes of Na Khe and Lao Va Chai, this gorgeous forest transports tourists to the highland wonderland of Da Lat. The landscape here alters with the time of day. Early in the morning, the woodland is covered in mist and layers of fluffy white clouds, producing a somewhat ethereal and magical mood.

Sunlight starts flooding the rows of pine trees as midday draws near. By now the morning dew has almost disappeared, and the large pine forest appears to come alive beneath the sun. On the leaves, the last droplets of dew gleam are quite lovely. The pine forest seems more somber in the afternoon and makes one nostalgic. Perfect for artistic photography, the dying rays of the day dances across the straight rows of pines to provide an enchanted golden hour.

There are various level open spaces in the Yen Minh Pine Forest perfect for leisure activities and visitor camping for Ha Giang. To help to preserve the purity and beauty of this unspoiled environment, kindly remember to tidy any paper or garbage in your area and the surrounds before you depart.

Na Luong Cave

Na Luong Cave is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Ha Giang. Recognized and classified as a national heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in 2014, Na Luong Cave is a sprawling cave system consisting of seven independent chambers located in Mau Long commune (Yen Minh district) and Sung Trai commune (Dong Van district). To date, it remains the tallest and deepest cave discovered.

The main entrance to the cave features a dome shape, standing 15 meters high and nearly 30 meters wide. Na Luong Cave has several smaller passages, separated by walls and connected stone formations. Some of these stones are massive, measuring 2 to 3 meters thick. These rock structures descend from the cave’s ceiling to the ground, adorned with smaller stalactites, creating enormous natural walls that partition different areas within the cave.

En Cave in Ha Giang

Often confused with the well-known En Cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang (Quang Binh) is En Cave in Yen Minh district. This cave has only lately been found and is still unspoiled; there is not yet any tourism development here. It was called for the swallow, a bird that has long frequented the cave. Apart from its natural beauty, this cave reflects Yen Minh community values and customs.

En Cave is a towering, smooth arch with a level ground space surrounded in rocks in the middle. Though it lacks the stalactites of Na Luong Cave, it features an amazing emerald green lagoon down below. The surface of the water reflects shimmering waves onto the arch of the cave when lit, producing an amazing visual show. En Cave is not yet shown on Google Maps and is situated in a far-off hilly area; local advice is thus required to find it.

>>> Explore Quan Ba District in Ha Giang | A Hidden Gem in Northern Vietnam

Du Gia Village

Du Gia Village is a small commune situated in the southern part of Yen Minh district, close to the border with Cao Bang province. It is primarily inhabited by the Mong and Tay ethnic communities and is recognized for its potential in developing community-based ecotourism. Visitors to Du Gia can embark on gentle trekking tours to Tham Luong Waterfall.

Nature lovers have to visit the Du Gia National Park absolutely. High biodiversity in this protected area helps to preserve numerous rare and endangered species like the grey-headed langur, white-cheeked gibbon, wild goats, and several kinds of valuable wood including ironwood and green cedar. Du Gia National Park’s natural old-growth trees help to keep the temperature within the park rather mild, usually 3 to 8 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding areas.

The Du Gia Market

If you visit Du Gia over the weekend, don’t miss the opportunity to explore the Du Gia Market. One of the oldest and most famous local markets in Ha Giang, it takes place every Friday morning at the heart of the commune. At the market, you can really feel the energetic spirit of this great event. Along with trying to buy basic house goods, women come to sell their own vegetables in woven baskets on their backs.

Young men and women meet at the market to mingle, learn about one another, and create relationships. Furthermore, the Yen Minh mountains’ unique local specialties are sold as mementos. Right at the market, you can also enjoy classic Ha Giang cuisine including buckwheat pancakes, au tau porridge, and thang den.

Bach Dich Market

Bach Dich Border Market in Yen Minh, also known as Market 358 or Market 9, is located right at the foot of the border marker, just a few steps from Bach Dich Border Gate. Chinese traders and the people living in the eight hamlets of Bach Dich commune find a trading center in this market. Every market day draws between 600 and 700 people, with about 30% of them Chinese who come to trade agricultural products and seedlings.

The Bach Dich Border Market typically occurs on the days of the Tiger and Monkey in the lunar calendar each month. Market hours are from 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM; during more busy market days, it can last until 1:00 PM. A few residents might come to sell agricultural goods on regular days, but the vibe is normally more subdued. This market especially welcomes Vietnamese Dong as well as Chinese Renminbi.

The Most Unique Festivals of the People of Yen Minh District in Ha Giang

Gau Tao Festival

Among the ancient festivals in Ha Giang is Gau Tao. Among the Hmong people in Duong Thuong commune, Yen Minh district, this customary celebration is not only the most often attended but also boasts the most unique rites. While generating a vibrant environment for people to enjoy the Lunar New Year, the festival is organized to pray for blessings and fortunes for the community.

The festival takes place from the first day to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. If the festival is held for three consecutive years, it lasts for three days each year; if it is celebrated in one year, it spans nine days. Gau Tao Festival is typically organized in an open area in the center of Duong Thuong commune.

The most important ritual of the festival is the raising of the “neou” pole. The chosen “neou” is a tall, straight tree, typically from the same family as bamboo. It is erected in a spacious, level area to symbolize stability. The tip of the “neou” always points east, the direction of the rising sun.

Following this, various rituals will be conducted at the base of the “neou.” A respected local shaman performs these ceremonies, offering gifts such as a pig’s head, paper money, corn, rice, sticky rice, and wine to express gratitude to heaven and earth while imploring the deities to bless the village with happiness, health, and prosperous farming and livestock raising.

Drum Dance Festival of the Giay Ethnic Group

The Giay ethnic group, one of the minority groups in Ha Giang, is considered one of the most culturally diverse peoples. The Giay predominantly reside in Dong Minh commune, making up over 80% of the commune’s population. To this day, they have maintained almost all of their ancient cultural traits, with the drum dance being the most notable tradition.

In Bat Nga village, Dong Minh commune, the locals have built two shrines named Mr. Shrine and Mrs. Shrine. These shrines honor the village deities, and during festivals and holidays, people come to light incense and pray for good fortune. This is also where the annual drum dance festival of the Giay takes place.

Two big drums hung within the shrine will be lowered on the first day of the Lunar New Year by the locals. On the first day of the New Year Mrs. Shrine hosts the drum dance; on the second day Mr. Shrine hosts it. Every family in Bat Nga cooks a feast to join together and rejoice following the drum lowering custom. After the dinner, they assemble in front of the shrine to dance to the drummers’ beat while praying for a year of peace, good weather, and health.

Accommodation in Yen Minh District in Ha Giang

Yen Minh has concentrated on providing tourism services—especially lodging—in order to draw visitors. Yen Minh today provides several hotels, homestays, and guesthouses among other housing choices.

Guesthouses in Yen Minh

For individuals wishing to have a private resting place and cut hotel expenses, these are perfect. From 150,000 to 300,000 VND each room, guesthouses in Yen Minh typically have lower rates than those in Dong Van and Quan Ba areas.

Many Yen Minh guesthouses have lately been rebuilt to satisfy visitors looking for adventure, rest, and discovery. Among the guesthouses you should give thought are Thien An Guesthouse, Cao Nguyen Guesthouse, Ngoc Lam Guesthouse, Hoa Bac Ha Guesthouse, Hai Linh Guesthouse, Thai Tam Guesthouse and Huyen Tram Guesthouse.

Hotels in Yen Minh

Yen Minh runs various hotels with nightly rates ranging from 300,000 to 600,000 VND. The Phuong Dong Hotel is especially a recently opened three-star establishment. Modern, opulent architecture of the hotel provides many conveniences and services including a restaurant, conference room, and karaokes equipment.

Among the hotels you could pick in Yen Minh are Thien Son Hotel, Na Ma Hotel, Kien Thao Hotel, Thao Nguyen Hotel, Bay Vuong Hotel, Khanh Son Hotel, Tam Son Hotel, Hotel 88.

Homestays in Yen Minh

Designed in the Hmong’s wall house or the Tay’s stilt house, homestays in Yen Minh usually have modest architecture. By staying at these homestays, guests may better appreciate the Yen Minh people’s daily activities and way of life.

Among the several room kinds homestays provide are family rooms, single rooms, double rooms, and dorms. As result, the rental rates vary from 100,000 to 500,000 VND. Visitors get the chance to eat mouthwatering cuisine created by the hosts or even offer complimentary meals to them.

>>> Explore Accommodation in Yen Minh: Your Guide to Comfortable Stays

What to Eat in Yen Minh Ha Giang?

Thang Co

Specialty cuisine of the H’mong people is thang co. Horse meat is the main ingredient; throughout time, beef or pork has become very frequent replacement. Because of its unusual and appealing taste, this meal makes a lasting impact on visitors. Usually, one enjoys this meal alongside a cup of Ha Giang corn wine.

Men Men

For those who have tasted it, Men Men is unforgettable even though it is hardly a gourmet meal. Usually found in local markets, this meal is matched with rice and corn. Men Men is created from a staple diet for the H’mong people, indigenous flint corn. The maize dries on porches or kitchen racks following every harvest until it is completely dry and then crushed into Men Men.

Buckwheat Cake

With the arrival of buckwheat flower season, locals harvest the seeds, dry them, and then grind them into flour to make cakes. Freshly harvested buckwheat seeds must be dried to the right level before being ground by hand. The flour is then kneaded and shaped into flat, round cakes with a diameter larger than a fist. Once steamed, the buckwheat cakes are grilled over hot coals to enhance their warmth and aroma.

Yen Minh District in Ha Giang is a treasure store of cultural diversity and natural beauty just waiting for discovery. From its breathtaking scenery to its energetic local culture, this hidden gem gives visitors an opportunity to really and permanently see Vietnam’s northern highlands.

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