Ha Giang – the land of blooming flowers amid rocks

During these days, hoa tam giac mach (buckwheat flowers) are in full bloom. The flowers turn the northern headland, which is also known as a “stone plateau”, into a charming multi-coloured flower garden.

When autumn arrives in Ha Giang, visitors can admire the beauty of buckwheat flowers in every road and district in the province. Many years ago, this plant was cultivated as food for humans and livestock. However, it has become an indispensable beautiful symbol of Ha Giang tourism as well as the inspiration of passion of many beauty lovers.

No matter how travellers make their way to the buckwheat flower gardens, most will go through Sung La valley in Dong Van District. Located along National Highway 4C and about 20 kilometres from Dong Van Town, Sung La Commune is famous for a vast "sea" of buckwheat flowers interspersed with pristine villages of ethnic minority groups. Many unique literary works, paintings and photos about Ha Giang were born from the authors’ vibes when they arrived here.

In the midst of rolling hills, mountains and rocks, Sung La is beautiful, gentle and romantic with the colours of flowers and grasses during the season of buckwheat flowers. Buckwheat flowers, with three colours of white, pink and purple, blanket all the mountain slopes and the valley. The flowers bloom within a month. However, local farmers have planted successive series of flowers to beautify the land of gray rocks throughout the autumn. This kind of flower has been favoured not only for its romantic beauty but also for its intense vitality. They still rise strongly despite the barren soil and the cold weather.

In Sung La, visitors can come to Lung Cam Village which has a house chosen as the venue for the filming of the movie “Chuyen Cua Pao” (Pao's Story). Here, travellers will have the chance to experience the unique cultural features of H’Mong people. From buckwheat seeds, the locals have created many dishes with typical flavours such as steamed cake, porridge dishes and even wine.

Waking up early, walking out from a simple homestay to admire the bright buckwheat fields in the morning sun will be an interesting and memorable experience for those who come to Ha Giang during this season.