Dong Van

Thursday 10 November 2011
Today's ride is from Ha  Giang to Dong Van  a ride of 145km.  Another day of riding  up high mountain passes among the colourful flower H'mong hill tribes.  Just such amazing scenery and to think that we are in an area that not many other tourists get to see.  We had a section that some of us went off road to get to the village where we were to see the King's Palace. Allot of this was just single lane track, with heaps of metal, a bank up one and and a huge drop down the other, which they grow rice etc on. Just stunning.
Visited Vuong Palace which was beside a village that had just finished a market day and they were cleaning up.

One of the diversions we made

 

 

Visiting Hmong people’s king palace, Vuong Chinh Duc, once considered to be the king of Hmong ethnic people in Ha Giang Province, ruled a vast area from the province’s Dong Van Plateau to Meo Vac Town in the early 20th century.

Dubbed as Vua Meo (king of H’mong people), he was also the founder of the famous Vuong Dynasty, the largest in Ha Giang Province at the time, where he lived in his unique, luxurious palace shaded with green samu trees.

Named Vuong Palace, it was built in solid stone, fir wood and terra-cotta tiles in ancient Chinese architectural style typical of the Man Qing era in China. Though it seems very much out of place, the palace itself is quite interesting and there are a number of tombstones of the dynasty’s people surrounding it which are also worth a look.

 

 

 

Morning coffee break

 

 

Break of another kind 

 

and they read Kiwi Rider where!!!!

 

 



Karst landscape



This road I think was after Dong Van



All the children do some work-I gave these ones some small gifts

The all have cell phones even in the remotest places

Some of the road between Ha Giang and Dong Van




 

Stayed at Rocky Mountain Platoe Hotel,walked around streets in Dong Van, which is up by the Chinese border.  Bought a traditonal Vietnamese coffee maker when we went walking in the streets.  also Met a couple of the Veitnamese guys that were with us who were out in the street enjoying some street food and rice wine, of which they offered us a shot. Strong stuff that.  There was a concert on in the town which we watched for a short while

 

A well deserved beer for all at the end of the days ride

 

 

 

 

Dong Van district is a high-border region of Ha Giang. 1,000 m above the sea surface, terrain is composed of mostly mountain rocks. The district is only 146 km from Ha Giang town but transportation is very difficult. In winter temperatures sometime drop to 1oC and in summer hottest time is just around 24oC, it is foggy throughout the year

Reaching Dong Van is an opportunity to test your courage with heavenly high passes and deep abyss, sometime one has to walk. But in exchange, you are immersed with the majestic nature, living alongside people still poor but full of joy and happiness in life.