Author Archives: Nguyen Muoi

From 26 to 29 September 2019, the Women Group of Can Ty Linen and Quanba taigoo Cooperative participated in the International Agricultural Fair (Agroviet) at the Agricultural Exhibition Center – 489 Hoang Quoc Viet street, Cau Giay district, Hanoi city with 400 handmade products. All products are made from traditional linen yarns using natural materials from planting to harvesting, stripping weaving yarn into fabric, etc. All 18 stages to make a product are made by hands. Besides, Mong women in Can Ty village – a difficult area of Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province also apply natural coloring method for the fabrics using natural materials such as roots and leaves.

Coming to the Fair, the Women Group also brought a number of tools such as weaving looms, spinning yarns, beeswax paints to demonstrate the process of making products for visitors to have a better understanding on the process of making new products that embrace both traditional and modern values. The Agricultural Fair also helps the Women Group to promote new and best-selling products to the domestic and international community. ActionAid Vietnam has been supporting and accompanying the development of Women’s Group of Can Ty Linen and Quanba taigoo Cooperative on their way to more sustainable livelihoods.

From 15^th to 18^th July 2019, at Can Ty commune, Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province, with the financial and technical support of ActionAid Vietnam (AAV) and Aid for social protection program Foundation in Viet Nam, the training course on video producing for 25 members who are ethnic minorities and children was held. The training course was organized by Quan Ba taigoo cooperative and the Management Board of Supporting program for development of Quan Ba district.

With the guidance of a facilitator, Ms.Vuong Thi Vien – the lead supervisor of AFV fund, participants had learnt basic knowledge in producing film such as building scripts, filming skills, interview, voice-over. Besides, the facilitator also presented a short video so that participants could easily imagine the process as well as method of video producing. As a result, participants had more motivations and inspiration to create their film.

Hang Minh Tuyen (8 years old) on behalf of a team presented a video script

When the script was completed, participants were divided into groups to produce a short video with the topic “Promoting linen products of Can Ty”. The content of that video was about the process of producing a linen product such as breaking the flax shells, rolling and boiling the fiber, dyeing, decorating using beeswax, sewing and finishing products.

Participants discussed about the video script

At first, many participants felt uncomfortable with the camera, however, thanks to 3 days with the guidance of the facilitator, participants didn’t feel any difficulties. One of the most especial things is that all the children from 8 to 10 years old were in charge of controlling the camera. They showed the confidence when using camera and create many interesting short video.

Along with the excitement of holding the camera

At the end of the training course, participants could produce a video, which contributed to the promotion of Can Ty Linen products and attract more tourists for Quan Ba taigoo cooperative. After the training course, participants who are children committed to join 2 clubs named “Little reporters” at Can Ty primary school and secondary school. This is expected to bring joys for children after their study time.

In July 2019, an English summer camp for teachers who are volunteers in Quan Ba ​​district was host by People’s Committee of Quan Ba commune, ActionAid International in Vietnam (AAV) and the Management Board of Supporting Program for Development. The summer camp has the participation of 24 English teachers of primary and secondary school in Quan Ba ​​district, aged 29 to 49 and has the certificate of college-level and above. They are the core team that can support the community in teaching English to serve local tourism development. Also, there are 22 primary and secondary school students, 05 households who are living and working at Nam Dam attend the English summer camp

At the summer camp (from July 22 to July 27) the class was named “We love Nam Dam”. Participants had the opportunity to improve their communication skills, increase confidence when introducing their village with international friends, through activities of learning and discovering local tourism context and the Dao culture. Besides, participants developed their facilitation skills, qualitative interview skills, ABCD approaches and how to write a small-scale project proposal. During the learning process, the “We love Nam Dam” class was divided into 5 groups: English, Environment, Culture, and Operation Groups. The groups discussed to build ideas and collect information in the community, exchanged with local people about the disadvantages and advantages of implementing community-based tourism to create initiatives ideas for the community.

In the training time, participants showed their confidence when communicating with foreign tourists in English: using appropriate intonation and polite communication, which created a comfortable and open atmosphere when communicating. In the process of carrying out activities, participants used English to give presentations, introduce the excellent ceremonies of local Dao people. In the end, 9/24 teachers were confident to actively exchange with tourists to practice communication skills. 90% of participants could use the knowledge and skills that they learned in the English summer camp to enhance the quality of teaching at schools such as help students to read long sentences using “backward” method, break sentences when reading, use appropriate intonation to show the politeness, able to organize community

activities, integrate English into the process of organizing activities (conduct interviews to collect information). At the end of the learning course, participants organized an event using English to attract foreign tourists and local people. With the guidance of facilitators, 4 projects were developed by the participants with the common goal of promoting sustainable community tourism in Nam Dam village, Quan Ba ​​commune through teaching English to local people, building a handbook in English – Vietnamese to help people in communicating with guests, mobilizing communities and tourists to protect the environment, promoting traditional history, cultural values, and attractive tourism destinations.

Joining the summer camp, participants also experience some activities such as learning about architecture, culture, and customs of Dao people in the village of Nam Dam, exchanging English with tourists, inviting and guiding tourists to join the game.

The activity is within the value chain of the community-based tourism initiative model in Nam Dam to improve the service quality, meeting the satisfaction of visitors who experienced the services of Quan Ba Taigoo cooperative, contributing to economic development for ethnic minorities in the context of poverty reduction. The effective uses of available resources as well as conservation of AAV have promoted human and natural values to build sustainable development community.

From 12th to 14th June 2019, a training course on “Home economics management and Time distribution” was hosted by the Project Management Board of Quan Ba commune and Taigoo Cooperative with the participation of Can Ty linen Cooperative in which the majority is women from H’Mong ethnic group.

The purpose of this activity was to enhance the role of women ethnic minorities and Development Community Groups in developing sustainable economic linking to community-based tourism. Members of Can Ty Linen Cooperative and Quan Ba community-based tourism Cooperative created service products relating to develop local community-based tourism.

The training course provided members of the cooperatives with basic knowledge on market, home economics management, and time distribution balancing family care activities and income-generating jobs.

Participants were introduced to the objectives of the training course, basic knowledge of human resources, financial and time management, categories of the market, business ideas for products and tourism skills.

Participants worked in a team to organize market surveys, document the statistics of finance and import-export goods. During the training courses, participants were given time to discuss and recommend solutions, for home and cooperative economic management.

Quan Ba ​​taigoo, a seven-member cooperative, provides community tourism services such as boarding houses, leaf bathing of Dao ethnicity, trekking and cultural discovery.

Can Ty linen cooperative provides a wide range of traditional linen products of H’Mong ethnicity such as bags, shirts, shoes and indoor decorations

The training course is project funded by ActionAid Vietnam. The project has provided local people with knowledge and tools to generate income. As the result, activities have contributed to better customer services, advertising, economic development and tourism which is important for Ha Giang province.

The Dao people have the third largest population in Ha Giang. The Dao people are famous for their diligence and hard work, so their life is quite stable, but they also preserve almost the cultural identity of their people. One of the unique cultural values is the excellent ceremony – an indispensable ceremony in the life of the Dao man.

(Community of Dao women)

The ritual ceremony is a typical religious ritual of the Dao people, which is considered an important ceremony in the life of the man. Usually held in November, December or January every year, because at this time people are quite idle.

Dao people think that men, if they have not gone through excellent ceremonies, even though they are still considered to be children because they have not had a teacher, they have not yet been excellent and have no negative names. Those who have passed the rank of excellency, although they are still young, are considered adults, being able to participate in important works of the village, being assisted by the shaman, and worshiped and reunited with their ancestors. The people who died when they did not have a good ceremony, the descendants still have to do for them, because the Dao’s conception is that the dead still exist in a separate world, so they still need to be transmitted magic to fight the evil world. .

(The shaman and family discuss the excellent ceremony)

Before excelling they had to abstain from sleeping near their wives, not to beat dogs, slaughter chickens, ducks, cut down trees, or do insulting things to the gods … Wherever the Dao man was through ritual ceremonies, a ritual marks the maturity as well as the community’s recognition of the person who is bestowed.

(The shaman stamped the identity form)

As for the homeowners, they have to prepare a full holiday before a month. The identity of the Dao is often equivalent to that of a wedding, which usually takes 3 to 5 days, depending on the level of excellence. Before granting identity, the owner must prepare pigs, chickens, and meat rice to treat the villagers. In addition, homeowners also have to prepare traditional costumes, paintings, long-range sticks, yin and yang cards, accompanying instruments such as prisoners and drums, gongs, and trumpets

(Begin the excellent ceremony )

The ritual ceremony has many rituals such as: Ceremony of ceremonies, ceremonies for lamp-keeping, ceremonies, ceremonies for ceremonies, Ngoc Hoang’s presentation ceremony, ceremony for identity recognition, ancestral and divine thanksgiving ceremonies … Xen and among the rituals, there are many traditional ritual dances of the Dao. At the place of the ceremony, they hung Ngoc Hoang paintings and the gods of the Dao, set up ancestor altars and the altars of the Gods.

When the ceremony is performed, the priests must perform a lot of offerings, dances, and magic tricks according to the excellent books. The homage will be given to the person who receives the ceremony with two identities, one will be burned after the priest has reported. with the gods, ancestors, there is one copy handed to the ceremony. The person who will be excelled will have to keep this identity throughout his life, when he dies, he will be burned in a funeral for the gods to recognize and gather them. On the hand of the teacher is a book – that is the text book, this is the book. The book is considered to be the identity of the knife as a pass ticket when it dies to ancestors.

(The shaman and the person are excellent)

At the end of the ceremony, the priest raised his prison and went up to the sky to blow out long episodes. The sound of prison and echoes throughout the village, the mountains and forests in the night of the absence, making the ceremony become more sacred and mysterious.

Ceremony of the Dignity of the Dao in particular and the cultural identity of the ethnic minorities in general is the own soul of each ethnic group, which needs to be preserved and promoted.

Lung Khuy is a cave in the mountain range of Lung Khuy village, Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province.  It’s located halfway up a large mountain at a straight rugger rock. Lung Khuy cave is 10km distanced from the center of Quan Ba district. From the mountain, visitors can only walk to get to the cave. The entrance of the cave is quite discreet and hard to find. It’s less than 1,5 m high and about 1m wide which may be the reason why this cave remains its rare pristine features.

According to local people, the cave was found for a very long time. Previously, local people went to the cave to find water or hunt a few kinds of animals for food. Until 2015, the cave has been exploited for tourism and become one of the hottest places to visit in Quan Ba district and Ha Giang province.

The beauty of nature with stone pillars and stone stalactites hanging from ceiling of the cave resembles the hair of a beautiful lady or the soft silk. The cave also has a wall of blossom stone flowers, the wall, the magic instrument creating sounds whenever tourists lightly touch it. Not only those cause tourists surprise but also make them feel interested.

Different from other cave systems, the number of stone stalactites in Lung Khuy cave thickly gathers with a range of stone pillars lining up each other.

Masterpiece of nature

Tourists are overwhelming of the beauty of Lung Khuy cave

Discovering deeper and witnessing the beauty of Lung Khuy cave, tourists are more surprised and overwhelmed by nature, full of interesting, desired to discover the cave. Lung Khuy cave promises to be an attractive place to visit in Ha Giang.

Can Ty village, Ha Giang Located on the gentle Mien River , where the Gate is marked with the resistance against the French, this place also retains the traditional linen craft of the local people, attracting many tourists in Ha. Giang but still retains a pure, untouched look.

According to the village elders, linen weaving has long been passed down through generations. Regardless of whether Mong women reach adulthood, they know slub into yarns to weave fabrics for family life. Linen demonstrates hard workmanship, which is one of the criteria to evaluate women’s talents, qualities and ways of doing business.

It usually takes 6 months from sowing to weaving and undergoes many stages and streaks such as drying and stripping of fibers, connecting the fibers together, spinning yarn, cooking and washing for the first time. Next is the process of removing yarn, framing, weaving, washing the second time (bleaching) and staining different colors to make a linen sheet.

People often choose flax soil in open and windy places, the soil must be very spongy, well prepared before planting. When going to sow, there must be enough spouses and husbands to walk before the earth and into the beds, the wife goes after spreading the fertilizer and sowing seeds and covering the land.

Flax to harvest

Flax when brought from the field to home will be dried for about 10 sunny days and 4 nights dew to make flax peeled, soft and tough. The bark of the flax was sifted by the sisters into small strands, connected together skillfully, smooth and without creating a knot. This is a job that requires perseverance, effort and lightness.

After finishing, they will be bundled evenly and then put into a mortar to beat all the flour, only the thread remains, then rolled into big rolls with rolls. The yarn helps the flax fibers to spin in a way that is “Creased”. Fiber cars require smooth and skillful techniques which combine smoothly with the hands and feet.

Boiling – washing-drying fibers. This stage has the effect of whitening fibers. After the spinning, the flax will be boiled with the ash to remove the green shell and expose it. This stage is about 3 times more. Particularly the last time boiled, people will add beeswax to make white, smooth and tough.

Cook with kitchen ash

Wash linen

Rolling the yarn will help flaxen yarn softer when weaving, after finishing weaving, raw linen sheets will continue to be rolled several times to help the fabric be white and shiny. Coloring is hard work, takes a lot of time and requires high patience. In order to have the desired color, the fabric must be dyed and dyed many times, for many days. Not only meticulous, skillful, the Mong woman also has to be healthy to carry out weaving.

After rolling, the yarn is put on the spinning reel for easy removal.

To create a pattern on the skirt, the Mong woman used beeswax, “dip the pen into the melted wax, and draw on the fabric of the patterns. Then take the indigo dyed cloth, until it becomes dark, the cloth will be dipped in boiling water, the wax will melt and to float white patterns on the cloth.
Along with the patterns of beeswax patterns, the dress of the Mong ethnic people is embellished with embroidery lines with a mixture of subtle colors, the predominant color is usually more red and yellow, creating color. the splendor of the dress.

Spend yarn into tubes

Not only meticulous, skillful, the Mong woman also has to be healthy to carry out weaving

Sewing and finishing products

Today, not only weaving linen for dresses, the Hmong women also create many other kinds of products full of applications with unique motifs and eye-catching color schemes … … Go to Ha Giang, if not yet Visiting brocade village, you have missed a unique sightseeing spot only in the highlands.

Go to Ha Giang, if you have not visited brocade weaving village, you have missed a unique sightseeing spot only in the highlands

Nam Dam is located in Quan Ba District, 130km distanced from Ha Giang. It’s popular with majestic stone plateau, terraced field, Tam Giac Mach flower blossoming across mountains as well as fresh air and attractive tourism sites.

Quanba Taigoo has 14 homestays with each homestay accommodating individual guests or groups up to 30 guests. The homestays of Quanba taigoo are built according to the traditional architecture of the Dao people with wood roofing and soil/stone walls to keep occupants cool in summer and warm in winter.  The column structure and wooden frame inside the earth wall are used to divide the rooms in the house. All houses are spacious with large front yard, and clean toilets with hot shower.

The whole first floor is divided into sections, which are kitchen, host’s bedroom and shared areas decorated with bamboo chairs and tables. Tourists can try filter coffee, read a book, inhale fresh morning air of the Northeast mountain.

Second floor is made of wood with curved rooftop. On the second floor all bedrooms are made of bamboo, woods to catch nature light. All bedrooms on the second floor share the same corridors.

Especially, Quanba taigoo also serves local traditional dishes, the menu is very diverse giving opportunities for customers to try different dishes.

Tourists can also experience some cultural activities at homestay such as cooking traditional dishes, dying fabric, embroidering ethnic motifs.

For adventurous tourists, they can discover Lung Khuy cave and Thuong Son cave however, good health condition, climbing skills are required.

One of the most attractive activities in Quanba taigoo is campfire. Everyone regardless of ethnicity gather, sing and communicate with each other under a starry night.

If visitors had a chance to visit Ha Giang, they should choose Quanba Homestay to have the best services as well as experiencing daily life of the Dao people with reasonable prices. During high demands time, tourists can call and book room before the arrival.

Ha Giang is a place that all surrounded by “rocks”, where people will admire ethnic minority people for their strong will. Ha Giang is also famous for a lot of terraced fields spreading across mountains. Visiting Ha Giang in different seasons, visitors will experience different feelings that cannot be described.

How to get to Ha Giang?

Travelling from Ha Noi to Ha Giang, visitors mainly choose road route. In the past, through the telling stories of soldiers and youth volunteers in war time, they could only get to Ha Giang by horses or by walking.

Travelling by bus should the best option for visitors living far away, they can catch the bus at Giap Bat, My Dinh, Long Bien station. For more details, check out http://bit.ly/2VVbENP, where all the number of buses from Ha Noi to Ha Giang are provided. Visitors should book the bus early to get an appropriated seat.

The distance from Ha Noi to Ha Giang city is 320km. Bus station in Ha Giang provides 16-24 seated bus to districts of Dong Van stone plateau and Western districts of Ha Giang.

Tourists can call for taxi or hire motorbikes. Nowadays, road route in districts are more convenient so tourists can freely choose many options.

The distance from Ha Giang city to Quang Ba is 45km. For more information, please visit Quanbataigoo.com, where visitors can find more information about Ha Giang.

Aside from bus, tourists can find different options:

+ Route for car only

The starting point is from Ha Noi then through Thang Long bridge. Towards freeway ĐCT 05 to highway 2B. At the intersection between highway 2B and Noi Bai – Lao Cai freeway, turn back towards highway 2B to get to highway 2C (Tuyen Quang territory). After getting to Tuyen Quang city, through highway 2 is Ha Giang city.

+ Route for car and motorbike

The starting point is from centre of Ha Noi to Thang Long Boulevard. After that, following highway 21 to Son Tay. From Son Tay, go through Trung Ha bridge to Co Tiet then to Phong Chau bridge, go through road 32 to Phu Tho territory, turn left to highway 21 belonged to Tuyen Quang territory. When arriving Tuyen Quang city, at highway 2, visitors can see Ha Giang city.

How to choose appropriated vehicles?

To save time, tourists can get sleeper bus running through night. Tourists can catch the bus at Ha Noi from 19h to 22h every day, time for bus to get to Ha Giang is at 4-5 am of the next day. From here, tourists can freely choose different transportation options to continue the journey.

Quanba taigoo is pleased to support tourists travelling to Ha Giang.

Quan Ba fair is also known as Quyet Tien fair considered as a unique fair that gathers culture of daily life. The fair has more than 1.000m2, opens on every Sunday and closes at noon. It is located right along the highway 4C. For people living in mountainous areas, Quan Ba fair is an event that cannot be missed in their daily life.

Because of craggy location, people in mountainous areas lack opportunities to communicate with each other, therefore it’s noticeable that local people often look forward to the day that Quan Ba fair takes place. They all wear their most beautiful clothes to attend the fair.

Quan Ba market fair

The baby followed her mother to the market

Most of agricultural products and food in the fair are homemade. Just a few banana bunches, few kilograms of peanut, ethnic minority people from H’Mong, Dao, Lo Lo ethnicity can carry with to sell. One of the most attractive items that the fair presents is traditional brocade clothes and fabric woven and dyed from color taken from leaves and fruit by local people.

Colorful rich market bazaar

Serving relatives at the counter

The fair is not only a place to exchange products but also an opportunity for local people to meet and communicate about their daily life. Food counter usually attracts many customers, currently visitor can try sweet soup, which is commonly served in Delta. Children and the young are fond of ice cream made mainly from ice.

Restaurant at the market

When visiting Quan Ba fair, it’s easy to recognize traditional food such as colorful rice comprising five colors (white, yellow, purple, red and blue), yellow Bo cake sliced into a thick square, Pho, hot bowl of noodle and Thang Co hotpot.

Victory is an indispensable dish in the market

Five iridescent flavors

Quan Ba fair sells many kinds of vegetables such as Cai Meo, radishes, peas, …

Area selling vegetables

The weather in mountainous areas is usually crisp so local people tend to drink a lot to keep their bodies warm and show their hospitability. Alcohol is distilled from corn and sold in liter (20 liters per can).

At the end of the market is corn wine

Nowadays, the fair in Ha Giang is experiencing a lot of changes. Although it is having more shops, supermarkets, it still has its beautiful features. Thanks to this, Quan Ba fair in Ha Giang always attracts visitors and echoes visitors’ memories when visiting Quan Ba fair.