Sung La valley is located in highway 4C, about 20km from Dong Van district. This place is the central part of Ha Giang highland, so anyone who come to Ha Giang will go through it. From the road pearched halfway up the sky look down, visitors will see Sung La as a colorful natural picture. Sung La valley lies between the rugged mountains, dark color. Villagers plant corn and other staples in Sung La valley.
Sung La Valley is the hot spot in Ha Giang for blooming flowers and for that reason also called the flower gardens of Ha Giang. The valley can feel like a bit of a fairy tail, with flowers and ancients houses located between the rocky mountains of the Dong Van Karst Geopark. There are vast fields where you can see the flowers in alternation with agriculture lands like rice fields and corn fields. Especially on weekends you will find many Vietnamese from Hanoi in these flower fields who are taking pictures here during their two-day trip.
When Is The Most Beautiful Time To Visit Sung La?
Spring is also the most beautiful season of this land as the flowers bloom throughout the high plateau. The fields of flowers make the natural scene which is harsh, cold and turned into a beautiful picture. And rustic people here also contribute to the beauty of this area. The simple roof, the porch hissing baby laugh laugh. Out there, the children with colorful scarf playing in the field. The sunset is slanted oblique sweet color, creating the scene is so poetic.
Few tourists like to travel to Ha Giang for real experiences. They often visit the Sung La and try to capture the beautiful scenery. Sometimes they even ask people to sip water, or to visit the market or leisurely look at nature.
Sightseeing In Sung La
House of Pao
The biggest attraction in Sung La Valley is the House of Pao. Don’t worry if you have never heard of it before, because it is mainly known for Vietnamese as the house was featured in a famous Vietnamese movie called “Pao’s story“, though the movie also had some international success. The movie takes place in this breath-taking primitive landscape and tells the story of a Hmong tribe girl named Pao. She was raised by her stepmother, for her real mother left her when she was little. One day, her stepmother dies in an accident, and she begins to track down her birth mother.
Although you might not be interested in visiting movie hot spots, the house itself is actually an authentic Hmong house and very beautiful. The seventy year old building has been the home to four generations. It originally belonged to Mua Sua Pao and after he and his son died, his grandson Mua Phai Tua inherited the house in 1980. Walking through the house gives you a good impression how a typical Hmong house looks like.
Lung Cam Village
The House of Pao is located in Lung Cam Village, home to many ethnic minorities. Though there is just one famous house in the village, most houses here are beautiful and nearly 100 years old. There are around 60 families living between the walls of these ancients houses. Most of them are from three ethnic groups, namely the Lo Lo, Hmong and Han. The houses are made from locally collected materials, such as soil for the walls, stone for the tiles and wood for the doors and fences.
How to get to Sung La valley
Sung La valley is more than 400 km from Hanoi. If you start from Hanoi, you first need to take a bus to Ha Giang City. From here you can start your Ha Giang loop tour either on the back of a motorbike or by private car. During this tour you visit many of the highlights around this province. You can also choose to rent a motorbike yourself. From Ha Giang City to Sung La is around 127 km and from Dong Van Old Quarter it is just 24 km.
Other sights around Sung La valley
There is a lot more to do around Sung La. Before you drive over the Chin Khoanh pass there is another stunning pass called the Tham Ma Pass. If you continue driving to the north heading for Dong Van, you can visit Sa Phin village with the ancient HMong King Palace. From here you can go directly to Dong Van or take a scenic detour to Lung Cu, the northern most point of Vietnam. There is a flag tower you can visit, though the actual highlight is the road to here with small ethnic villages along the way.