Lang Son, a border region renowned for its majestic mountains and diverse cultural identity, is emerging as an appealing destination for those seeking unique homestay experiences. Moving away from luxurious hotels and modern resorts, homestay tourism in Lang Son’s mountain villages opens the door for travelers to connect with pristine nature, distinctive local culture, and the slow-paced, simple life of ethnic minorities. This is more than just a trip; it’s a journey to discover and immerse oneself in the soul of the Northeast mountains.
Why Lang Son is an Ideal Destination for Mountain Homestay Tourism?
Lang Son boasts rich mountain tourism potential, encompassing all the elements necessary to develop experiential homestay tourism.
Nature’s Gift: This land is blessed with stunning landscapes of rolling mountains, lush green valleys, winding rivers, and magnificent cave systems. The fresh, cool climate year-round provides ideal conditions for visitors to enjoy a relaxing space, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. In Lang Son, you can admire the beauty of Mount Mau Son, shrouded in clouds year-round, explore the famous Tam Thanh – Nhi Thanh caves, or immerse yourself in the clear waters of the majestic Ban Gioc Waterfall (although Ban Gioc Waterfall is in Cao Bang, inter-provincial tourism links are possible).
Distinctive Indigenous Culture: Lang Son is home to many ethnic minorities such as Tay, Nung, Dao, and Kinh. Each ethnic group carries its own unique cultural features, customs, and traditions, creating a colorful cultural tapestry. Homestay tourism is an excellent opportunity for visitors to learn, explore, and experience these traditional cultural values, from unique house architecture, vibrant costumes, traditional festivals to culinary specialties and sweet folk melodies.
Community Tourism Development: In recent years, Lang Son has focused on developing community tourism, especially homestay models in villages. Many localities have recognized the tourism potential and proactively invested in upgrading infrastructure and training human resources to serve tourists. This tourism model not only generates income for local people but also contributes to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values.
Convenient Geographical Location: Lang Son has a relatively convenient geographical location, close to Hanoi and the Northern Delta provinces. The transportation system is increasingly being improved, making it easy for visitors to travel to tourist destinations by car, motorbike, or bus. This creates favorable conditions for tourists, especially those looking for a destination near Hanoi for rest and relaxation on weekends.
Discovering Yen Thinh – A Bright Spot for Homestay Tourism in Lang Son
Yen Thinh commune, Huu Lung district, Lang Son, is emerging as an attractive homestay tourism destination, attracting a large number of visitors with its pristine natural beauty and unique experiences. About 50km from the center of Huu Lung town, Yen Thinh has a large natural area with diverse terrain, from majestic limestone mountains to clear blue lakes and lush fruit farms.
Tourists crossing the Seven Generations Bridge made from a tree trunk over Mo Ma stream in Lang Ang village, Yen Thinh commune, Huu Lung, Lang Son.
Coming to Yen Thinh, visitors will immerse themselves in the peaceful space of the village, enjoy the fresh, cool air and admire the beautiful natural scenery. There are many attractive attractions such as Lang Ang ecotourism area with exciting experience activities, fruit farms such as grapefruit, persimmon, guava gardens, white horse farms, etc. Visitors can participate in mountain climbing, trekking to explore the majestic limestone mountains, or simply stroll around the village, learn about the daily life of the Tay, Nung, and Dao ethnic people.
Yen Thinh is also an ideal destination for those who love adventure tourism, especially rock climbing. With its characteristic limestone mountain terrain, Yen Thinh possesses many vertical, craggy cliffs, attracting professional and amateur climbers to conquer. Currently, the commune has about 8 climbing spots with more than 120 climbing routes fully equipped with safety equipment, meeting international standards.
Tourists relaxing at Mao’s Homestay by Vietclimb in Yen Thinh commune community tourism village, Lang Son.
Homestays in Yen Thinh are often built according to the traditional stilt house architecture of ethnic minorities, providing a cozy, intimate, and locally-infused space. Visitors will experience daily life with the host family, enjoy local specialties prepared by the locals themselves, and participate in traditional cultural and artistic activities. Some famous homestays in Yen Thinh include Mao’s homestay by Vietclimb, homestays in Lang Ang, etc.
Experiencing Unique Culture and Cuisine in Villages
Homestay tourism is not just a place to rest, but also an opportunity for visitors to discover and experience the unique cultural values of Lang Son.
Exploring Indigenous Culture: Coming to homestay villages, visitors will learn about the customs, traditional festivals, handicrafts, and folk arts of ethnic minorities. You can participate in activities such as learning how to weave brocade, make “banh khao” cake, listen to “hat then”, “hat sli” singing, or simply chat and interact with local people to learn more about their cultural life.
Enjoying Culinary Specialties: Lang Son cuisine is imbued with mountain flavors with dishes made from natural, fresh ingredients. Visitors will enjoy specialties such as “pho chua” (sour noodles), hot rolled cakes, “khau nhuc” (braised pork belly), roasted pig, grilled chicken, “xoi nep nuong” (grilled sticky rice), etc. In particular, when staying at a homestay, you will have the opportunity to enjoy cozy family meals cooked by the host themselves, with dishes imbued with traditional flavors and the sincere affection of the locals.
Participating in Community Activities: Many homestays in Lang Son also organize community experience activities such as participating in agriculture, harvesting crops, going to local markets, or participating in traditional village festivals. This is a great opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the life of local people, experience daily work, and learn more about the value of labor and community bonding.
Must-Try Experience Activities
In addition to resting and exploring culture, visitors to Lang Son homestay villages can also participate in many exciting and attractive experience activities.
Trekking and Mountain Climbing: With diverse mountain terrain, Lang Son is an ideal destination for those who love trekking and mountain climbing. Visitors can choose trekking routes suitable for their health and preferences, from gentle walking routes around the village to adventurous mountain climbing routes to conquer peaks.
Visiting Farms and Orchards: Lang Son is famous for many specialty fruits such as Chi Lang custard apples, Bac Son mandarin oranges, Bao Lam persimmons, etc. Visitors can visit farms and orchards, learn about the planting and harvesting process, and enjoy fresh fruit right in the garden.
Exploring the unique white horse breeding model at Yen Thinh farm, Lang Son
Exploring Caves: Lang Son has many beautiful and majestic caves such as Tam Thanh, Nhi Thanh, Bat Trang caves, etc. Visitors can explore these caves, admire the beauty of stalactites and stalagmites, and learn about the history and culture associated with these landmarks.
Participating in Traditional Festivals: If you have the opportunity to visit Lang Son during the festival season, don’t miss the chance to participate in traditional festivals of ethnic minorities such as the Long Tong festival, Ky Cung festival, Bung Khanh festival, etc. This is an opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in the joyful, bustling atmosphere of the festival, enjoy unique rituals, and learn about their profound cultural significance.
Choosing the Right Homestay and Planning Your Trip
To have a complete and meaningful homestay trip in Lang Son, visitors need to choose a suitable homestay and plan their trip in detail.
Choosing a Homestay: Visitors should carefully research information about homestays, consider location, amenities, services, and reviews from previous customers to choose a homestay that suits their needs and preferences. Priority should be given to homestays with green spaces, close to nature, and managed by local people to ensure an authentic experience and support the development of community tourism.
Planning Your Trip: Visitors should plan in detail about time, itinerary, transportation, and sightseeing and experience activities. Homestay rooms should be booked in advance, especially during peak tourist season or holidays. Prepare appropriate clothing for the weather and tourist activities, and bring necessary personal items and preventive medicine.
Ideal Time to Visit: Spring and autumn are the ideal times to travel to Lang Son homestays. The weather at this time is cool and pleasant, the natural scenery is beautiful, suitable for sightseeing, exploring, and experiencing activities.
Tourists visiting the pomelo, persimmon, and guava farm model of Mr. Nguyen Van Truong’s family in Tan Yen village, Yen Thinh commune, Huu Lung, Lang Son.
Transportation: Visitors can travel to Lang Son by car, motorbike, or bus from Hanoi and neighboring provinces. To get to homestay villages, visitors can rent motorbikes or walk to explore.
Developing Sustainable Homestay Tourism in Lang Son
Homestay tourism is becoming a strong development trend in Lang Son, bringing many economic, social, and cultural benefits to the locality. However, to develop sustainable homestay tourism, the joint efforts of all levels of government, tourism businesses, local communities, and tourists are needed.
Focusing on Cultural and Environmental Preservation: Homestay tourism development needs to be linked to the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values of ethnic groups, protecting the natural environment and landscape. Specific regulations and guidelines on homestay construction and management are needed to ensure harmony between tourism development and cultural and environmental preservation.
Improving Service Quality: Homestays need to continuously improve service quality, from facilities and amenities to service attitude, communication skills, and tourism knowledge. Training programs and tourism professional development should be provided for local people to help them improve their capacity and meet the increasing demands of tourists.
Strengthening Tourism Promotion and Marketing: It is necessary to strengthen the promotion and marketing of Lang Son homestay tourism on media channels, social networks, and domestic and international tourism events. Building a unique, attractive, and professional Lang Son homestay tourism brand.
The peaceful beauty of rice paddies in Yen Thinh, Lang Son.
Promoting Community Role: Local communities play a central role in homestay tourism development. Conditions should be created for local people to participate in the planning, management, and benefit from tourism. Ensuring that tourism brings practical benefits to the community, contributing to improving livelihoods and reducing poverty.
Conclusion
Experiencing homestay tourism in Lang Son’s mountain villages is a fascinating and meaningful journey of discovery. Visitors not only immerse themselves in pristine nature, but also experience distinctive local culture, enjoy unique cuisine, and feel the warmth and sincerity of the highland people. With rich tourism potential and strong community tourism development, Lang Son promises to become a leading homestay tourism destination in Vietnam, bringing unforgettable experiences to visitors and contributing to local economic and social development. Come to Lang Son to discover and experience the wonderful things this land has to offer!
Experiencing recreational activities at Lang Ang ecotourism area in Yen Thinh, Lang Son.