I’m a photography enthusiast, and the landscapes in Northwest Vietnam seem incredible for capturing scenic views. Are there any specific spots that are particularly photogenic...
Hoa Binh Lake, the largest artificial lake in Vietnam, is likened to Ha Long Bay in the mountains. In the lakebed area, there are hundreds of islands, many forests, caves, and bays. One of the most beautiful bays here is Ngoi Hoa Bay, a place with poetic natural scenery, and a charming combination of mountains and water. It is the highlight in the core area of the Hoa Binh Lake tourist area and is called a pearl on the mountain.
Ngoi Hoa, before there was Hoa Binh Lake, used to be dense forests and flat grounds. Indigenous people from ancient times also called Ngoi Hoa's landscape "Bua hai" (Bua means flat area, hai means dense forest). When the water level rose due to damming to build a hydroelectric plant, the area became a beautiful bay, and the forest grew on the hills and mountains, which were vast and green thanks to the cool water vapor from the lake and the bay.
Today, Ngoi Hoa Bay along with neighboring villages creates the core area of Hoa Binh Lake tourism. Tourists fondly call this bay "the pearl in the mountains" or "Ha Long Bay on land" because of its magnificent beauty.
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The Beauty Of Ngoi Hoa Bay
The special thing about Ngoi Hoa Bay is that the bay is on a high mountain and is a bay in the middle of a lake. The bay is vast, the water is clear blue, surrounded by high mountains, green islands, and green trees as far as the eye can see. In the middle of the vast Hoa Binh Lake, there are 47 large and small islands distributed widely. The bay on Ngoi Hoa mountain has many landscapes and is home to many kinds of fish and shrimp, the climate is fresh and cool.
The islands are green and lush all year round. People here have made use of the land around the bay to grow acacia and bamboo, and at the same time create gardens full of fruit trees such as melons, papayas, bananas, gourds, squash, and especially orchids. These agricultural activities make the bay's landscape greener and more beautiful.
Things To Do At Ngoi Hoa Bay
Coming to Ngoi Hoa Bay, visitors can walk along the lakeside paths to enjoy the fresh air and cool breeze from the vast Hoa Binh Lake or enjoy swimming in the clear blue water of the bay. One of the most ideal experiences at this destination is taking a scenic boat ride. Visitors can choose to sit on a motorboat along the bay to see the islands and feel the cool steam coming from the lake. In case you have more time, you can row a boat by yourself to fully enjoy the beautiful scenery of Ngoi Hoa Bay.
Right next to Ngoi Hoa Bay is the scenic relic of Hoa Tien Cave. When visiting the cave, visitors will be amazed by the wonderful beauty of countless stalactites and stone columns with hundreds of shapes. About 1 km east of Hoa Tien cave, there is a large lake with clear, cool blue water. Legend has it that this is where ancient mountain girls often came to bathe.
Muong ethnic people's village near Ngoi Hoa Bay currently has more than 80 households. Hundreds of years ago, Ngoi Hoa people only grew rice and corn on rocks and mountain slopes and hunted small animals in the forest. Now, people have developed more tourism services and built more than ten spacious, beautiful stilt houses as resorts.
Tourism households always carefully prepare traditional dishes and drinks, ready to serve tourists with the most delicious dishes according to their preferences. These dishes include sticky rice, bamboo-tube rice, sticky rice made with ant eggs, bee pupae, pork, stir-fried beef, buffalo cooked in lom leaves (a type of sour leaf), chicken, duck, geese, grilled fish cooked with sour bamboo shoots, mixed vegetables, and local wines.
Besides, tourists can enjoy artistic performances of the people with bustling, vibrant melodies evoking the feeling of joy, nostalgia, and the desire to rise in life. Tourists can also listen to traditional music with instruments such as gong and flutes, or watch the folk dances while drinking the sweet and slightly spicy stem liquor. Traditional cultural activities will help visitors better understand the unique and attractive culture of the Muong ethnic group.
When exploring Ngoi Hoa Bay, in addition to Hoa Tien cave and Muong village, visitors can also take a boat to visit Thac Bo cave, Thac Bo Lord Temple, Go Lao waterfall, islands in the lake, or watch the sunset on the vast Hoa Binh Lake - each destination has one-of-a-kind beauty.
Hoa Binh Ngoi Hoa Bay is a beautiful and impressive destination of Hoa Binh province, attracting tourists with its immense, fresh, and poetic beauty. If you have the opportunity to travel to this Northwest land, remember to come here once. The roads are now easier to travel, thus, visitors can explore this charming mountainous land on their own. However, if it is your first time coming to Hoa Binh, you can choose to book a tour from IZITour.
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