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Da Bac's Sung Village is a special Dao Tien ethnic village where many traditional cultural values are still preserved to this day. Currently, Sung Village is a favorite destination in Da Bac for domestic and foreign tourists, thanks to the intact nature, pristine beauty of the landscape, and many impressive traditional customs.
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1. Introduction To Sung Village
According to local elders, Sung Village existed 500 years ago. The name comes from the Sang tree, a native tree that was previously grown in this area, but due to difficulty in pronunciation, residents gradually called it Sung. Currently, Sung Village is home to 73 households of the Dao Tien ethnic group, who mainly live off agriculture, growing upland rice, wet rice, corn, and potatoes as their main occupation.
View of Da River from Sung Village
In addition to the beautiful wild landscape of nature, the traditional customs and traditions of the Dao ethnic group are increasingly becoming attractive features for tourists coming to Hoa Binh, especially events such as the spring festival, graduation ceremony, naming ceremony along with cultural performances such as the bell dance, the cheo dance and the Xoe dance performed by the folk art team.
The traditional handicraft of brocade and embroidery is also preserved and developed, creating a unique characteristic of the Dao Tien people in Sung Village. Therefore, Sung Village is becoming one of the interesting tourist experiences that is not to be missed in Muong.
Watching Sung village from above
2. What To Discover In Sung Village Da Bac?
At Sung Village in Da Bac, Hoa Binh, there are many interesting activities to experience such as enjoying traditional dishes, watching art performances, walking around the village, climbing mountains, exploring caves, experiencing the lives of local people, learning about how to dye fabric and brocade embroidery of the Dao people, etc.
Interesting Cultural Features
In Sung Village, marriage is not a must for girls, but they can still have children. A man can marry a woman who already has children and will still love her children like a biological father. For a long time, the villagers have been doing what Westerners call the "new way of life" of only having one or two children. In particular, if someone gives birth to a child but can not raise it, they can let someone else take the responsibility.
The family adopts and creates a friendship for the children, takes care of them together and closely follows the child's growing process. The child will be attached to the adoptive family and still maintain the relationship between both its biological parents and the adoptive parents. Older men here are also called "dads" because this is the people's way of showing respect for elders.
In Sung Village, all Dao Tien men must know their native language to perform ancestor worship rituals. Dao Tien women have more special rights in choosing husbands and having children. However, all the women here have black hands because, since the age of 10, they have known how to dye their fabric to make their traditional costumes.
The Art Of Beeswax Painting
Visitors coming to Sung Village can experience the signature culture of the Dao Tien people in Sung Village - the Indigo Dyeing And Beeswax Painting Profession. You can participate in sewing clothes and watch women with hands stained with black indigo, imparting precious secrets of brocade craft, especially the beeswax drawing formula to create unique patterns of the Dao Tien people.
The Making Of Do Paper
The Dao Tien people have their typical writing and those handwriting are written on Do paper. It is still unclear when the writing of the Dao people first appeared, what we only know is that when the Dao Tien people started writing, the Do paper-making profession was also born.
Although it was considered to be forgotten for a time, this profession has been revived by the people in Sung Village and has become a source of pride when introduced to visitors.
Sung Cave
This cave is also known as Hoang Lan Cave or Ba Co Cave. According to legend, Princess Hoang Lan has 3 beautiful daughters; one day, they went out and got lost in the cave and disappeared without a trace.
Mrs. Hoang Lan worriedly searched everywhere and entered the cave, but never returned. Therefore, people named it Ba Co (Three Ladies) Cave. At the entrance to the cave, there is a small hut and before entering, people must burn incense as a way of asking for permission.
Trekking Through The Forest
Going through the forest to learn about precious trees (including medicinal plants used for foot baths and baths) as well as poisonous plants that are used to impregnate arrows when hunting wild boars is also a must-do when visiting Sung Village. Even more interesting is that visitors will also be able to try wild tamarind fruit, which is not only sour but also has a unique sweet flavor.
And of course, the forest of Sung Village is a wonderful and charming natural area with numerous species of flowers, plants, and trees. Just take one step out of the house, and you will enter a magnificent forest landscape. The most special thing about the landscape in Ban Sung is the continuation of forests creating endless spaces of green.
Art
In the evening, tourists can sit around the warm fire, roast potatoes, boil cassava, and watch wonderful performances played by the Dao Tien. After that, they will tell you stories about the life of the Dao Tien people in Ban Sung, along with their long history. All of this creates a wonderful picture, combining beautiful natural scenery, and bringing a warm and captivating feeling.
Cuisine
In Sung Village, tourists can enjoy all the specialties in Hoa Binh with typical flavors of the mountains and forests such as free-range pork, hill chicken, Da river fish, and wild vegetables as well as unique specialties of the locals:
- Hoang Wine: This is a spcial wine made from local rice. People will put the wine on charcoal stoves and use gentle heat to boil it. During the cooking process, they continue to stir to ensure the wine and rice blend evenly, creating a sweet aroma. When the wine boils, people get a soft, smooth golden essence similar to the color of yellow sticky rice wine, put it in a clay jar, and ferment it underground. It is said that this wine helps its drinkers sober until they walk past a distance of 3 kilometers. Then they can only be sober again after 3 days.
- Dao Tien Sour Meat: This dish of the Dao Tien people at Sung Village in Da Bac needs to be incubated for up to 3 years. To prepare, the locals choose a large piece of meat, with a ratio of 9 parts fat to 1 part lean. This piece of meat is then washed and sliced, cut into evenly thin slices about 2-3mm. Next, sprinkle salt on all sides of the meat and place it in a clay pot. After cooking the rice, take it out and when it's still hot, pour the rice into the pot. Then, close the lid and ferment with the meat for a year. When the time comes, take the meat out, brush off the rice and put it back in the jar, then incubate it with a new batch of hot rice. After doing exactly 3 incubations like this, after about 3 years, the meat can be eaten.
3. Best Time To Visit Sung Village
The nature of Sung Village is charming and beautiful all year round so visitors can come anytime. However, the period from December to the end of February is the best time to watch the flowers blooming in white clusters, emitting a charming fragrance.
4. Where To Stay At Sung Village?
Currently, there are several households providing homestay services such as Thanh Chung homestay, Xuan Lan homestay, and Nhat Quy homestay. In addition, there are about 50 households providing tourism services. The community motels here are highly regarded by tourists for their accommodation space as they still retain the original architecture of traditional Dao houses.
The staff is trained and guided to provide the most attentive and professional services to visitors. Homestay businesses also continuously improve equipment and invest in facilities to serve the diverse needs of tourists.
5. How To Get To Sung Village?
About 100km from Hanoi, tourists can travel for 2 hours by car according to Google Maps. From the center, go towards De La Thanh through the Nguyen Chi Thanh overpass. Continue following Highway 08 and the Hoa Lac - Hoa Binh Expressway to reach the Hoa Binh area in Tan Hoa, Hoa Binh City. Follow DT433 on the map to reach Sung village in Cao Son.
Sung Village in Hoa Binh, together with Da Bia Village, is an attractive destination to relax and explore the natural beauty and unique culture of the Dao people. Come to enjoy the peaceful, quiet space of nature in the Northwest mountain of Vietnam.
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