by Minh Tâm & Quỳnh Hoa

More and more tourists are flocking to the Hoàng Su Phì Terraced Fields Festival. Photo danatravel.com.vn

From above, the terraced rice fields of Thông Nguyên ripple across the mountains like golden waves frozen in motion, curving, cascading and cavorting in the autumn air.

In the soft sunlight of the season, every rice stalk shimmers as if dipped in honey, and every ridge glows against the deep emerald of ancient forests. Mist lingers in the valleys like silk scarves caught between heaven and earth, while streams weave through villages in silver threads.

The laughter of Dao and Tày farmers echoes across the slopes, blending with the rhythmic thud of sickles — a symphony composed by land and people.

This is not merely harvest season. This is the golden season, a sacred time when the mountains of Tuyên Quang (formerly Hà Giang’s Hoàng Su Phì region) put on their most radiant attire and open their arms to the world.

And this year, Thông Nguyên is not just being admired — it is taking flight.

Where heritage meets altitude

For those wishing to savour the sweet scent of ripened rice and capture photos of shimmering golden fields, Hoàng Su Phì is best visited during the harvest season. Photo danatravel.com.vn

For generations, the terraced fields of Thông Nguyên were carved not for beauty, but for survival. Harmony was not a slogan — it was a way of life. The Dao, Tày and Pà Thẻn people sculpted mountains with their bare hands and timeless patience, transforming steep slopes into stairways of grain, each terrace reflecting both labour and legacy.

Recognising its cultural significance, Việt Nam has honoured Hoàng Su Phì’s rice terraces as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage site, covering the communes of Hoàng Su Phì, Thông Nguyên, Thàng Tín, Bản Máy, Nậm Dịch, Tân Tiến, Hồ Thầu and Pờ Ly Ngài. But unlike many heritage sites that rest behind fences, Thông Nguyên remains alive, breathing, evolving.

And now, it is rewriting its story from preservation to participation.

A festival where fire meets sky

To celebrate this evolution, the Thông Nguyên Culture and Tourism Week 2025 has transformed the quiet mountain commune into a stage of light and rhythm. Held under the radiant theme Mùa Vàng Rực Rỡ – Hẹn Hò Với Non Cao (A Glorious Golden Season – A Date with the Highlands), the festival is part ritual, part celebration, and entirely unforgettable.

As night falls, the entire village gathers at the communal field. Drums thunder. Flutes cry. Then, the flames rise.

Members of the Red Dao and Pà Thẻn ethnic groups leap into the fire barefoot, their bodies dancing with embers. Sparks scatter into the sky like stars ascending. It is not a performance, but a prayer, a conversation between humans and fire spirits, offering gratitude for the harvest and calling for protection.

Beyond the hypnotic fire dance, the festival immerses visitors in a vibrant array of cultural experiences, from ethnic costume parades showcasing everything from scarlet Dao embroidery to indigo-dyed Tày linens, and mountain feasts laden with smoked buffalo, thắng cố stew and sticky rice tinted with forest herbs.

Traditional games like bamboo pole jumping, tug of war and wooden stilt racing bring bursts of laughter as much as displays of strength, while displays of local crafts – from hemp weaving to bamboo basketry – offer a chance to witness the stories woven into every handmade object.

The Nậm Hồng community-based tourism village in Thông Nguyên Commune (Tuyên Quang) sits amid terraced rice fields, creating a unique highlight that draws visitors. VNA/VNS Photo Triệu Quyên

The true heartbeat lies not in the performances, but in the pride shining in every villager’s eyes.

Not just for attracting tourists, the Culture and Tourism Week is also an occasion for ethnic communities to express their pride in traditional culture.

Triệu Thị Mỷ, a resident of Nậm Hồng Village, said her whole family was involved in preparing for the festival. She wrapped cakes, cooked sticky rice and made handicrafts for visitors.

“The happiest moment is when we see tourists enjoying our products and buying them as gifts,” Mỷ said. “Thanks to tourism, we can earn extra income, and life has become less difficult.”

Chairman of the Thông Nguyên Commune People’s Committee Vũ Thế Phương said: “We believe that tourism must go hand in hand with the preservation of cultural identity.

“This year’s Culture and Tourism Week is an opportunity to promote the image of Thông Nguyên, bringing the golden harvest scenery and the unique cultural traits of our local people closer to visitors from both home and abroad."

Soaring above the terraces

Paragliding is a must-try experience when visiting Hoàng Su Phì, offering travellers a breathtaking aerial view of its mysterious landscape. Photo danatravel.com.vn

The highlight of the season isn’t just watching the terraces, however — it’s flying through them.

From a take-off point in Nậm Piên – Làng Giang, paragliders sprint toward the edge of the ridge before surrendering themselves to the wind. A moment of silence, then the canopy blooms above like a giant leaf catching the breath of the mountains.

Below, the world turns into a living mosaic of amber, emerald and bronze. Farmers pause mid-harvest to wave, children chase moving shadows along footpaths, and distant waterfalls roar like applause. For 15–20 minutes, gravity loosens its grip, and the rice fields that once fed generations now lift their descendants into the sky.

Nguyễn Thị Hồng Nhung, a visitor from Hà Nội, said with excitement that although she has travelled to many places with terraced rice fields, Thông Nguyên offers a completely different feeling – both untouched and rich in cultural identity.

She said she was looking forward to joining the fire dancing at night and witnessing the golden harvest from a paragliding flight, an experience she believed would be unforgettable.

Whether you’re a thrill-seeker booking a full Hà Nội – Thông Nguyên adventure package or a solo traveller opting for on-site flight service, both options are operated by B&G Group (Bảo Yến Travel) in partnership with local pilots, ensuring safety, sustainability and spectacle in equal measure.

And when your feet touch the earth again, your heartbeat will still be somewhere in the clouds.

Tourism with a conscience

Tour operators interact with Red Dao ethnic residents in Thông Nguyên Commune, Tuyên Quang Province. Photo by Quân Nguyễn

Excitement alone does not make a good destination; responsibility does.

That’s why Thông Nguyên’s rise isn’t powered by mass tourism, but by community partnership. In September, the local People’s Committee signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Responsible Tourism Cooperation with major eco-tourism pioneers Panhou Retreat and Intrepid Vietnam, ensuring that development brings income without erosion and access without exploitation.

Instead of concrete hotels, visitors are welcomed into homestays in Nậm Hồng, where Dao herbal baths soothe tired legs and village elders share legends over cups of shan tuyết tea plucked from 300-year-old trees. Instead of staged attractions, travellers are invited to plant rice, harvest cardamom or trek to secret waterfalls known only to locals.

Here, tourism is not a transaction — it is a conversation between visitor and village, between sky and soil, between heritage and the future.

And as long as the terraces remain golden, Thông Nguyên will continue to rise, not as a destination to consume but as an experience of belonging. VNS