The tea hills of Bình Thuận Commune at the foot of Pha Đin Pass attract tourists seeking unique experiences. — Photo danviet.vn

SƠN LA — At the foot of the legendary Pha Đin Pass in Sơn La Province, rolling tea hills, highland villages and flower-lined roads are giving visitors new reasons to slow down and explore Bình Thuận Commune.

Drawing on its natural landscapes, agricultural production and cultural traditions, the commune is gradually developing a range of tourism experiences designed to encourage visitors to stay longer and discover more of the area.

Pha Đin Pass, one of the four famous mountain passes in the Northwest, stretches for about 32km and reaches an altitude of 1,648m above sea level at its highest point. Along with Ô Quy Hồ, Khau Phạ and Mã Pí Lèng, it is associated with the rugged mountain landscape of the region. The pass was a hot spot being heavily bombed on the supply route for Điện Biên Phủ Campaign nearly 70 years ago.

Known in the Thai ethnic language as “Phạ Đin", meaning "the meeting place of heaven and earth", the pass's winding road runs through steep mountain terrain, making it a popular destination for travellers and motorcyclists seeking spectacular views.

At the foot of the pass, Bình Thuận offers a quieter experience, with tea plantations, villages and agricultural landscapes forming the backdrop to a growing range of tourism activities.

During the tea harvest, the hills around Thái Bình, Bình Minh, Bình Mộc and Bình Nguyên villages turn bright green. Rows of tea bushes cover the slopes, interspersed with villages and flower-lined roads. Visitors can walk among the plantations, take photographs or simply enjoy the cooler mountain air.

Photographer Hoàng Đức said he was impressed by the natural scenery and tea hills in Bình Thuận. The combination of tea farms, villages and everyday life provides attractive subjects for photography and experience-based tourism.

“The landscape is still quite natural, and each season has its own character. If properly developed, Bình Thuận could become an attractive destination for people who love nature and exploration,” Đức said.

A highland market

Bình Thuận has more than 800ha under tea cultivation, producing about 8,000 tonnes of fresh buds a year. The commune also has nearly 1,000ha of coffee and 400ha of fruit trees, with local production increasingly oriented towards clean and safe farming.

Phạm Quang Huy, secretary of the Bình Thuận Commune Communist Party Committee, said the locality was drawing on its landscape, agriculture and cultural resources to develop distinctive tourism products and create more livelihoods for residents.

Pha Đin Pass, one of the four famous mountain passes in the Northwest. — VNA/VNS Photo

The Pha Đin weekly market offers visitors a closer look at local life and culture. Held every Saturday from 10am to 9.30pm, the market features traditional activities such as grinding maize with a stone mill to make mèn mén, pounding glutinous rice to make bánh dày and grilling fish.

Visitors can also try local dishes, including black chicken and thắng cố (a traditional Mông stew made with horse meat and offal), while browsing handwoven fabrics, handicrafts and other specialities made by ethnic communities in the area.

Visitor Ngô Huy Thành said he enjoyed taking part in traditional activities and trying local food.

“The market has a distinctive atmosphere and strong cultural identity. I particularly like being able to experience traditional activities and taste local dishes,” Thành said.

The market is intended to be more than a place for trading. Local authorities hope it will become a tourism product that helps promote local culture and products, with folk performances and interactions with residents adding to the experience.

Cà Thị Ngọc, acting chairwoman of the Bình Thuận Commune People’s Committee, said the market would be maintained regularly and linked with other attractions and experience-based tourism sites in the area.

The entrance to the Pha Đin market which is held every Saturday. — Photo laodong.vn

More reasons to stay

Pha Đin Top has also become a popular stop for visitors travelling through the Northwest. Covering nearly 30ha, the tourism site includes an ecological forest, flower gardens, accommodation, a restaurant and multiple scenic photo spots.

It currently has 21 rooms, a restaurant with capacity for about 150 guests, and an area displaying local agricultural products, medicinal herbs and souvenirs.

Bùi Ngọc Thắng, director of the Pha Đin Tourism Cooperative, said the site was improving its landscape and accommodation while adding camping, ethnic costume rental and performances by local cultural groups.

Elsewhere in Bình Thuận, local businesses are also using agricultural resources to develop tourism. In Thái Bình Village, a roughly 1,500sq.m ecological site features stilt houses, fruit trees and a fish pond. Visitors can take part in tea-picking activities and learn about tea processing.

Such activities provide a closer look at local farming while creating opportunities for visitors to buy locally produced goods and experience local life.

A scenic view of the misty landscape on the way to Bình Thuận Commune. — Photo mia.vn

With tea hills, a weekly market, ecological sites and agricultural experiences, Bình Thuận is gradually developing a range of tourism products at the foot of Pha Đin Pass.

The commune is looking to connect these attractions and experiences into a broader tourism offering, helping create livelihoods for local residents while encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more of the area. — VNS