Sông Moóc Village is considered as "miniature Sa Pa" of Bình Liêu District. Photo courtesy of Lý Văn Vinh

Lâm Giang

Sông Moóc Village has been dubbed a "miniature Sa Pa" of the highland commune of Đồng Văn, Bình Liêu District, Quảng Ninh Province thanks to its cool climate and gorgeous landscape.

Summer brings heat nationwide, but Sông Moóc Village usually has quite a cool and fresh climate as it is located in the middle of Phiêng Chè--Cao Ba Lanh mountain system.

The village is located on a mountain range that rises to more than 1,000m above sea level in parts, covered with green cinnamon forest and white clouds. The village has many rammed earth houses which are still intact.

The village has focused on the development of its tourism sector and although it is a highland village, travelling to the village is easy due to the convenient road system. The village is only about 30km from the centre of Bình Liêu Town.

The first thing that strikes you about Sông Moóc Village is probably its simplicity, the wonderful terraced fields and the traditional houses of the Dao people.

Most of Sông Moóc Village’s people are Dao people. — Photo courtesy of Lý Văn Vinh

From above, the village is often surrounded by fog.

The village has an area of more than 375ha, including 69ha of farmland. The entire village is located on the slopes of Phiêng Chè--Cao Ba Lanh mountain, so altitude varies throughout the village, with the lowest place only about 300m above sea level, but the highest place more than 700m above sea level.

This feature has created a village in the middle of mountains and forests with poetic and beautiful scenery, including terraced rice fields.

When we arrived in Sông Moóc, we admired the wild and fresh scenery of the village, especially the endless green terraced fields. The old roofs of the houses, the mist and white clouds alternated with the greenery of the mountains and forests.

Children go to school.  Photo courtesy of Lý Văn Vinh

The people of the village are Dao ethnics, who still preserve many of their traditional cultural features.

We visited the rammed earth houses of the Dao people halfway down the slope. They seemed small, but in fact, they had a large space with a very large yard. When we entered the house, sisters and mothers in Dao costumes were attentively embroidering colourful brocade clothes.

According to local man Lý Văn Vinh, the Dao people have carried on many traditions and festivals such as Kiêng Gió festival to pray for a bountiful and prosperous harvest and Cold Foods Festival which is an occasion for family members to gather and remember their ancestors.

Vinh told us that Sông Moóc waterfall was worth checking out, so we decided to explore this waterfall.

We slipped between irrigation ditches and green terraces fields to arrive at the waterfall. At the foot of the waterfall was a system of majestic rocks of more than 400sq.m with large rocks stretched out on the ground to create a large space.

Sông Moóc waterfall has an area of ​​about 3ha.  Photo addflag.com

The waterfall was very cool, with a cascade of more than 10m high from the jungle down to the village.

After visiting the village, we rested at the Sông Moóc House which has a very beautiful view. We had a chance to enjoy local dishes such as chicken, pork, stream fish, duck and black swan.

Sông Moóc Village is a wonderful stop on a journey throughout beautiful Bình Liêu.

From Sông Moóc, visitors can visit Hoành Mô border gate (about 10km), Khe Tiền (about 3km), Cao Sơn flower garden (10km), and Khe Vằn waterfall (20km).

In addition, visitors can also try hunting clouds on Cao Ly Mountain or conquer the top of Quảng Nam Châu and Cao Xiêm mountains.

Cao Xiêm is located in Lục Hồn Commune. It is known as the roof of Quảng Ninh. With wild, majestic and poetic beauty, Cao Xiêm is an ideal destination on a trip to Bình Liêu. VNS

The view of Sông Moóc Village from the top of Phiêng Chè - Cao Ba Lanh. — Photo baoquangninh.com.vn