VietNamNet Bridge - Even when local travel companies did not know about Pu Dao yet, international tourists did see it as an ideal trekking site.

The way to Pu Dao.

Pu Dao is a mountainous commune in Sin Ho district, Lai Chau province, 13 km from Muong Lay town and over 560 km northwest from Hanoi.

Though the population is less than a thousand and it is located in the remote area, with unspoiled natural scenery, Pu Dao is like a piece of magnet that attracts anyone who are passionate about exploring new lands. That is why a British travel agent - Gecko Travel –selected Pu Dao as one of the five most attractive destinations in Southeast Asia in 2006.

Pu Dao by Hmong language means "the highest point." Pu Dao is located on the towering mountains, crossing itself on the winding, dangerous mountain passes. To reach Pu Dao, visitors must pass through Lai Ha Bridge, which spans a tributary of the Da River. From here you will see Thai people’s stilt houses nestled under coconut trees, smoke rising from the roof, creeping through foliages and scattering into the mist on the other side.

From Lai Ha Bridge to Pu Dao, you will have to pass about 24 km trail with breathtaking bends, through the forest of bamboo shoots and dense underbrushe. About 5km from the bridge, you will see the mansion of Thai king Deo Van Long. This is a historic ruin of a great and splendid palace in the past. Visiting this ruin, you will learn more about the unique architecture and cultural identity of the Thai people.

Lai Ha Bridge spanning the Da River tributary to Pu Dao. Photo: SkyDoor

Reaching the "highest point" in Lai Chau is when you reach the best site for watching the Da River. From here, you also see the spectacular valley below, where is the intersection of the Da River and the Nam Na River with green alluvial ground. After looking back the road that you have just passed, great Pu Dao scene is front of you, with villages situated on mountain cliffs, winding roads amid mountains and deep chasms.

Pu Dao commune has four villages of Hmong people, namely Hon Ngai, Nam Doong, Nam Dac and Hong Ty. You may mistake Hong Ngai village in the center of Pu Dao commune with Hong Ngai commune in Bac Yen district, Son La province or the same name village in Y Ty commune, Bat Xat district of Lao Cai province. Not only having an airfield built by the French, Hong Ngai, Pu Dao today also have solid and clean concrete paths for motorcycles and cars to travel easier.

Unlike Hong Ngai, only motorcycles can enter Nam Doong. Located on the highest and the most beautiful point of Pu Dao, Nam Doong is an ideal trekking site since the road to the village passes through the valley, surrounded by wildflowers and vast verdant upland fields. In the village, houses are built under forest canopies that change color seasonally.

With the fascinating beauty, Hmong villages in Pu Dao are rated as the most attractive in Southeast Asia. Photo: thpudao

Nam Doong welcomes visitors by the innocent smiles and innocent eyes of kids, along with tutus of the Mongn women in the early sun. In the dim haze, wandering white clouds, the distance between heaven and earth seems to be closer, making visitors dazedas they are in the wild paradise.

The road from Nam Doong to Nam Dac and Hong Ty is several kilometers. Whatever the way you go, you will also enjoy the wild beauty and sense of adventure on up and down slopes in Pu Dao.

You should spend at least one night in the most beautiful Hmong village in Southeast Asia. By just sitting besides the charcoal fire, facing cold winds of the northwestern mountains, with a roasted corncob in your hand and chatting until late at night, you will understand why this place is so attractive to foreign tourists.

Pha Le