Binh Lieu in cold weather
Although Binh Lieu is endowed with a charming beauty all year-round, the district particularly strikes visitors when the winter comes.
As a borderline mountainous district in the northeast of Quang Ninh, just 120km away from Ha Long City, Binh Lieu shares 43km borders with China, Binh Lieu is home to 5 ethnicities, including Tay, Dao, San Chi, Chinese and Kinh, and greatly endowed by nature with moderate climate and cool weather and fresh air all year round.
The immense “heaven” of white reed grass and vast acacia and Ceylon cinnamon forests Binh Lieu have currently regarded as the most mesmerizing views in this district.
The grass field is on the side of the western border guard path which stretches to Lang Son and has the height of 700m from the sea level. And cinnamon forests are located at Dong Tam commune, beyond these woods is a scenic picture of frolicking children, kitchen smoke emitting from stilt houses, and cinnamon quills hung out to dry.
At weekend, tourists have a chance to visit a special market of indigenous people with various conventional products and customs, especially on the occasion of the forthcoming Tet holiday. As more than 90 per cent of locals are ethnic minorities such as the Tay, San Chi and Dao, the market burst with ethnic women in bright-colored traditional attire.
Noticeably, visiting some orange gardens at the hamlets of Na Sa and Hoanh Mo, about 2 kilometers away from Hoanh Mo border gate and the big flower garden on Cao Son mountain should be new experience that tourists should try once.
From those tourist sites, visitors should come into a variety of ancient villages nearby, Dong Thanh, Cao Thang, Na Nhai and Song Mooc for example, to discover the exeptional features of local ethnic people and enjoy local dishes including black swans, spring fish, new rice, fried pho, etc.
In winter, sometimes snow covers rooftops in pristine white fluff at some places such as Cao Ly mountain, some border markers of 1327, 1300, 1302, 1305 whilst mist engulfs ethnic villages lining the forest, together composing a dreamy painting.
