Hundred-year-old stone village transformed into a ‘homestay realm’

During the long day trip to Cao Bang, we met Fabio and his wife, both Italian. After some conversations, we came to know that in their hometown, Fabio's family was located near the famous Trevi Fountain, a work created mainly of limestone and marble. Fabio visited this fountain many times and was fascinated by the magnificent Roman architecture.

At one time, the 40-year-old man fell in love with stone. As soon as he knew that Vietnam had 3 geoparks, he quickly arranged to see for himself and live in real stone houses in Khuoi Ky village, Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district.

A village full of stones

Located on Provincial Road 206, connecting Trung Khanh district to Ha Lang, more than 80 km from the center of Cao Bang city, the ancient Khuoi Ky village has a history of nearly 400 years. Some elders in the village recounted that the village was formed around the end of the 16t^h century when the Mac dynasty fled to Cao Bang. Aiming to establish its own sovereignty in this area, most of the works the Mac dynasty built were for defense. Stone houses, therefore, sprang up like impregnable "fortresses".

In the concept of Tay people, stone is the center of the universe. Men are born from stone and turn into stones when died. Stone is the source of life. Stone seems to be the breath, the daily life, and the eternal love for the people here.

Not just Fabio, we were all blown away by the scenery here. There was a large wooden bridge on Khuoi Ky stream, leading to the gate of the village. A flock of ducks slowly swam by, as if to add to the peaceful look to the ancient village surrounded by stone fence, stone house, stone path. In the far distance, the large rocky mountain range embraced the whole village.

Our wandering souls suddenly stopped at a large homestay, nestled next to a large rocky mountain and isolated from Khuoi Ky village. This tourist accommodation had a large stone house, located close to the road, the rest are smaller apartments, arranged into two rows, hugging the rocky mountain. According to people in the village, it was Yen Nhi Homestay, the largest homestay in this area.

Welcoming us with a friendly smile, Ly Thi Diep, owner of Yen Nhi Homestay, hurriedly invited the whole group to visit. It was scorching hot outside, easily approaching 40oC, but strangely, as soon as you step into the stone house, the air suddenly cooled down as if the owner turned on the air conditioner. “A stone house is always cooler than a wooden or brick house,” Diep explained after seeing our faces full of questions about this unique structure.

The sacred place now opens its door to the world

Waiting for Fabio and his wife to check in, we heard Diep talk about the dream homestay that she is operating. It turns out that this is the family's second establishment, located on the other side of Khuoi Ky stream. The old house is located in the village, and her family allows guests to use it entirely. Inside, there is a kitchen, tables and chairs, blankets enough to serve 20 people at the same time.

Diep is actually one of 7 households in Khuoi Ky village that provide homestay services, with a fee of VND 100,000 - 400,000/day. Volunteering as a guide and taking us back to her old house, she met Nong Van Tho, an old neighbor who now also invests in homestay.

It is not as beautiful and spacious as Diep's facility, but in return, Tho’s homestay provides trekking services for the guests. Roughly 1m75 tall, tanned skin, a clear, loud voice like how the sound Ban Gioc waterfall makes, the man can walk all day without getting tired. Not only Tho is willing to carry luggage for visitors, he also offers a farming experience service. He guided them to pick bamboo shoots, catch fish, and cook typical Tay dishes.

In the beliefs of the Tay people, the house is considered a sacred place, where the characteristics of material and spiritual life are kept and passed down through generations. Partly because of that, when the community tourism development was not propagated, the local people still "hid behind closed doors". It was not easy for them to share the sacred place with strangers. Even when the homestay model was flourishing, not every household could participate due to difficulties in terms of facilities, language, customs and daily activities.

Thanks to the government's encouragement, people's views are now more open. Tran Van Phu, Chairman of Dam Thuy Commune People's Committee, said that households eligible to welcome guests would combine with other households in providing ancillary services such as tour guide, processing of local agricultural specialties, and passenger transport.

A new chapter for the wonders of stone

Nowadays, whether going up to Bac Gioc waterfall or Nguom Ngao cave, everyone understands the long-term benefits of the community-based tourism development model. As a result, tourism infrastructure, promotion and advertising, especially traffic have been improved with each passing day. If it was ten years ago, tourists would have to ride motorbikes so that tourists like Fabio's family to reach the sights, now 29 or even 45 seat cars are more than enough to bring everyone to the tourist sites.

The sun was already at the top, but President Tran Van Phu still begged us to visit a few more models to give suggestions for Dam Thuy tourism. “The commune will build a professional management board to supervise the established model of community tourism, and at the same time organize regular training courses to improve service quality,” he said.

In the midst of the fiery weather, Fabio lightly notified us about the melody soaring from a nearby roof. "Everyday life changes again in a flash / Oh how the shooting stars sparkle the night sky / But has that stone ever suddenly cried like a human…"

Having his eyes wide open with delight when listening to the translation of the lyrics, Fabio marveled: "I will still say it: Where there are wonders of stone, there are many fascinating things!”