Kho Muong village, a peaceful natural setting in Pu Luong

Between the grandiose mountains of Pu Luong, lies the secret Kho Muong Valley, home to one of the most remote and disadvantaged ethnic villages in Thanh Son ward, Ba Thuoc district. After a 10 km road connecting the La Han bridge and the Thanh Lam crossroads, it's time to take the winding paths towards Thanh Son, accessible only on foot.

A discreet natural gem

Kho Muong, the most distant village in the valley, has 60 households with two hundred inhabitants of white Thai ethnicity. To access it, the road is quite hilly for many loops, therefore requiring physical effort. It’s an ideal place for trekking lovers.

Perched in the nucleus of the Pu Luong nature reserve, Kho Muong will surprise you with the preserved beauty of a peaceful and picturesque setting where rural life continues to be lulled by the rhythm of the seasons. Seen from above, the visitor will be dazzled by a bewitching hilly landscape. At the foot of the mountains, wooden houses on stilts with thatched roofs, fields of rice, cassava, and corn, appear in an absolute tranquillity of this rural setting. A haven of peace will make you forget any fatigue of the journey.

      >> To read more: Pu Luong Nature Reserve - Travel Guide

The best times to discover Kho Muong are either between May and June or between September and October when two harvests of the year happen. It will be an opportunity to appreciate the resplendent yellow that reigns supreme over the rice fields as far as the eye can see. Covered with golden terraced fields, the countryside of Pu Luong, as well as Kho Muong, will offer you a spectacle no less attractive than those displayed in the North West regions like Sapa or Mu Cang Chai, the most famous in Vietnam.

Rich in discoveries, Kho Muong charms visitors as much by its picturesque side as by its remarkable cultural traditions that its inhabitants have known how to retain over time. Go to meet the locals, stay for a few days with an ethnic Thai family, share with them typical and surprising meals with so many new flavours...  In any local family, the visitor will be delighted with a warm welcome that testifies smiling faces as well as simple but very tasty dishes like "com lam" (sticky rice cooked in bamboo), banana flower salad, bitter vegetable soup, corn wine, boiled duck and more.

Where to visit in Pu Luong?

Known as one of the most attractive of all the karst rocks in the Pu Luong Nature Reserve, the Kho Muong cave is notable for the abundance of stalactites formed over 250 million years. It is an integral part of a system of underground rivers 2.5 km north. When you enter, marvel at the mythical and sumptuous world of multifaceted stalactites, as each one is a source of the legend. In the background, like a natural volleyball court, there is a large, airy and refreshing space which is also worth a detour.

What to do around the area? Visit the Pu Luong nature reserve, the Mo (Dream) and Hieu (Deer) waterfalls, the Dien Ha dam, the Ca Than spring (Fish God) and bring back specialities from the jungle.

Location: 150 km from Thanh Hoa town, Thanh Son ward, Ba Thuoc district.

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