Bai Bui is located in Khop hamlet, Ngoc Lau commune, Lac Son district, Hoa Binh province, about 140 km from Hanoi. This area has an area of about 9 hectares covered with green grass, located at an altitude of 600 m above sea level.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Sam, a local, currently working in tourism at Bai Bui, said that this was originally a place for local people to graze cattle. It was not until 2022 that the road was renovated that Bai Bui began to attract many visitors, especially during the recent April 30 holiday.
On May 13, Vu Minh Quang (Hanoi) and his friends went to Bai Bui to camp overnight after a friend in the group searched on the internet and suggested it.
Arriving at the beach at around 10 pm, it was already dark so Quang could not see the scenery clearly. The whole group gathered to set up camp, eat and rest. The next morning, when he woke up, he and his friends were surprised by the scene before their eyes.
At dawn, before his eyes was a wide, flat, green lawn like a steppe. On the lawn, herds of buffalo and cows of the local people leisurely grazed or wallowed in the mud to cool off. Surrounding them were vegetable and corn gardens of the people. “The simple and wild scenery resembles Hang Tau – the primitive village of Moc Chau by seven or eight parts,” said Mr. Quang.
The summer is hot and the temperature is relatively high, but thanks to the large, airy space, it does not feel stuffy like in the city. Just standing under the shade of the ancient trees, the gentle breeze makes you feel cool and comfortable.
The ancient trees on the lawn are called tlau, or chau trees, said Mr. Sam. More than 60 tlau trees here are hundreds of years old, and were preserved by the People’s Council of Ngoc Lau commune in 2007. Currently, Bai Bui, Ngoc Lau commune is one of the few areas with a large number of ancient tlau trees, becoming the pride of the local people.
The tlau tree is a familiar tree in the life of the Muong ethnic group. The young leaves of the tree are used to eat with some foods such as salted meat and sour meat.
In the summer, the tlau tree spreads a cool green shade. In the winter, the leaves turn yellow and red, while other trees have lost all their leaves. “The maple forest stands out in the middle of the steppe, the scene is like autumn in Europe,” said Mr. Sam.
Therefore, the most ideal time to camp at Bai Bui is in the winter, from October to December. But in the summer, Bai Bui also has its own beauty with the cool green color of nature.
