Quiet Muong Lay, Lai Chau - an impression in the heart of the travelers

Quiet Muong Lay in Lai Chau

This is a small town like hands. In the middle of the city, prominent rows of stilts; the surface of the lake in the eyes of Thai girls, where rivers, mountains, clouds, sky intertwine as the water painting. For a long time, Muong Lay is quietly located in the North of Dien Bien Province, which is embraced by the North West mountains, attracting foreign visitors by its calmness and tranquility.
 

The town is quiet

Just hearing about Muong Lay is enough to motivate us to come to this land. From Dien Bien Phu, the car runs more than 100 km, crossing the winding road on the steep mountain slopes. Standing on a high point of Highway 6, a small town appears blurrily in the foggy white mist. Other than the high-rise town houses, crowded people and cars, Muong Lay is simple, modest, and deserted. The town only includes some spacious houses.The highlight here is probably the rare peace.

If this is the first time you come to Muong Lay, you might just think this is a small town, with many roofs on stilts running on both sides of the road. These are the "stilted streets", like long hair girls. The main road is located in the center of the town is empty. Sometimes there are some silhouettes of motorcycles, cars. The people here say that the traffic is mostly tourists. Ethnic minorities daytime mainly go to the upland fields, hardly go to the road, so the town is always quiet.
 

With the cool and fresh nature of the mountains and forests of the North West, Muong Lay is a place where the sky and mountains meet. Pointing at the direction of the hydroelectric reservoir, Le Huu Minh, a local resident said: "Looking at this gentle, calm, green lake, few thought this was a part of the violent Da River. After this, when the hydroelectric power, water flow was controlled, not only it brings the town "beautiful eyes", but also it supplies an endless number of fish, shrimp”. Early in the morning, the tired boats returns after a night of hard labor. The slippery fish is sold in the market people in the indescribable joy.

As the afternoon shifts down, the clouds meet each other, embracing the small town in strange peace. Travelers must stand on high mountains looking down to see all the beauty of Muong Lay.
Majestic Da River as a soft silk wrapping around the thick dense roof dense. Occasionally, in the middle of the river, there are some boats bobbing back and forth, creating a focal point for water painting to add lyrical, romantic feelings. On the moonlit night, you can stand on Ban Xa bridge overlooking the tranquil Muong Lay town. The river is full of moonlight. Electric light from the door floor reflects into the river surface. A corner of town becomes sparkling, fanciful.
 

Pearl of the North West

Looking at the peace of Muong Lay today, no one knows, this small town "like a hand" has experienced the windy, difficult and hard times when the people live along the Da river. I have been struggling with flash floods. Muong Lay Township is a small town in Lai Chau Province, one of the smallest towns in the country with an area of less than 12,000 hectares, including two wards, one commune. The town center is located in a narrow valley, where the intersection between the Da River, Nam Na and Nam Lay streams intersects. In 1990, the town was completely submerged in a flash flood of history. After that, many people left, leaving the land which is still sad more lonely. After nearly 30 years, through many exchanges, raise and develop new Muong Lay as today.
 

Previously, besides the National Highway 12 and Highway 6 through the town, Muong Lay only had small roads like "the knife of the Thai ethnic." When it rains down, some communes and wards are isolated because the road becomes muddy, unable to move. Today, the road leading to Nam Cam - the administrative center of the town is two-way wide, along with dozens of other routes are also being urgently built, finished.
 
A modern bridge, which connects the two banks of the river, not only helps to make the town more spacious, but also facilitates trade and commerce with other areas.

Muong Lay now wears a new face, wearing a nice coat, but still remains a rare feature of this North West land of Vietnam. Speaking as Chairman of Muong Lay town Vu Ngoc Vuong, the town is like a jewel in the midst of the immense North West, which should be exploited to become an attractive tourist destination. Muong Lay beautiful, quiet, not only in the sky, in mountain rivers. It is the gentle, simple beauty of the people. Perhaps, besides filled cups of wine, the wholehearted welcome of local people is the point that make you feel their warm love. They invite guests to make Khau Xen cakes, which are made from fresh cassava, the only type of cassava in this land. In order to make the cake, Thai girls have to go through many stages, from raw materials to processing stage. With a piece of crispy bread and bold flavor of fresh cassava, the cup of wine becomes more flavorful.
 
Also here, along the fire flames, Thai girls aged 18, twenty soft, flexible and spread the love of the people, making the visitors step more bustling. Thai girls are charming and feminine inherited the beauty of the North West girls. The combination of scenery, nature, people in Muong Lay will definitely turn this place into an attractive destination.
 

For many years, Muong Lay is a stop to enjoy the scenery of many visitors. Many young people go "choose" this is one of the destinations to explore. But that is not enough, not commensurate with the potential development of tourism in the town. Some traditional festivals of ethnic minorities such as Kin Pang Then, boat racing ... are being restored. The area of the lake is planned to become the tourist point of travelers. Muong Lay is doing all to become an attractive destination for the North West region.

Most people here are urban but still stick to the fields, rivers and streams ..., their life is uncertain. It is hoped that the "smoke-free industry" will develop, bring revenue to the locality, and help people escape poverty. Many vacation homes, hotels have sprouted; The boats parked on the side of the hydroelectric lake waiting for visitors. Muong Lay is changing.

Farewell Muong Lay, you will leave behind the town quiet, silent in the mist, and feel a strong sense of nostalgia. You will not forget the peaceful moments amid the vast lake, mountains and the message, listening to the legendary boat people talking about the river cruel one time. And it is a eternal love for the cup of spicy wine, soft lips, dashing charm and small hands of Thai girls. The journey to Muong Lay finishes but still keep the peace and charm of the town  in mind, about the mountains of a special Northwest part in Vietnam.