Lao Cai in Vietnam’s moun-tainous northwest is known above all for Mount Fanxipan and Sapa, but there’s much more for tourists to enjoy than just Indochina’s tallest peak and a town nestling high in the picturesque hills.
For something different and a shade magical, try the caves and caverns of Muong Vi in Bat Sat District. They lie in a valley ringed by mountains and are 28 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital, also called Lao Cai.
Na Rin is perhaps the best and has many entrances into its one kilometer of stalagmites and stalactites shining in the dim light as they frame the stream below. It’s also called Hang Tien (fairy cave), and for a reason.
Legend has it that the Jade Emperor, or the Ruler of the Heaven, allowed his three beautiful fairy daughters to visit the Earth for a short spell. But it was a different kind of spell that overcame them as they gazed at the beautiful landscape and decided they didn’t want to return home.
Father was furious and ordered Thien Loi, the god of thunder, to bring them back by force if necessary and mete out due punishment to his daughters for their disobedience, but the fairies hid in a cave 200 meters above a river.
Failing to find them, an angry Thien Loi trampled down a spur of the mountain inside which the fairies were hiding. Seeing no hope of escape, they threw themselves into the river and drowned.
Their bodies drifted downstream, and some villagers found and buried the beautiful dead. And on that spot in present-day Bao Nai Commune there stands a temple called Ba Co (three ladies) in honor of the three fairies. People come here from all over the place to worship, pray and offer incense.
On the slopes of a tall mountain is a windy cave, called Cam Rang, where the stalactites are thick with age and colored a deep brown in consequence. Thousands of bats live near the entrance, and inside is a fantasy world of limestone pillars and needles.
Cam Tam is also the name of a grotto at the mountain’s base. The crystalline rocks inside are up to three meters tall, and the stalactites and stalagmites resemble the tools and cattle that generous fairies (a separate bunch from the three mentioned above) brought for the local farmers.
It’s unsurprising that Muong Vi has been given national heritage status by the Ministry of Culture and Information. The place is like a natural gift to the people of the land.
If you chance to visit any part of Lao Cai, remember to pick up some Tam Hoa and Hau plums, Ban Pho and San Lung rice wine, medicinal plants, and the gaily colored tho cam (ethnic fabric) spun and woven by the Thai, Dao and Mong peoples of the far-flung province.
Source: saigontourist
