The atmosphere on the Dong Van Karst Plateau in Ha Giang province may never be as bustling and exciting as it is on the evening of this festival, with streets decorated with colourful flowers, and visitors pacing to and fro. This evening festival promises to open a new chapter of wellbeing and happiness for this rocky, foggy and windy land.
At dusk, lanterns along the streets glow under the full moon. They are burned from 14th to 16th days of lunar months. Tonight, I feel these lamps are brighter and more mysterious than usual. Light shimmers at the market place which displays more than 100 photographs of landscapes, people, geology and geomorphology of Dong Van Karst Plateau. The common scenes and local people become more beautiful, lovelier and more mysterious than usual, as if part of an artist’s masterpiece.
As one of 77 geo-parks on the globe, the Dong Van Karst Plateau stretches over 2,356 square kilometres in four districts of Dong Van, Meo Vac, Yen Minh and Quan Ba. This is the first geopark in Vietnam and the second in Southeast Asia. This area has a lot of heritage expressions in genre, origin and age formulated throughout an evolutionary history of more than 540 million years. Scientists have found 139 geo-heritage expressions, 15 world-level heritages, 68 nation-level heritages, and 56 province-level heritages. There are also many imposingly deep canyons, one stretching more than 30 kilometres and another at 700 metres deep, possibly the deepest of its kind in Vietnam, in addition to near-vertical cliffs and multiple layers of rocks forming rock deserts, stone forests, and stone towers. Nui Doi (Twin Mount) in Tam Son town, Quan Ba district is rated an international geological heritage. Besides, the diversity of rare animal and plant species recorded on the Red Book like Rhinopithecus avunculus (Snub-nosed monkey), Amentotaxus hatuyenensis (a species of conifer), Podocarpus pilgeri (short leave bamboo pine), Cephalotaxus hainanensis (Dinh Tung tree), Fallopia multiflora, and Eucommia ulmoides add to the colours of this plateau.
The Dong Van Karst Plateau is the habitat of 17 ethnic groups which create a miscellany of ethnic cultures, spiritual cultures, ritual cultures, and daily living cultures. Especially, “Khau Vai love market/fair” is a unique festival in Vietnam and in the world. Many architectural vestiges are recognised as national relic sites, including Vuong House and Dong Van ancient streets. These relics crystallise colourful architectural cultures here. Tapping tourism potential to develop the local economy and eradicate hunger and poverty for hill-tribe dwellers is a central task for local authorities, and there will be a lot of challenges to preserve the romantic, untouched Dong Van Karst Plateau.
The spot where the grand ceremony is held certifying the Dong Van Karst Geo-park as part of the Global Geo-park Network (GGN) is the central stadium, where people push forward together. Hill-tribe people here flock to the ceremony to cheer the global recognition of the geo-park. The most solemn moment is when Madame Katherine Muller Marin, Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Hanoi, presents the diploma of recognition to Mr Dam Van Bong, Chairman of Ha Giang Province’s People's Committee. The scenery of Dong Van is perpetually beautiful and residents in Dong Van are always honest and hospitable. This accreditation adds to the value of the already recognised and reputed beauty of Dong Van Karst Plateau. The peaceful sky lights up with fireworks, writing a new page of history for a prosperous Dong Van Karst Plateau.
Thanh Nga
Vietnamese
