Located about 100km northwest of central Hanoi, Ngoc Dong ecotourism site in Thanh Sơn commune offers a sense of complete escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Small unpaved paths winding through bamboo groves, vegetable gardens, and fishponds paint a rustic and unspoiled picture of the countryside.
Spanning 10 hectares, Ngoc Dong is designed as a combination of agricultural tourism and resort-style accommodation, featuring nature-based experiential spaces.
Without concrete construction or destruction of the natural landscape, the native ecological condition of the site has remained intact, which is seen as a valuable asset in green tourism development. The peaceful surroundings, fresh air, and close-to-nature experiences are what delight many foreign visitors.
Daniel Galloway Green from London told us: “The journey here was very nice. We saw this homestay on Google Maps and it sounded like a really nice place to come. The owner is nice. She's wonderful. We read reviews and thought okay this is a good place to stay. It's peaceful it's got lovely scenery and very beautiful.
At the homestay within the ecotourism area, guests stay alongside local residents in simple wooden houses, overlooking verdant hills of tea orchards and fruit-laden gardens.
British tourist Gina Mably said: “I appreciate how they grow so many vegetables and things on the ground here. We caught the fish yesterday and ate it for dinner. It's just a very nice atmosphere here. All that animals butterflies and insects and frogs bring us back to nature.”
At Ngoc Dong ecotourism site, visitors can explore the indigenous culture of the Muong ethnic community, their cuisine, customs, and daily life. Simple dishes such as grilled stream fish, fermented pork, and forest vegetables carry the distinctive flavors of the mountainous region. Head of Ngoc Dong Community Ecological Village, Nguyen Van Thanh, said: “I am engaged in community ecotourism business because I want to contribute in some small ways to developing my hometown. Ecotourism is a sustainable economic product. The number of foreign tourists staying here is much higher than Vietnamese visitors. They often stay for a long time and really enjoy their time here.”
Being quiet and low-key, Ngoc Dong ecotourism site wins over visitors with its simple beauty, its unhurried pace of life, and the sincerity of the local people.
