At 1,500 meters above sea level, Quan Ba's Heaven Gate is the first window onto the rock paradise of Dong Van, which can already be glimpsed on the horizon. From this height, you can see the majestic mountains that surround the valley where the Tam Son village is located, covered by clouds and mist. Be it winter or summer, you will most likely have to put on a jacket. It feels so cool!

We will continue our journey through Yen Minh's spectacular Cloud Mountains and its beautiful pine forest, on the top of the peaks. You will smell it from miles away! The perfume of the resin of these pines spreads down the road. The forest, which crowns the mountain that precedes the town of Yen Minh, has a magical color that changes according to the season. In spring it’s carpeted by beautiful pinky and purple flowers from buckwheat. Afterward, we will pass Yen Minh town and enjoy the breathtaking Tham Ma Pass, a must-stop in the Loop

We will spend time visiting the ancient town of Pho Cao, the first step into the Dong Van Karst Plateau. Built-in the last century, and one of the most important villages by then, Pho Cao still retains the wild and rustic features of an ancient village. The old houses, with yellow walls and stone fences, and almost no windows, keep the house warm during winter and cool in summer. The village, with around 5000 inhabitants, is almost all of the Hmong ethnic. The surroundings were widely used during the French occupation as opium fields. This is the reason why houses have better structure and characteristic elements related to that period (like opium flower-shaped sculptures).

We will admire the beauty of Pho Bang town, once the capital of Dong Van district. Still inhabited by Chinese (Han) descendants, as it's very close to the border with China. Its clay-made houses are over 100 years old, with wooden doors and old parallel sentences in Chinese scripts, brown moss walls, or yin-yang roof tile. Its people are engaged in agricultural products and small trading, thanks to being five minutes from the border with China. Lately, villagers have also been encouraged to raise roses, and when they blossom, it all gets covered by a colorful flowered carpet.

Quick visit to see the brand new Trump-style fence built last year, which separates now China from Vietnam. Before that, ethnics used to cross informally without any papers. We will enjoy the sunset in the road that leads to the cultural village of Lao Sa, which is practically hanging from a cliff. A part of the stunning views, reaching this hilly terrain will allow you to see a Hmong community village that, apart from agriculture, lives off silver casting. Very famous in the whole district, its families have been producing rings, necklaces, and bracelets for more than a hundred years. Shaped like flowers and butterflies, they even add bells, making tinkles with every step women take.