Returning from the bustling city to peaceful Buot village to immerse oneself in lush green nature, surrounded by ancient forests, the sound of streams and waterfalls flowing day and night, experience the unique culture of the majority Thai ethnic group, with friendly and harmonious people. Join Vân Hồ Agritage to explore the extremely interesting locations that you must visit in the village!

Buot stream fish.

The stream fish is one of the characteristic landscapes of our Buot village. The stream runs across the village, flowing around the stilt houses, rice fields, and tea hills. To protect the fish, the village chief gathers the villagers to discuss and establishes regulations prohibiting fishing within 3km of the Buot stream. Violators will be fined 20kg of rice. Therefore, village groups patrol regularly, reminding and protecting the thousands of fish swimming freely as they do now. Visit the stream to immerse yourself in the beautiful natural scenery, feed the fish, watch the playful fish, and capture fascinating nature photos…

The stream of fish with thousands of lively swimming fish, photo: Vân Hồ Agritage

Thác Bằng Đông.

Worthy of the title “ancient forest swimming pool,” Thác Bằng Đông is formed by small streams flowing down cool and clear water to create a mini pool amidst the ancient forest. What could be more enjoyable than diving and splashing in the cold water under the scorching sun of summer, looking up to the sky, clouds, and the blue-green forest canopy. You can book TOUR experiences at Vân Hồ Agritage, the Đồng Rừng Cooperative for enthusiastic support, guidance, and introduction to the travel itinerary, as well as the necessary support tools for rowing boats, waterfall bathing, swimming floats, swimsuits, medical supplies, and rescue when needed…

Thac Bang Dong – “old forest swimming pool”, photo: Van Ho Agritage

Thác Tạt Nàng

Thắc Tat Nang is surrounded by a cool green vegetation carpet with a height of up to 100 meters originating from the streams of Ta Xam and Ta Piu, flowing from the western mountain range of the Phu Mau region and rushing down to create countless white water currents. Don’t miss out on a date with Thac Tat Nang, listen to the twittering of forest birds and the ancient stories whispered by the old forest!

Tat Nang Waterfall, Photo: Vân Hồ Agritage.

The ancient forest trekking route.

Discovered and designed by Vân Hồ Agritage, the trekking routes of varying difficulty levels, crossing through old-growth forest ecosystems, rice fields, rivers, streams, and natural waterfalls from one village to another, provide deep and impressive experiences of the nature of Northwest Vietnam. Bo Am Hot Spring. Here, there is a natural hot mineral water stream flowing from the mountain rocks that locals have enclosed and stacked rocks to create a communal bathing pool. Currently, the Tat Nang Tourism and Agriculture Cooperative is operating the tourist spot, which includes both hot and cold water streams. The hot water has an average temperature of 35-40 degrees Celsius, flowing continuously, providing water that is just warm enough for relaxation in both summer and winter, as well as being clear and clean. The entrance fee to Bo Am Hot Spring is 30k per person, with no time limit for visitors to enjoy themselves here.

Immerse yourself in relaxation in the hot spring water at Bo Am hot spring. Source: Van Ho Agritage

Organic rice fields

The rice fields hidden deep in the valley, surrounded by pristine forests and cooled by clean spring water, are an important and enduring livelihood for the people. The fields are one of the most impressive and beautiful landscapes in the area. This place is also known as a spot to admire the stunning sunrise in the early morning when the first rays of sunlight shine down, still peeking out behind the mysterious, dreamy clouds.

Sunset over the rice fields of Buot village, photo by Van Ho Agritage.

In addition, at Van Ho Agritage, we also organize tours and various nature, culinary, and cultural experiences such as cycling through organic rice fields, kayaking, fishing, grilling fish, enjoying tea by the stream, woodworking, making organic tea with local people…

Fishing at Buot village, photo by Van Ho Agritage.

Kayak rowing, photo by Vân Hồ Agritage.

In the afternoon by the stream, photo: Vân Hồ Agritage

Where to stay when visiting Bướt village

At Bản Bướt, there is also a separate accommodation area, ensuring standards and full amenities, services for tourists. At the village, you can choose to stay in a hill house with the name Agritage Hill at the price of 170,000 VND/night, including breakfast. This is originally a tea hill, located in the center of the village, at an altitude of 450m above sea level.

The second option is a bungalow for families with full amenities, accommodating up to 5 people, priced at 1,500,000 VND/night. The third option, you can stay with the locals, right below the village, with homestay priced at 140,000 VND/night. The fourth option, you can rent camping tents and camp on the peak of Agritage Hill.

Bungalow on Agritage Hill, Photo: Vân Hồ Agritage

Make sure to visit Bướt village, book tours to experience and explore the nature, people, and cuisine of Northwestern Vân Hồ AGRITAGE for fascinating, impressive, safe experiences, and enthusiastic support! For more details, please check out our website, in the “TOURS” section. If you have any questions, feel free to message us on Facebook “Van Ho Agritage” or contact us at +84367380008.

The fish stream is one of the characteristic landscapes of Ba Buot village. The stream runs across the village, flowing around the stilt houses, rice fields, and tea hills. The stream in Ba Buot has more than ten species of shrimp and fish, with the most abundant being the pa chat fish. At the beginning of the rainy season, the stream is full of fish, and villagers go to the forest to catch a few bundles for food. As the village population increases, fish are caught and sold in the market, leading to a gradual decline in their numbers.

The Bưot Stream Fishery.

2. The village’s pledge is to protect the shrimp and fish

The village chief summoned the villagers to discuss and establish a rule prohibiting fishing within 3km of the Bướt Stream. Violators would face a penalty of 20kg of rice. Initially, many opposed, considering the penalty excessive for catching a single fish. The village is surrounded by mountains and forests, lacking agricultural land, requiring thriftiness to have enough rice to eat. However, many agreed, as catching and selling unjustly would deplete the stream of fish and shrimp. In the final meeting, consensus was reached on the ban, incorporated into the village’s pledge, with families committing not to violate it.

The incense offering will be placed at the head of the stream, the cultural house, and the organic rice field.

3. Effects of the fish sanctuary.

After the fish sanctuary was established, the village’s self-managed groups regularly patrolled, reminding and ensuring security. The villagers dared not violate the rules, but outsiders still came to fish. More than ten years after the fishing ban, fish and shrimp populations have become prosperous again. Schools of fish live “happily” without being innocently caught. Tourists visiting Buot village can now feed the fish, but will be fined if they violate the rules. Tour guides always remind visitors and tell the story of the village’s fish conservation efforts. Thanks to forest conservation, Chieng Yen is among the communities with the largest forest cover in Van Ho, about 70% as of 2020.

Buot Mountain Stream Today

Located in the high mountains and ancient forests of Chiềng Yên commune, Vân Hồ district, Sơn La province, are a peaceful countryside village surrounded by ancient forests, mist covering the early mornings, lush greenery, the sound of streams, waterfalls flowing day and night, and friendly, gentle people. We once read somewhere, “streams, forests may not speak but they know how to produce gentle, soothing sounds that comfort the human soul.” Indeed, walking through the forest around the village, one can hear the rustling sounds of trees, the sound of streams, and waterfalls, feeling calm, peaceful in an unusual way.

Photo: Immersing in the nature of Buot village, Photo: Vân Hồ Agritage

In the summer at the village…

Summer in the village of Buot is a time to breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the cool forest, and even splash around in the refreshing stream that flows through the village. It feels like blending into nature, quietly observing the sky, trees, grass, and playing in the cool stream. All worries seem to disappear, feeling sheltered by nature, feeling really comfortable. Those simple, peaceful things are not easy to find everywhere.

Photo: Waving in the cool stream, Photo: Vân Hồ Agritage

Summer by the stream to play …

The stream of fish is one of the most characteristic landscapes of Buot village. Through the fish stream to feed the fish, to watch thousands of fish swimming in the turquoise water. There are many other streams around the village. Every scorching summer day can go to the stream to play. Some practice swimming, some search for stream snails, some pick up beautiful stones to display around the house,… Under the gentle evening sunlight, there are beautiful playful shadows of small children by the stream, laughter echoing throughout the mountains and hills.

Photo: Playing by the stream, Image: Vân Hồ Agritage

Summer is waving in the cool water at the “ancient forest pool” …

Thác Bằng Đông is a masterpiece of the Buot ethnic group. We also get to admire the beautiful natural landscapes on the way to the waterfall, and from afar, hearing the sound of the cascading waterfall and the rushing water means we are approaching the waterfall. This waterfall is formed from small streams pouring into the cool refreshing water, creating mini pools amidst the ancient forest. What could be more wonderful than diving and frolicking in the cool water amidst the scorching sun of summer, lifting our heads to the sky with clouds and the green-blue canopy of trees.

Photo: Summer at the “ancient forest pool”

In the summer, heading to the stilt house village…

When you reach Buot village, you can stay in a stilt house, rent a tent for camping, or a bungalow on top of the hill at Van Ho Agritage. Here, there are plenty of amenities and basic services to ensure convenience and satisfaction for visitors. From Van Ho Agritage, you can walk around, hike to the stream, or to the waterfall easily.

Photo: Where to go in the summer?, Photo: Vân Hồ Agritage

This summer, if you have the chance, you must visit our Bướt village to explore, experience, and appreciate the unique nature, people, and culture of the local ethnic groups here!

Photo: Buot village fish stream with thousands of fish swimming freely

In addition, physical activities are also a healthy and natural method to help improve children’s resistance, body flexibility and faster reflexes. Currently, there are many summer classes open for sports that parents can refer to such as swimming, martial arts, badminton, basketball… 

Caption: Hanoi children participate in free swimming classes – photo: New Hanoi

Participate in soft skills training classes

Besides physical health training, nurturing and educating children on basic life skills is also extremely important. From basic skills such as manners, politeness, communication skills, confidence training… to more difficult skills: survival skills, self-protection, teamwork skills… 

Being trained in soft skills helps children train themselves and learn a sense of responsibility. Besides, children will have better adaptability and be able to solve small problems in life. 

Take gifted classes 

The 3 months of summer are also an extremely suitable time for children to participate in classes to foster personal talents. While children are growing up, learning and playing, if parents are always attentive and spend a lot of time with their children, they will surely see the talents or passions that their children reveal. . For children with special talents and passions, parents should create conditions for their children to freely pursue them by participating in those gifted classes. Nowadays, there are many gifted classes such as singing, musical instruments, drawing, dancing or programming… opened to serve children’s passions, helping children receive more thorough and specialized training in their talents. his talent. 

Caption: Hanoi children participate in a modern dance class – photo: Le Cirque Dance Studio

Experience life, mingle with nature 

In recent years, there have been many military semesters designed to suit young people. This is an extremely good opportunity for students, especially high school students, to practice behavior, discipline, and the spirit of overcoming difficulties. These courses will teach children about survival skills, acumen, discipline, teamwork… Parents can refer to and learn about military semesters for their children to participate in for 3 months. summer month . 

Caption: Hanoi children participate in the military semester for 3 summer months – photo: People’s Police Electronic Newspaper

Besides the military semesters, which are somewhat rigorous and difficult to adapt to for children who are used to a free lifestyle, there are also experiential tours. Countless short tours are designed to give young people the opportunity to mingle with nature, experience life, get used to living away from family and be independent. Especially for children in big cities like Hanoi , being busy with homework and studying throughout a long school year, combined with the stuffiness and stuffiness of the city’s smog, really requires trips. Go experience nature to feel balanced. At Van Ho Agritage, there are always many tours to help children explore the nature of the Northwest region, notably BUTOPIA – an English summer camp designed specifically for children from 8-15 years old to live with nature. at Buot village. Parents can find out information about summer camps and other discovery tours of Van Ho Agritage HERE . 

Note: Hanoi children experience many interesting activities at Butopia English summer camp

In short, there are many useful activities for Hanoi children to do during the 3 months of summer . However, parents should not force their children to participate in any activities that they do not want to do. Instead, they should listen to their children’s wishes or “leave” them in idleness so that they can enjoy their time. Freedom to regain lost energy after a long school year. Above are just a few interesting activities that Van Ho Agritage wants to share with parents. We hope this article will help parents in answering questions about what to let their children play during the 3 months of summer . 

About Leeches

Leeches are creatures belonging to the family of leeches, thus sharing similar characteristics and appearances. They are small, averaging 100mg in weight, and range from 2-5cm in length, with suction cups at both ends. Leeches thrive in moist conditions with temperatures between 25-28°C, making them more active during early morning or late evening when the temperature drops. Due to their poor tolerance to cold, areas of the human body that are warmer, such as behind the knees, thighs, groin, back, armpits, neck, etc., are ideal for leeches to feed on.

Leeches can detect scent and vibrations, and when biting, they tend to attach to areas not covered by clothing or where the skin is softer to feed. If a leech attaches to you, it’s essential to remove it promptly. Once they’ve targeted you, they attack decisively, with their mouth’s edges firmly attaching to the body to draw blood. Typically, it takes about a minute for a leech to bite and another 2-3 minutes to start feeding. The bite is relatively painless, making it hard to notice. While feeding, leeches secrete saliva containing the anticoagulant hirudin, preventing the blood from clotting. The bite wound usually doesn’t hurt but can cause prolonged bleeding, potentially dangerous if not addressed promptly, especially if leeches enter sensitive areas like the nose, trachea, or digestive tract.

Preventing Leech Bites

When entering the forest, opt for protective clothing such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and high socks made of thick material to prevent leech entry. The market offers various anti-leech products, or you can prepare salty water or bitter insect repellents to spray/apply from the feet up to the knees (in dry weather) or even the thighs and hips (in wet conditions), including ears, neck, shoulders, arms, and armpits. Also, apply at shoelaces, shoe collars, sock edges, pant legs, shirt sleeves, and hats.

While moving, avoid dense, moist areas, and minimize direct skin contact with the ground or water sources. Choose dry, clean spots for resting or setting up tents, and avoid standing or sitting in one place for too long.

Emergency Handling of Leech Bites

If bitten by a leech, Van Ho Agritage suggests the following emergency steps:

• Calmly remove the leech by sliding your finger across the skin and pushing the smaller (sucking) end of the leech, then the other end, flicking it away before it attaches to your finger. If it holds on too tightly, use a thin-edged object like a knife to pry it off, or apply salt around the bite area to make it detach immediately.
• Clean the wound with clean water or saline solution. Press firmly over the wound to stop the bleeding, then bandage it up with medical gauze until the bleeding stops, applying insect bite relief ointment to reduce itching.

Above are the experiences in handling emergency situations when being bitten that Van Ho Agritage wants to share with you. Hope you find this information useful!

Emergency Handling of Leech Bites. Image source: Hoa Ban Food

Find out the destination

You should study the map carefully and have a suitable schedule before the trip. You should find out information in advance about weather conditions and safety at the place you plan to visit. Besides, you should also calculate your ability to move according to your strength, avoiding overexertion (on average, each person has the ability to walk about 12 to 15 km). Before leaving, you should inform your relatives or relevant parties about your trip itinerary and travel time to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.

Things to bring when going to the forest

Preparing personal items before “going to the forest” is also extremely necessary. Depending on how long or short your trip in the forest is, you should prepare appropriate equipment. Below are some suggestions that Van Ho Agritage wants you to understand to have a safe trip to the forest:

• Backpack: Backpack is an indispensable item on all backpacking, travel or picnic trips. When going to the forest, it is best to choose a specialized power backpack with many compartments to hold more items. Choose a high-quality waterproof backpack with a full lining and an additional waist strap to stabilize your body to help you move more comfortably and easily.
• Clothing: For clothing, you should choose clothes that are loose, comfortable, and have good absorbency, and wear a long-sleeved shirt outside to avoid scratches from thorny branches in the forest as well as to protect your skin. Protects the body from colds due to sweating or exposure to forest winds. Besides, you should also wear specialized forestry shoes with soft soles and good anti-slip ability.
• In addition to the above suggestions, you also need to prepare equipment for trekking in the forest such as: Knife, flashlight, scissors, lighter, trekking stick, compass, wading boots and medical medicine such as flu, malaria, etc. bandages, plasters, insect bite creams and lots of drinking water. Van Ho Agritage specifically suggests that you prepare an additional water disinfectant (aquatabs) in case you run out of mineral water or boiled water to bring along along the way. The principle when preparing gear for the forest is: “Bring enough, moderately and compactly”.

Be careful when walking in the forest

Besides preparing important and necessary items when going to the forest, you should also understand the following tips when moving in the forest:

The most suitable time to go to the forest is from 6 am to 4 pm. Therefore, before going, you should calculate a reasonable time in case it gets dark quickly, which can easily cause disorientation.

According to Van Ho Agritage’s safe trekking experience, you should go in groups to avoid getting lost and easily support each other. When moving in dense vegetation, you should mark the road you just passed with simple signs to avoid returning to the same place. Move at a distance so that you can support each other in case of trouble, do not separate and go alone, especially when going through dangerous roads.

If you are traveling in the forest and it suddenly rains (no matter how big or small), you must remember to move up. Because in the forest, floods come very suddenly and are extremely dangerous. If it’s not raining and you see the water naturally turn cloudy and have rotten leaves floating down, you should move higher because that is a sign that a flood may be coming.

When going into the forest, you should choose discreet clothes such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants, thick socks, apply insect repellant fully and do not expose your legs and arms to avoid intrusion. enter them. If you are traveling to the forest for the first time and may not be familiar with the rough terrain, you should go slowly and firmly to avoid slipping. You should bring a trekking stick as a tool to help you climb less tired.

If you are unfortunately lost, staying calm is the important thing you need to remember to avoid becoming disoriented due to panic. Then you should look for trails or follow the flowing water. In addition, you can light a fire to create smoke, or emit sounds and signals to hope for help. You can eat wild fruits (non-poisonous), absolutely do not eat poisonous or colorful mushrooms.

Above are the safe experiences in the forest that VHA wants to share with you. Hope you will find this information useful.

]]> https://vanhoagritage.com/en/destination-blog/how-to-go-safely-in-the-forest.html/feed 0 https://vanhoagritage.com/en/destination-blog/how-to-go-to-the-stream-safely.html https://vanhoagritage.com/en/destination-blog/how-to-go-to-the-stream-safely.html#respond Sun, 10 Sep 2023 12:16:56 +0000 https://vanhoagritage.com/?p=1153 Venturing into the deep and majestic forests that hide babbling streams can captivate the hearts of many explorers. However, ensuring personal safety while crossing rivers or streams requires additional knowledge and specific skills. Van Ho Agritage guides us through safe creek crossing techniques in the following sections!

Understanding the Terrain

Before embarking on your journey, it’s crucial to thoroughly research the terrain, weather conditions, and movement methods of the area you plan to visit. Knowing the water’s depth, flow rate, and identifying potential crossing points ahead of time are essential steps in preparing for a safe creek crossing.

Fully equipped with safety equipment

Besides determining full information about the destination, Van Ho Agritage evaluates that preparing safety equipment is also extremely important during the journey across the water.
According to Van Ho Agritage, the items you need to prepare for going to the stream include: Long rope; throw bag to assist people in distress in bad situations; trekking sticks; life jackets and helmets to protect yourself. There is also a carabiner (multi-purpose hook), safety belt…

Besides, don’t forget to bring common medical items such as: Bandages, gauze, medical tape, disinfectant wet tissue, tweezers, small scissors, antibacterial ointment… just in case. In case an unnecessary accident occurs while traveling.
In addition to support items when going to the stream, clothing during the trip is also something that you need to pay close attention to. You should choose comfortable, quick-drying clothes; Comfortable shoes with good grip and anti-slip soles. At the same time, you need to protect your belongings with a dry bag to ensure they do not get wet during the stream.

Learn stream walking techniques

Before starting your trip, you need to equip yourself with theoretical and practical lessons to ensure safety when going to streams. When participating in crossing rivers and streams in groups, depending on the speed and depth of the water level, you should choose appropriate methods. Van Ho Agritage suggests you some safe stream travel techniques below!

Cross the stream in horizontal lines: This is the simplest way to cross the stream when the water level is below the waist. The whole group forms a horizontal line, using objects that can bear good weight or putting their arms around each other’s shoulders and waists to support each other’s strength. The healthiest and most experienced person – usually the group leader – will stand at the top, in the direction of the flow to reduce water pressure. At the same time, this person counts to order the whole group to step forward at the right distance to avoid being out of line and reducing everyone’s ability to fight the current.

Cross the stream vertically : In cases where the water is waist-high, this method can be applied. Everyone united in a vertical line, each person holding each other’s hand on the shoulder of the previous person. The first person standing in the opposite direction of the flow must be strong to resist the force of the water. You can use a sturdy stick to prop yourself on the river or stream bed as a sticking point. With this technique, the group will step to the side, left or right depending on the direction of movement.

Use stream crossing ropes : Stream crossing ropes can be used for support when the water is high. The person carrying the rope to cross the stream must be experienced, healthy and a good swimmer. The rope to cross the stream must be a floating rope, light and durable. Rope was stretched across the river so the whole group could cling to it. Or members are attached to ropes with belts and karabiners to stay afloat, or swim across rivers and streams as their legs are swept away by the current. The wire crossing rivers and streams must also be about 45 degrees downstream to reduce the push from the current.

Flying fox stream crossing technique: This is a technique that requires complex setup and high anchor points to create a temporary zipline, helping the whole group to safely cross rivers and streams.

Above are the safe stream travel experiences that Van Ho Agritage wants to share with you. Hope you will find this information useful.