When travelling the Ha Giang Loop, Quan Ba is likely to be either your first stop after Ha Giang Town, or your last stop before returning to where you started and leaving the province behind.
The most popular activity in Quan Ba is trekking, specifically trekking around the amazing landscape to visit a plethora of charming minority villages. One example of these is Nam Dam Village, populated by the Dao people and located in a gorgeous valley flanked by karst peaks. The traditional houses of the village are a highlight, as is the Dao Cultural Museum you can visit here to learn more about this unique and fascinating people. The Dao form a large part of the population in Quan Ba, and if you’re lucky, you might get to see the ritual known as “Le Cap Sac” when visiting one of their villages, which is a coming of age ritual where Dao boys aged thirteen transition from being boys to being men, and the ceremony acts as a way to inform the gods and spirits that their son is now a man.
Lung Tam Village is another great way to have an authentic cultural experience, this time with the H’mong people. The traditional and unique techniques used for the weaving and dying of fabrics found here were on the verge of extinction, but a concentrated effort since 2001 has seen the craft revived, providing jobs to more than 120 people in the village, which is a great example of the kind of positive impact tourism can have on a community when conducted in an ethical, sustainable and responsible manner.
The town of Tam Son is the capital of Quan Ba, and is often the first stop travellers make in the district. The town, like most others in the province, is surrounded by karst mountains, two of which are known as the “Twin Mountains” and are closely tied to a local legend that we won’t spoil for you here, as hearing it for the first time as you watch the valley from atop the peak is a key part of the experience.
Also near Tam So is Kho My Cave, which is filled with stalagmites thousands of years old in various unique shapes. The cave stretches deep into the earth, and is surrounded by a vibrant ecosystem in the verdant green forest.
Another great cave in Quan Ba is Lung Khuy Cave, only discovered as recently as 2015. This masterpiece of geology has been formed over thousands of years of slow but steady water erosion, and stretches to a depth of 300 meters.
The true highlight of Quan Ba, Quan Ba Pass, is likely to be the last you see of the district, as it acts as the gateway to the neighbouring Dong Van Plateau. The pass is also known as “Heaven’s Gate” and as it’s located at 1500 meters above sea level, it possesses some truly amazing panoramic views of both Quan Ba and the Dong Van Plateau, depending on the viewpoint.