TUYEN QUANG, Vietnam: In the rocky highlands of northern Vietnam, Lung Cam Village endures as a living archive of Mông culture. Set in Sung La Commune in the northern mountain province of Tuyen Quang along the route of the Dong Van Karst Plateau Unesco Global Geopark, the settlement has transformed into a model of community-based tourism — one where preservation, not reinvention, defines development.
For generations, the tranquil and beautiful village has been home primarily to the Mong ethnic community, alongside several Hoa, Nung and Giay households, creating a rich tapestry of traditional culture and diverse lifestyles.
The local Mong rammed earth houses with thick yellow walls are encircled by hand-built stone fences crafted over generations, while expansive flower fields add to the area’s natural splendour.
Historical records indicate that Lung Cam is a long-established settlement of local ethnic communities, with cultivated fields, a stable way of life and numerous traditional rituals still preserved today.
This enduring commitment to safeguarding customs and village life has allowed the locality to retain its old atmosphere — a quality many other areas on the rocky plateau no longer possess.
"Lung Cam has strength in tourism development due not only to its naturally beautiful landscape but also its original intactness," Nguyn Van Tho, chairman of the People’s Committee (Administration) of Sung La Commune, said.
"The locals engage in tourism without sacrificing their architecture or customs. Local authorities only provide infrastructure support and skills training, while preserving the cultural identity is the responsibility of the community, who are proactive and determined to do so."
Living heritage
Venturing deeper into Lung Cam, visitors can sense traditional life unfolding at every turn. Kitchens glow with open fires as smoke drifts upwards carrying the scent of freshly harvested maize.
The steady rhythm of cloth-weaving handlooms echoes each afternoon, while children play on wooden porches, offering a glimpse of a way of life that has endured for generations.
Each season lends the village a distinct character. Spring arrives in a flourish of apricot and plum blossom. Summer spreads a carpet of green across terraced rice fields. Autumn ripens into golden harvests, while winter cloaks the valley in a veil of mist.
Lung Cam also remains a rare stronghold of traditional customs, folk songs and handicrafts. During festivals, the sound of flutes and drums played by local men blends with the vibrant attire of Mong women, forming a vivid cultural tableau set against the rugged mountains.
Among the village’s most recognised landmarks is the Mua family’s traditional house, selected as a principal setting for the acclaimed 2006 film Chuyen Cua Pao. Produced through collaboration between Vietnamese and international filmmakers, the film portrays the lives and culture of ethnic communities, particularly the Mong.
Poetic yet grounded in realism, the film was edited by Phillip Noyce and shot by cinematographer Cordelia Beresford. Through its depiction of cultural life in the northern mountains, it explores aspirations for freedom and happiness.
The production received four Golden Kite Awards and a Special Asia Pacific Screen Award. Its sweeping frames captured the striking hues of the northern landscape -- the gold of flowering brassica, the white of orchid trees and the green of maize fields.
Preserving identity
Despite the passage of time and the effects of weather, the Mua family’s house retains its rustic charm. A stone-paved courtyard, a hand-operated maize mill by the gate, a moss-covered yin-yang tiled roof and a kitchen with maize seeds hanging in the attic all speak to generations of careful preservation.
Nguyen Hai Yen, a tourist from Hanoi, was particularly struck by the village’s landscape and its living cultural heritage.
"Everything is so simple and familiar that I feel like life in the movie is continuing there," she said.
Alongside protecting the landscape and cultural identity, villagers have actively developed community tourism.
They build homestays, showcase traditional cuisine, produce handloom fabrics, and make buckwheat cakes and maize wine with leaf yeast. All products use local ingredients and reflect the community’s commitment to preserving its culture.
Sung La Commune chief Tho said the village welcomed tens of thousands of tourists every year.
“Tourism has made a significant contribution to improving local incomes, creating stable jobs in the village, reducing poverty, and helping people raise awareness about preserving the environment and cultural identity,” he said.
Vang Se Vang, a senior villager, added: "The rammed earth houses, stone fences and linen skirts of the Mong women are not just objects, but the soul of the village. When visitors come to Lung Cam, the first thing we want to show them is our orderliness and kindness passed down from our ancestors."
He emphasised the importance of preserving tradition while developing tourism.
“We know the most valuable thing is to make our culture known to more people. But villagers also understand that tourism must be authentic and rooted in our traditions so that visitors will want to return," he said.
The commune continues to invest in transportation infrastructure, tourism skills training and livelihood support to establish Lung Cam as a model cultural destination of the Dong Van Karst Plateau.
Quiet and unpretentious, Lung Cam offers an authentic glimpse into life in Vietnam’s mountainous regions, its untouched beauty, rustic charm and rich ethnic traditions harmonising with pristine nature.
The village is a gem of the northern highlands, where simple living, enduring cultural values and natural splendour combine.
For travellers exploring the rocky landscape of the Unesco Global Geopark Dong Van Karst Plateau, Lung Cam is a place to pause, listen and experience the local culture firsthand, surrounded by peaceful valleys and majestic mountains.
The plateau itself is a testament to hundreds of millions of years of geological history. It was named Asia’s Leading Cultural Destination 2025 by the World Travel Awards.
Unesco reaffirmed the plateau’s Global Geopark status in 2014, 2019 and most recently in 2023 during its 10th International Conference in Morocco, marking three consecutive recognitions of the region’s outstanding achievements.
As plateau continues to earn international recognition, villages like Lung Cam remind visitors what that status truly represents.
Beyond dramatic limestone peaks and geological history lies a living cultural landscape shaped by generations.
In preserving its rammed-earth homes, stone fences and ancestral customs, Lung Cam embodies the spirit of a geopark — where nature and human heritage are safeguarded together for the future. - Vietnam News/ANN
