Sung Village

About the village

Situated within the poetic landscape of a mountainous area in Hoa Binh province, Sung Village is the shared home of 78 households who live in traditional “Rường” houses, some of which have been constructed a long time ago. With a cool climate and beautiful landscape, Sung Village is an ideal place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Sung Village is populated by a tight-knit Dao Tien community, a minority ethnic group with many unique customs, making this 300-year-old village an impressive destination for travellers who are interested in authentic experiences. Local people, most of whom have lived in the village for many years, are friendly and hospitable guests.

About the province

Located on the entrance to the Northwest region of Vietnam, Hoa Binh Province is proud to be one of the cradles of Vietnamese ancient culture and Văn hóa Hòa Bình (Hoa Binh culture).

Hoa Binh province is home to beautiful natural landscapes, primeval forests, majestic caves, poetic lakes and waterfalls, terraced rice fields, and winding steep passes, as well as ethnic minority groups. Currently, there are about 20 community-based tourism hamlets and villages in Hoa Binh, including in Mai Chau District, Da Bac District, and Tan Lac District.

Indigenous groups

The Dao people originated from China, and their migration to Vietnam started in the 12th and 13th centuries and lasted until the first half of the 20th century. The Dao ethnic group mainly resides in mountainous Northern provinces such as Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, and Lang Son. The Dao includes many sub-groups known by various names, such as Kiem Mien, Kim Mun, Kim Man, Bieo Mun, Liao Man, Du Mien, Diu Mien, and Yiu Mien. Sung village is inhabited with a majority of Dao Tiền sub-group. Tiền means money, or coin, and originates from the coins attached to their costumes.

The Dao Tien is the only Dao group that wears skirts embroidered with the images of coins. They also use coins to decorate their traditional clothing. The clothing of the Dao Tien is carefully embroidered working from the back side of the cloth. Traditional Dao Tien clothing comprises indigo fabric, with patterns created using beeswax. Dao Tien women use heated beeswax to print patterns, then embroider images of plants, animals and human figures onto their clothing. They believe that wearing an outfit embroidering stylized dogs and eight-petal flowers and decorating with coins when going to the forest would help avoid ghosts and have much luck.

Dao language belongs to the Mong-Dao group. Dao people have long used Chinese writings (but pronounced in the Dao way) called Nom Dao. In Sung Village, elderly people have been organizing Dao language classes to teach the children the Dao language from very old books and teach the young women to sing traditional Dao songs.

The Dao follows the polytheistic belief influenced by Confucius and orthodox Taoism. Confucius influence is clearly revealed in the hierarchal family structure. At the same time, the influence of Taoism covers most of the customs and practices of ancestor worship. Sorcerers are important people in the Dao group, and sorcerers must be able to read and write the Dao language.

General information

Population: 383 people, 78 households

Area: 7,280,000 sqm

Climate: Da Bac District is situated in a subtropical monsoon climate and has two distinct seasons. The dry and cold season lasts from November of the previous year to April of the following year, the hot and humid season lasts from May to October. The district’s average temperature is 23.5°C, the highest temperature is about 38-39 °C, the lowest temperature is 12 °C. The average rainfall is 1,570 mm/year, most of which arrives from May to September. 

Most of the communes in Da Bac District are affected by the hot, dry westerly wind, which arrives from June to September, for a period of two or three days for an average of 5-10 days a year. During the rainy season flash floods often occur, destroying roads, crops, and wet rice fields.

Attractions

There are several trekking routes around Sung Village. The longest is between Sung and Da Bia Villages, which ranges from 6km to 13km depending on the route. Travellers will trek through the corn and rice fields and take in magnificent views of Hoa Binh Lake. As an alternative travellers can enjoy a short trek to the nearby Sung Cave or take a walk around the hamlet in the early morning or late afternoon.

Sung Cave is located about half a kilometer from the center of Sung Village, and offers an easy one- or two-hour adventure. It is a shallow and large cave. The road to the cave is not too steep, and passes through forests and farming areas.

Activities

Sung Village is good location to unwind and relax. Enjoy the local cuisine such as pork, steamed sticky rice, vegetables, and grilled fish, always prepared with fresh ingredients and thoughtfully presented. 

Explore Dao textiles & culture through Dao traditional costumes. Textiles are still handmade in Sung Village using traditional dyeing and embroidery techniques. Visit Mrs. Tien’s house where the embroidery group sells garments, bags and wall hangings, or come during the indigo season (between August and December) to watch the local women dye the cloth in huge vats of natural indigo.

Relax with Dao herbal bath, a natural health remedy used by the Dao ethnic group to promote circulation and general well-being. The warm bath is ‘brewed’ from a mixture of herbs and medicinal plants. Delightful little round wooden tubs set in a private room will give guests a restorative moment after outdoor activities.

See the stages of making Do paper, a type of paper from the bark of the Do tree, made by a hand following a process passed down through generations in Sung Village. In the past, the Dao Tien people often used Do paper to take notes and to burn when worshiping. 

Accommodation

Sung Village currently has three homestays, each owned and maintained by a family from the community. These homestays were built and renovated based on the traditional house of the Dao people, with palm leaf roofs, wooden beds, and reading lights arranged at each bed. Visitors can sleep in single wooden beds with clean, comfortable linens and fresh towels, mattresses, and pillows. Every bed has a mosquito net and curtains that can be closed for extra privacy. Each homestay has about 12 beds. 

Homestays in Sung village have water heaters and Wi-Fi. The bathrooms are separated from the main accommodation and from the hand washing area. There are no bathtubs, only showers available. 

Support for Sung Village

In 2017, with the help of Action on Povery in Vietnam, community-based tourism was introduced to Sung Village and the village began welcoming guests in April 2017. Sung Village now has three homestays, and service groups for tour guiding, performing arts, textiles, and transport. More than 50 households participate and benefit from tourism through these service groups, which have created jobs and increased income for the locals. Having pristine nature, unique traditional culture, and community solidarity, Sung Village has attracted many foreign culture seekers and is ideal place for studying Dao Tien ethnic traditions and customs.