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The 14G route, surrounded by majestic mountains and forests, not only presents travelers with breathtaking natural scenery but also allows them to delve into the landmarks, culture, and traditions of the Co Tu people.
Exploring the Wonders of the 14G Route in Da Nang
Starting from National Highway (NH) 14B in Hoa Phong commune (Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city), turning onto NH14G towards the western part of Da Nang, connecting with the mountainous Dong Giang district (Quang Nam province) nearly 70km away, travelers can immerse themselves in the coolness of the mountainous forests.
A Serene Landscape
In early October, we followed a group of 12 Australian travelers on Minsk motorbikes as they cruised along NH14G. Upon reaching the beginning of NH14G, the fresh air compensated for the dust-covered surroundings of NH14B in the outskirts of Da Nang.
Along the national highway, the serene Yen River gently flows, dotted with small fishing boats and cornfields on reclaimed land. As one heads towards the mountains, residential areas gradually give way to lush green forests and recreational areas, entertainment hubs, and resorts.
In Hòa Phú commune (Đà Nẵng), leveraging numerous large streams from the Ba Na – Nui Chua Nature Reserve, combined with the cool weather, many businesses have invested in large amusement parks and resorts like Thần Tài Mountain, Hòa Phú Thành, Suối Hoa... offering a full range of services including mud baths, sauna massages, waterfall slides, stream bathing, hotels, and resort villas, attracting tens of thousands of tourists every week seeking refuge from the heat of Đà Nẵng and Hội An.
The QL14G route towards Ba commune (Đông Giang district) becomes increasingly steep and winding, passing through challenging bends with one side of the road lined with towering mountains and the other side plunging into deep ravines, seemingly testing drivers eager to conquer nature.
Travelers along this route are shaded by rows of straight-standing melaleuca trees lining the road. Upon reaching the head of Ba commune, well-maintained rows of ancient tea bushes stretch beautifully along the road.
Many tourists on motorbikes glide around the tea hills and venture into tea gardens to take photos with the farmers caring for and picking tea leaves.
From Ba commune through A Ting, Jơ Ngây, Sông Kôn, Tà Lu... before reaching the town of Prao, along the two roads from the mountains are streams, roaring waterfalls day and night, and on one side is the Vàng River winding through many cultivated areas.
Travelers along the road also get to interact with and witness the daily life of the Co Tu ethnic people. On the communal houses and stilt houses, the Co Tu people warmly welcome guests by weaving traditional textiles, crafting, and performing dances and songs for their visitors.
The Co Tu People Engage in Tourism
Along QL14G, the Bhơ Hôồng village (Sông Kôn commune, Đông Giang district) of the Co Tu people is pristine, tidy, and beautiful like a painting.
Adjacent to the village space is a community tourism area invested by an adventure tourism company in Hoi An. It comprises beautifully designed stilt houses with interiors comparable to 3-4-star hotels, accommodating around 20 guests.
For travelers interested in staying with locals, there are various homestay services provided by the Co Tu people themselves, priced at around 100,000 VND per bed per night.
In his spacious house of over 50m², Elder Alăng Dinh has partitioned it into two sections, offering more comfort for renters. Elder Dinh mentioned that as it's nearing the end of the tourist season, the number of visitors is not high, with only a few arrivals each week.
'Typically, my house accommodates 4-6 guests. They enjoy chatting with me, watching me cook, observing me weave traditional fabrics, knit, learn about rice cultivation... They pay me more than I would earn from farming on the hill. When there are no guests, I return to farming on the hill or venture into the forest,' said Elder Dinh.
Although Elder Dinh's command of the Kinh language is not strong, his daughter, A Lăng Nga, who has just graduated from high school, is knowledgeable, even speaking some English. Nga mentioned that guests visiting Bhơ Hôồng have many options to choose from.
If staying at a homestay, Nga guides guests to explore the village, witness the local way of life, visit Maly stream, learn archery, and swim in Aréc waterfall. Meanwhile, guests staying in the community tourism area will engage in sports with the local people, have bonfires, and experience night gong performances...
A Ting Tài, a guide at the community tourism village, mentioned that in addition to the mentioned activities, during festivals, guests will experience the spiritual cultural space, unique rituals of the Co Tu people.
According to Mr. Mark Wyndham, manager of Hoi An Adventure Exploration Limited, the QL14G tourism product is still in its early stages, with pristine nature and preserved ethnic culture, so guests are still very modest.
'Most guests usually stay for just one night, so it's important to keep them engaged by offering more activities. Like tours that allow guests to experience stream fishing, catch fish in the stream, teach knitting... Visitors here are more interested in experiencing and understanding the culture than just leisure, that's the criteria to be noted,' Mr. Mark said.
Travelers can explore the QL14G route in various ways. When visiting Da Nang, Hoi An, or Tam Ky, they can rent motorcycles (150,000 VND/day), cars (500,000-800,000 VND/day) to freely explore the route.
Alternatively, travelers can hire large-displacement motorcycle drivers to take them along QL14G for sightseeing, meals, accommodation, and guidance, priced at 85-100 USD/day and night.
Many Attractions Await Travelers
Mr. Đỗ Tài, Secretary of the Dong Giang District Party Committee, stated that Bhơ Hôồng village is one of the two community tourism destinations supported by international organizations to help preserve cultural heritage and improve livelihoods.
According to Mr. Tài, the tourism product of the 14G route includes key clusters such as exploring Quyết Thắng tea hills, Bhơ Hôồng village, Đhơ Rôồng traditional handicraft village, G’Răng waterfall, Co Tu traditional weaving village, as well as various other points of interest like A Nong tunnels, C’noonh pottery village to diversify products.
According to Youth
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Reference: Travel Guide on Mytour
MytourOctober 18, 2016
