A visit to the village of Den would, then, be a route that is entirely off the beaten path, one that would introduce the traveler to an enriching and highly inspiring slice of Tay culture. Just think about finding traditional festivals of the Tay, savoring local delicacies, and strolling through the most beautiful terraced fields. This article will walk you through cultural high points, the customs of Tay, historical information, and practical tips combined into your adventure to Den Village.
Being in the beautiful scenery of Sapa, Den Village is an indispensable destination that every tourist who joins Sapa Ethnic Tours should visit once in a lifetime. It is at an ideal location for a poetic getaway to Tay People Land, backed up by terraced fields in the tranquil atmosphere, dense forest, and rivers running smoothly. You will be in love with the harmonious beauty of nature and the diversity of culture here.
To get to Den Village, take off from Sapa Town or even Hanoi. While many tourists find it convenient to take the bus or a private transfer here, more adventurous souls may wish to ride on a motorbike to enjoy the scenic route firsthand. The journey itself is already a prelude to what beauty Den Village will give you, as the landscapes are largely characteristic of what has defined Sapa Ethnic Tours.
Den Village
More or less, the landscape of Den Village is pure magic for both nature lovers and photographers alike. The famous Sapa terraced rice fields realize their breathtaking beauty as seasons change dramatically. During autumn, the fields glimmer in shades of gold while during spring, it’s a riot of green as new rice sprouts sprout out. The forests around and nearby rivers add natural beauty, hence making any place tranquil away from the hustles and bustles of city life.
The photogenic seasonal highlights take the beauty of the village throughout the year. During the spring season, the look becomes wonderful when flowers bloom while in harvest seasons, the vibrant colors of crops amaze most of the travelers. Generally, for the tourists booking Sapa Tours, Den Village certainly provides an ideal mix of cultural as well as scenic attractions that is just apt for nature and culture lovers who want to connect with the natural environment and the Tay People Land.
Den Village, is deeply related to the Tay People’s Land after centuries of tradition and love for their land-a place where generations of the Tay people have been preserving a way of life compatible with nature and community. This is a landscape shaped according to the peculiarity of the lifestyles of local dwellers who have marked their identity in each festival, each ritual, and every custom.
The journey to Den Village is enlightening as it provides an insight into the history of the Tay people-travelers on Sapa Ethnic Tours receive an understanding of agricultural practices in harmony with nature and strong family traditions that present a resilient but adaptive way of life.
One of the most animated highlights in Den Village is its festivals based on the Tay People Land, in which the Tay culture flourishes at its merriest. High on the list of these festivals is the Long Tong Festival-the Spring Festival where people celebrate with communal feasts, traditional songs, or dancing in vivid dress, to the rhythm of the Tinh guitar. Visitors on a Sapa Ethnic Tour may get an inside look at how locals get to enjoy such activities while sharing stories of history passed from generation to generation.
Long Tong Festival
The other real cultural treasure is the Harvest Festival, showing the gratitude of the locals for good yields this time of the year, and lighting up the town with food, music, and dance. These festivals are not only celebrations but one important way to show respect to the earth by the Tay people and to share the culture with guests. Participation in these festivals is one of those moments that are considered an obligation for travelers who want real Sapa Tours moments.
Religious belief plays an important role in the life of the Tay People’s Land. The core of the Tay’s spirit is ancestor worship. Thus, almost every house in Den Village reserves a place for ancestor worship. Much as people treat their ancestors, they do to nature: the relationship between human beings and nature should be in harmony and balance.
One of the strange and peculiar practices that you come across in the Den Village is the worship of the stone dog, known as “Ma-hin." Every house places guardian stones at its entrance, which stand there to protect your house from evil spirits. This constitutes one more interesting side of Sapa Ethnic Tours, where you learn about many dimensions of the symbolic universe of the Tay people since every minute detail-level activity carries an intense significance there.
Architecture is an important part of the Tay People Land culture. In Den Village, beautifully constructed stilt houses reflect the attachment of the Tay to the land. These are thereby made of wood, bamboo, or stone, showing the ability and close connection of Tay with nature as well. The stilt architecture allows the raising of the house to avoid dampness while providing a cool and comfortable living area inside the house.
Each of the houses has been built in an enlightened style: thatched roofs and bamboo walls, which are considered a hallmark of sustainable building. When visiting these houses on Sapa Ethnic Tours, guests open their eyes to how the Tay people live in harmony with their surroundings and retain an exceptional architectural style that has survived for generations.
The layout of the Tay houses speaks as much to function as it does to family values. Each house in Den Village is a reflection of the emphasis the Tay places on community and familial bonds. You’ll find places to worship, places for family to gather, and places to store food all carefully laid out to generate a sense of belonging.
The inside usually covers the central space intended for ancestor worship, concerning those who came before them. For tourists traveling with SaPa Tours, it’s a lesson in how architecture can be used to carry deep cultural values within Tay People’s Land.
Upon entering Tay’s house, one would immediately notice the fine details on the wooden carvings and motifs that are hung everywhere depicting prosperity, protection, and pride in their culture. These are not all decorations for aesthetic appeal but bring symbols and stories from beliefs and values particular to the people of the Tay ethnicity. The detailed crafts of motifs are wonders in themselves the dragon head, birds, and vines, onwards.
These decorative elements will surely give travelers traveling with Sapa Ethnic Tours an insight into the artistry and cultural depth. The commitment to craftsmanship is also echoed in the quality of the materials used; most decorations are made to last for generations to preserve the beauty of Tay heritage.
See terraced fields
Traditional craftsmanship is one of the mainstays of the Tay People Land, and this is embraced within this Sapa Ethnic Tours itinerary. In Den Village, you notice artisans in silks, weaving, or basketry, and in woodcarvings. Each piece speaks volumes about heritage combined with patience and pride. An example could be the silk weaving among the womenfolk of the Tay people, which has been passed down through successive generations and those beautiful patterns are both functional and symbolic in nature.
Among the things that tourists can buy for souvenirs are handicrafts such as hand-woven baskets, sewn goods, and even some stringed instruments. These traditional crafts make unique keepsakes and help at least partially to keep Tay traditions alive, which undergirds the local economy.
The Tay people have developed for themselves specialized tools that enable them to thrive in mountainous environments. Be it fish traps, hunting gear, or farming, each of these tools reflects their ingenuity and resourcefulness. These tools are not just practical but also representative of Tay’s capabilities of adapting and understanding nature.
These tools coming into use create a glimpse for visitors on SaPa Tours into the Tay way of life, where everything is made with care for a certain purpose. It’s a reminder of how connected the Tay People Land is with the land itself, making for quite a fascinating learning experience.
Traditional craftsmanship in Den Village is not only in producing objects for daily use but also in the line of masterpieces and master guilds of artisans, especially those skilled in the handcrafting of the famous Tinh guitar, the most typical musical instrument of the Tay ethnic group. The Tinh guitar has a symbolic role in music and culture in the life of the Tay people. Wood is commonly used in making guitars light ones, especially from Samu or Mulberry trees.
Sapa Ethnic Tours provide an opportunity for travelers to meet these artisans learn the craftsmanship in their work and even play in these unique instruments. Direct interaction with local artisans was considered one of the most rewarding experiences in visiting Tay People Land meaningful connection to the tradition that defines the Tay community.
Food is more than just sustenance in Den Village, as it’s a cultural experience. Key dishes one will encounter include sticky rice cakes, bamboo tube rice, and local duck dishes. These sticky rice cakes are usually served during big festivals and represent plenty and unity. Rice is cooked with fragrant herbs in bamboo the tradition that takes flavors to the next level and gives each current a tint of natural, earthy aroma. The local duck reared on the farms around is made with Tay People Land’s special spices that can bring about tenderness and richness in taste.
For the guests who tour Sapa Ethnic Tours, the taste of these foods is something like tasting a piece of history, each recipe passed down generations, perpetuating flavors and traditions.
Local cuisine
Tay cuisine is ingredient focused from sticky rice and mountain herbs to bamboo, staples which for that very reason connect Tay people directly with the land. Cooking methods are steaming, slow roasting, and cooking in bamboo, thus sustainable and respectful to nature, a reflection of the harmony of the Tay with the surroundings. Cooking in bamboo not only preserves nutritious food but also gives this food an unforgettable flavor that cannot be found anywhere else.
Visitors can appreciate this gastronomic tour of SaPa not only to understand the deep linkage of Tay cuisine to nature but also for its sociocultural attributes.
Would you like to experience the food of the Tay people, not only by eating but deeper? Try your luck in Den Village! Quite several families in this village open their houses for guests and family meal hosting, enabling visitors to share meals with locals, enjoying home prepared Tay dishes. You can also find village fairs very exciting, where you get freshly cooked delicacies and communicate with local sellers.
Some even offer very special cooking classes for hands on travelers in some homestays with Sapa Ethnic Tours. You can make a sticky rice cake or prepare bamboo tube rice with Tay cooks, images that will stay long in your mind and you are going to share with friends back home via delicious meals.
The Tinh guitar is one of the typical musical instruments featuring the Tay people, accompanying folk songs, and the famous “Then" singing mesmerizing vocal style that stitches together storytelling and spirituality. It is often present at festivals or events, bringing messages on love, life, and hope. This is the real treasure in culture and a storytelling device that brings alive history in the Tay.
In Den Village, visitors to Sapa Ethnic Tours would probably pass between locals sensationally singing with the Tinh guitar, mainly on days when festivals are at their peak. You are included in the musical soul of the Tay people, and you feel how rich the beauty lies within their expressions of culture.
Besides the Tinh, the Tay use musical instruments like the drum and bamboo flute all laboriously made from local materials. Instruments are not tools; they have come into being as part of the identity of the Tay people, resounding across generations.
For those on SaPa Tours, exploring these instruments adds another layer to your understanding of Tay People’s Land and its deep rooted cultural practices.
Folklore is the quintessence of Tay tradition, keeping stories of love, bravery, and the enigmas of nature alive. The folk tales of Tay origin are rich in symbolic meanings, passed orally from generation to generation, and performed on this or another festival or communal gathering. Mythical creatures, legendary ancestors, and life’s biggest secrets are discussed for the sake of traditions and passing on the values of Tay origin to the young.
Guests traveling with Sapa Ethnic Tours may join one storytelling session or folklore performance in Den Village. It is an enriching experience whereby the wisdom and values of the Tay are portrayed, adding weight to your journey through Tay People’s Land.
The Tay people know how to invent games that are highly group oriented and representative of the features of a nation. Spinning tops and the “Con" ball game have great popularity, where players cast a gayly colored ball up through a very high hoop as an act full of joy and propitiousness. Most of their games presuppose festivals and allow natives and visitors to get together and share moments of fun.
Participation or watching these games on SaPa Tours means getting an overview of the social spirit of Tay People’s Land. The joy and applause, or playful comforting after losing, all form part of the Tay cultural fabric in addition to making the moments memorable to all participants.
Festivals in Den Village are a very lively platform for Tay culture. The ethnic Sapa Tourists visiting here can have a glimpse of festivals that are popularly known as the Spring Festival or LongTong, and the Harvest Festival is performed with traditional dances and songs with the most vigorously colored clothes. Such festivals bring people together to celebrate life and all the bounties of nature given to the village and account for strengthening bonding amongst their people. There is a complete mood of gaiety and cheerfulness when the people start preparing collective feasts, dancing together over traditional dances, and performing rituals.
Participation in these festivals allows visitors to experience the communal spirit of the host Tay People Land. This is such a moment where hosts and guests come together, celebrating not only the Tay culture but also the universal spirit of human connection.
Traditional weaving craft
Den Village forms more than just a destination, it is rather a voyage in itself cultural one hidden to be discovered. To those in need of a proper and enriching journey via Sapa Ethnic Tours, this village lying in Tay People Land offers a tale blending natural beauty with rich traditions and warm hospitality. From the elaborate artistry of Tay handicrafts to melodious tales through Then singing, every part of Den Village invites you to share, learn, and celebrate a heritage so well preserved, cared for, and proud. Don’t forget to regularly follow our Impress Travel for more interesting information about traveling Sapa to and to book Sapa Tours at the best prices.
Hotels in Sapa
Homestay in Sapa
We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.
Impress travel were amazing. Did my bookings with Daniel for our tour of Vietnam and I must say Daniel was very professional and prompt with his services. All the arrangement, plans, pick-up & drop-off services, hotels, vehicles, sightseeing tours and guides were spot on and excellent. Did 4 nights Hanoi, 1 night Hà Long Bay cruise, 3 nights Hoian, 4 nights Saigon and 1 night in Can Tho. It was totally awesome. Every part of the journey was superbly arranged and planned. I will highly recommend Impress Travel for anyone interested in visiting Vietnam. Very organized and reliable!
I booked with Impress Travel in July. My contact person was Tommy Thang. He is an amazing person. He was very helpful. He changed my program twice for me. Very accommodating!
We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
The tour was fantastic, Tommy's arrangements were to the"T".
I will always use them if I have to visit the area again and recommend them to one and all.
Thank you once again Mr.Tommy and the Impress Team.
Sulaiman Pochee
Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.
This is the second time we travel to Vietnam with IMPRESS Travel. First time, we booked our holiday to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa during Dec 2018 with Impress.
Second time, we travel to Hoi An, Hue & Danang (Central Vietnam) during Jan 2019.
My friends & I are very glad & happy with all the hotels stay in Central Vietnam, the meals provided are delicious. We are greatly appreciated with all the tour arrangement by Tommy & his team (tour guide).
Especially, Mr. NHAT C.V. He is helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable and very professional. He always volunteer to take a nice pictures for six of us (group) .
We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel. We will definitely come back to Vietnam again with Impress
Inclusion: Night train tickets, Tour guide, Transfer from Hanoi to Lao Cai station
Inclusion: Breakfast; lunch; dinner, Homestay in Ta Van, Entrance fee; Tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle pick up from Lao Cai train station to Sapa town
After breakfast, we keep the easy trekking through the rice terrace track to Giang Ta Chai village where is home of Red Dao people, and then to Su Pan village where the vehicle is awaiting for transferring back to Sapa town.
The afternoon time is free at leisure and explore Sapa town by self
Hotel overnight in Sapa town
Inclusion: Breakfast; Entrance fee; Tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle pick up from Su Phan village back to Sapa town, Hotel in Sapa
Inclusion: Breakfast; Entrance fee; Tour guide, Private air-conditioned vehicle pick up from Cat Cat village back to Sapa town and transfer to Lao Cai station and Night train tickets to Hanoi.
Impress Travel – Sapa tours offers classic and easy tours, trekking tours (easy trek, medium trek & hard trek) to discover the remote ethnic minority villages & adventurous tours to conquer Fansipan’s highest mountain peak or motorbike to travel around and mountain biking, market day tours, homestay with an ethnic family. For the most trusted and most saving for North Vietnam Tour Packages to explore Sapa Vietnam. Email: Sapatours@impresstravel.com & call to Mr. Alex Impress Travel Manager at his cell phone (+84) 9123 79 189
