Hungry for magical scenery and food? Explore the Da River reservoir

The lake surface on the Da River is quite calm at this time of the year

One of the most intriguing destinations in the region is the Da River with the boats plying its waters, and the Muong Trai floating restaurant with an all-bamboo design and thatched roof. The restaurant offers typical local dishes such as grilled fish, fish salad, steamed fish, sour soup, or dishes cooked from chicken and duck served with distinctive vegetables of the western mountains. According to the owner of Muong Trai floating restaurant Lo Van Buoc, all the food is locally grown or caught by villagers in the village, ensuring its freshness.

In addition to food, the restaurant also provides tours to the Da River reservoir. The hour-long tours include a sturgeon farming area, the Lan Lanh and Lan Ha caves, the Pom Don historical monument from the French resistance war, while longer trips offer visits to the Son La Hydropower Plant, Pa Uon Bridge, and Heart Island.

Cruise ships with a capacity of 25 to 80 passengers

Tourists visit a sturgeon farming area

In addition to motorboat tours, visitors can rent kayaks for VND100,000 an hour. The Muong Trai restaurant provides life jackets and equipment for the lake tours it operates.

Distinctive dishes of Muong Trai floating restaurant

In spring and summer, the surface of Da river lake is calm, reflecting the mountains around it. Apart from the Muong Trai floating restaurant, visitors to Muong La and Son La Province should not forget the Son La hydroelectric project. The province now has more than 20 small and medium-sized hydropower projects with vast artificial lakes.

Unique culture

Visitors can also enjoy the unique culture of ethnic minorities in the area with the New Rice Festival, the buffalo worship festival in Ngoc Chien Commune, the “Pang a” or thanksgiving festival of the La Ha ethnic group in Pi Toong Commune, and the cultural festival of the H’Mong minorities in Chieng Cong Commune.

In order to attract more tourists, Muong La District is promoting tourism products, strengthening human resource training, undertaking administrative reform in order to create a favorable investment environment to diversify and improve the quality of local tourism products. The district also plans to renovate several relics associated with sightseeing and tourism activities, such as the Muong Chien Fort associated with community tourism in Ngoc Chien Commune, the Pom Pat Fort, Co Nong Cave, and It Ong Town associated with the Son La reservoir.

In particular, the district will coordinate with the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Son La Hydropower Company on construction of the Son La Hydropower tourist site. They will check out various destinations, build tourism infrastructure, organize training for staff, welcome Famtrip delegations to survey and evaluate the quality of the tourist attractions.

Tourists watch mountain ranges silhouetted against the lake, enjoy food and dances of the Thai ethnic people