The Caves of MuongVi

Caves and caverns of Muong Vi are 28km from northeast of the provincial capital of Lao Cai, in a valley ringed by mountains.

Na Rin Grotto is nearly 1km long with many entrance-doors. In the grotto there are stalagmites and stalactites shining in dim lights and many magnificent figures could be imagined along the stream banks. It’s also called Hang Tien (Fairy Cave). Legend has it that the Ruler of the Heaven, allowed his three beautiful fairy daughters to visit the Earth for a short spell. But it was a different kind of spell that overcame them as they gazed at the beautiful landscape and decided they didn’t want to return home. Father was furious and ordered the god of thunder (Thien Loi) to bring them back by force if necessary and mete out due punishment to his daughters for their disobedience, but the fairies hid in a cave 200m above a river. Failing to find them, Thien Loi trampled down a spur of the mountain inside which the fairies were hiding. Seeing no hope of escape, they threw themselves into the river and drowned. Their bodies drifted downstream, and some villagers found and buried the beautiful dead. And on that spot in present-day, Bao Nai Commune there stands a temple called Ba Co (three ladies) in honor of the three fairies. People come here from all over the place to worship, pray and offer incense.

On the slopes of a tall mountain is a windy cave, called Cam Rang, where the stalactites are thick and colored. Thousands of bats live near the entrance, and inside is a fantasy world of limestone pillars and needles.

Cam Tam is also the name of a grotto at the mountain’s base. The crystalline rocks are 3m tall, and the stalactites and stalagmites resemble the tools and cattle that generous fairies (a separate bunch from the three mentioned above) brought for the local farmers.

It’s unsurprising that Muong Vi has been given national heritage status by the Ministry of Culture and Information. The place is like a natural gift to the people of the land. If you chance to visit any part of Lao Cai, remember to pick up some Tam Hoa and Hau plums, Ban Pho and San Lung rice wine, medicinal plants, and the gaily colored ethnic fabric (tho cam) spun and woven by ethnic minorities of Thai, Dao and Mong.