Vietnamese media cover Yunnan's many-splendored life

A media delegation from Vietnam recently had a reporting tour to south Yunnan’s Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture, looking into the many-splendored lifestyles therein.

In the prefecture’s Yuanyang county, Vietnamese reporters stopped at the Azheke village, and their attention was drawn to the two-story and mushroom-shaped houses built out of stone and brick.

"Similar mushroom houses are seen in north Vietnam, but they have only one floor. Now, local tourism practitioners are turning the houses into homestays for visitors," said Vu Ngoc Mai, a reporter from Lao Cai province.

The reporters also noticed similarities in the traditional culture of ethnic groups. “When I hummed Vietnamese folk songs, the young Hani guy Ah Chun could also pick it up," said Luu Duc Trung, another Vietnamese journalist.

Luu added Yuanyang reminded him of his home in north Vietnam. It is also a place of dazzling sight, decorated by beautiful rice terraces and inhabited by friendly Hani folks.

In Yuanyang’s Mengnong village, lady embroiderers were weaving 300 kinds of traditional textile products, such as skirts, backpacks and headscarves. Using rural e-commerce platforms, more than 1,100 villagers have increased their income by tapping into customers' demand.

"Yuanyang sets an example not only for the protection of terraced rice fields, but also for the protection of local Hali culture. With the evolution of lifestyles, how to protect our tradition is worth discussing," said Vietnamese journalist Dang Thi Dung.

In Hekou Yao autonomous county, the Vietnamese journalists covered the 2023 China-Vietnam special commodities fair, which was participated by businesses from nine countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal and India.

Almirah, an Indian wooden furniture manufacturer, brought exquisite tables and chairs to the fair. "We import mahogany from Vietnam, made the furniture in India and bring the pieces to the China market for sale. Hekou is an important window for Yunnan to open up, offering opportunities for global businesses," said Ali, a staffer of Almirah.

The thriving China-Vietnam trade is partly attributed to facility connectivity. Luu Duc Trung said his home is about three or four kilometers away from the Vietnam-China bridge over the Nanxi river, a tributary of the Red River.

Luu Duc Trung used to came to the bridge for interviews. “The Vietnam-China bridge is not only an important channel for cross-border trade, but also for bilateral cultural exchanges and economic development," said Luu.

At the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway cultural park in the prefecture’s Mengzi city, Vietnamese journalists were impressed by the century-old meter-gauge railway, as well as the station building with yellow walls and black tiles.

"The Vietnam-Yunnan Railway passes through my hometown in north Vietnam. Nowadays, the railway-based logistics is growing fast, and freight trains are frequently operated,” said Vu Ngoc Mai.

Vu added she often goes to Hanoi by train, and the beautiful view on either side of the railway brings him a different traveling experience.

Reporting by Li Ling (YICC); Trans-editing by Wang Shixue