On the evening of January 22, while surfing social networks, Nguyen Dinh Ngoc (born 2000, Bac Giang) came across a video of icy scenes appearing on Mau Son peak at an altitude of 1,180m, in Loc Binh district, Lang Son province. The young man currently working as a video designer and photographer in Hanoi feels excited because this phenomenon only happens once every few years.
After watching the news on January 23, Ngoc did not hesitate any longer and texted four close friends to go hunting for ice and snow. Even when no one agreed, he decided to go alone, but in the end, the “deal” was finalized with a group of 5 people.
Ngoc took a day off, brought a suitcase full of warm clothes from Hanoi to Bac Giang to meet with friends. The group rented a 7-seat car and left for Mau Son at 4:30 a.m. early on January 24. The distance from Bac Giang to Mau Son is regarding 150km, Dinh Ngoc’s group arrived following nearly 4 hours of travel. About 5km from the summit, everyone cheered because they saw the ice undulating from afar and felt the cold cold seeping into the car.
There was a traffic jam for the last 2-3km. Ngoc was so excited that she got out first and walked, forgetting to put on gloves. Reaching the top of Mau Son, he mightn’t help but be surprised at the scene appearing before his eyes.
“This was the first time I saw ice with my own eyes, so every place looked very beautiful. Especially the whole tree was frozen. I thought the tree was dry, but when I looked at it, it turned out that the inside was still fresh,” the young man said.
Last winter, Ngoc went to the top of Mau Son, but the weather at that time was regarding 4-5 degrees, not too cold and not freezing. This time, the boy was able to experience the feeling that “what is in the refrigerator is exactly the same here”. Even though he was wearing 2 pairs of pants, 3 layers of clothing including thermal insulation, wool, a thick windbreaker, plus a complete scarf, gloves, hat, and socks, he still felt shaky.
Like Ngoc’s group, many tourists are not afraid to travel hundreds of kilometers to hunt for ice and snow here. Among them, there are mainly young people, there are also a few young children with their parents and even middle-aged people. People often stand around and take pictures for regarding 10-20 minutes, at most an hour, then have to go back inside to stop freezing.
Ngoc’s group came up with the unique idea of building an ice man. The 5 boys went together to collect tapes from around and it took nearly 2 hours to complete the “work”. Initially, they planned to destroy it before leaving, but seeing that many people were interested in taking pictures with them, they saved it as a souvenir.
“It was very cold but we felt very happy. Luckily, no one got sick when we returned. The next morning we still got up and went to work normally. This is truly a memorable experience,” Dinh Ngoc said. Despite the news that Mau Son peak has had a lot of snow and ice these past few days, Hoang Thi Van Anh (born 2001, Lang Son) initially had no intention of coming here to check-in. On the morning of January 24, she went to her sister’s house to visit. The two sisters surfed the internet and saw a set of photos taken in the white snow of a child there.
“Because it was so impressive, my sisters and I invited each other to drive our cars up here to see it, without any prior plans,” she said.
Many people were worried regarding Van Anh’s health when she wore a sleeveless shirt to take photos in the cold, but she affirmed that she was completely healthy.
Just an hour before departure, Van Anh and her mother went to the costume rental store to choose outfits – inspired by the costumes of the Hmong ethnic group, often worn during festivals – to go. take a photo. The distance from Van Anh’s house to Mau Son peak is only regarding 30km, but because of traffic jam, following 2.5 hours, the mother and her three children arrived.
As soon as she got off the bus, Van Anh was surprised by the beautiful scene, just like in a movie Frozen When the fences and trees are covered in white. The Lang Son girl quickly took off her coat, wearing only a sleeveless ethnic outfit to take pictures in front of the curious and surprised eyes of tourists there. She posed for photos for regarding 5 minutes then got back into the car.
When Van Anh’s image was posted online, many people mightn’t help but worry regarding her health, especially when they saw her hands turning red from the cold. However, she affirmed that she is completely healthy and has not had any health problems since returning home.
“My family moved from Huu Lung district to Lang Son city 3 years ago. Having been here for a while, I am also used to low temperatures, many times below 10 degrees Celsius in the winter. Furthermore, perhaps my body I can withstand the cold, so when I wore a short shirt to take photos at the top of Mau Son, I just felt a little bit cold. People down below are not familiar with it, so it can be a bit scary,” she explained.
Regarding being able to pose naturally with many eyes focused on her, Van Anh said she once participated in the competition. Miss Universe Vietnam 2023 and reached the top 55. After this experience, she found herself much bolder so she didn’t feel shy.
For Van Anh, the experience of hunting ice and snow is worth it, especially when she has a set of “lifetime” photos.
Driving in subzero weather
As soon as he learned that frost had appeared on Mau Son peak since the followingnoon of January 22, Tran Nhat Hoang (born 2001, Lang Son) – a freelance tour guide – planned to ride his motorbike up at night to admire it. However, following considering safety, the boy decided to depart at 8:30 a.m. on January 23. Before leaving, he carefully checked the vehicle to avoid problems.
From Bac Son, a distance of 110km, it took Hoang regarding 2.5 hours to reach the top of Mau Son. With experience from previous ice and snow hunting trips at Phia Oac peak (Cao Bang) and Sa Pa (Lao Cai), he “dressed” very carefully to cope with the cold.
“I wear all 5 layers of clothing including a thermal jacket, 2 thin sweaters, a thermal jacket, and backpacking armor. Along with that, I also wear 2 scarves, a hat, 2 gloves, 3 pairs of socks. So But when I got there, I had to rest inside for regarding an hour before I dared to go out to watch the ice,” the young man said.
When standing on the top of Mau Son, Hoang saw the temperature at regarding minus 1 degree Celsius, the cold penetrated to the marrow of his bones. However, his only feeling was that he felt wonderful and satisfied, not wasting a trip.
Returning down the mountain at 4:00 p.m., Hoang was surprised when the car’s wheels were frozen, just like the pictures shared online. He also had to choose a shortcut to avoid traffic jams.
As a person with travel experience who has been to many provinces and cities from North to South, Hoang advises anyone intending to hunt for ice and snow in high mountains to prepare well. First of all, the outfit should be full of warm clothes, gloves, hats, scarves… Regarding transportation, a car is the best choice to avoid the cold, but those who want to experience it should ride a motorbike. Because the road is quite winding and has many narrow sections, driving speed should be as slow as possible to be able to handle it promptly.
After a successful snow and ice hunting trip, Dinh Ngoc shared his experience that people should go early to avoid crowds and traffic jams. Additionally, bringing boots and a raincoat can avoid wet fog.
As for Van Anh, she also reminded everyone to be mentally prepared for traffic jams, and on-site food and drinks prices may increase compared to normal days. The important thing is to dress warmly, don’t risk wearing short-sleeved clothes like she took the photo if you don’t have good stamina.
From January 22 to January 25, the temperature in Mau Son mountain area (Lang Son) always fluctuated 4-6 degrees Celsius. In particular, at Mau Son peak, the temperature dropped to -3 degrees Celsius some days, sometimes It’s as cold as cutting flesh. The scene of ice covering fences and trees attracts thousands of tourists to come here to admire.
Frost phenomena also appear in many highland communes in the provinces of Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai.