Taking three children to Mau Son to see the ice

Lang Son When hearing the news of frost appearing on Mau Son peak, Ms. Lan Huong and her husband immediately set off with their three children aged 6 and 4.

"We didn't have any plans in advance. When we heard that there was a tape there, and the children were on holiday, the whole family decided to go right away," said Dao Lan Huong, 33, from Hanoi . She believes that the more children travel and experience, the more their souls and dreams will be nurtured when they step out of their parents' comfort zone.

Lan Huong's family on Mau Son peak on January 24. Photo: NVCC — Lan Huong's family on Mau Son peak on January 24. Photo: *NVCC*

She and her husband and two twin children, one 6 years old and one 4 years old, departed from Hanoi on the afternoon of January 23 by private car and stayed overnight in Lang Son city. Initially, Ms. Huong planned to let the children sleep on the top of Mau Son -3 degrees, but seeing that the facilities were not guaranteed, she chose to go to the top on the morning of January 24.

The road from Hanoi to Lang Son city is 180 km long, with many highways so the whole family moved quickly, about 3.5 hours. Then they traveled 15 km to the foot of the pass leading to Mau Son, continuing to cross the pass for another 15 km to reach the top. "This road is under construction but it is very easy to go, just follow Google Maps and you will get there," said Ms. Huong.

It was the first time she and her children had witnessed such a magnificent scene. Ice was everywhere. The pine trees were covered in ice and had many strange shapes.

"The kids loved it, they even compared it to Elsa's ice palace," said Ms. Huong. She dressed her children warmly so they could freely explore new things, climbing to the highest and coldest huts. She was told by locals that Mau Son has frost every year, but it has been a long time since the ice "was as thick and plentiful" as this time.

Ms. Huong rated this as a "valuable and wonderful" experience for the whole family. She believes that sometimes children should "step out of their comfort zone" to see the colorful life and exercise. She also said that this was a test run for the family's plan to go abroad to experience snow in the future.

To prepare for the trips, Ms. Huong said her children often run 5-7 km and swim regularly.

When hunting for ice and snow on Mau Son peak, according to her, you should stay in Lang Son city for convenient accommodation. There is a motel on the top of the mountain but it is quite shabby, there are not many food services, there is no heating or air conditioning. You should leave early in the morning to arrive at 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. when it will not be crowded. The time to go down should be around 10-11:00 a.m. because at that time there will be police to divide the traffic. Families with children should not have breakfast at the foot of the mountain because the difference in temperature and altitude can easily cause vomiting when going on the mountain pass.

Mau Son peak sometimes drops to -3 degrees Celsius so you need to keep warm. Children need warm shoes, 2-3 pairs of socks, 2-3 warm pants (heat-retaining pants, thick fleece pants). Shirts should be worn in order: heat-retaining shirt (wool, sheepskin, warm vest) inside, super light down jacket, super thick down jacket outside, woolen hat that covers the ears, mask, warm gloves and heat-retaining patches on the back. Adults should also be equipped like children. Note that the road is slippery, must wear shoes with anti-slip soles.

"My feet are often cold so I put heat pads on the soles of my feet," Ms. Huong added.

The frost is expected to last for 5 days and the best day was when Huong’s family arrived. From today, the frost will gradually melt as the temperature rises.

Tam Anh

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