They Lived Here Before the Trails

A Farming Family, the Forest, and the Birth of Hiking in Dundj Valley

Long before hiking in Ninh Binh became a travel trend,  before map pins, viewpoints, and “hidden gems,” Lady Thai’s family was already here.

They arrived in this valley in 1985, when there were no tourists, no paved roads, and no idea that Tam Coc would one day appear in guidebooks around the world.

What they found was not a destination estination,  but a wild valley, surrounded by limestone mountains, dense forest, caves, and land that demanded patience, strength, and knowledge to survive.

Living With the Land Since 1985

For nearly four decades, Lady Thai’s family has lived entirely inside what is now known as Dundj Valley.

They built their life from the ground up:

• Clearing land by hand

• Learning the water cycles of the valley

• Growing rice, vegetables, and herbs

• Raising buffaloes, ducks, goats, and fish naturally

Among locals, they are known as some of the best farmers in Ninh Binh — not because they produce the most, but because nothing is wasted, and nothing harms the land.

Farming here is not a business model.
It is survival, memory, and responsibility.

Farmers by Day, Forest People by Nature

But farming is only half of their story.

To live in this valley, you must also know the forest.

Lady Thai’s family are widely respected in Tam Coc as some of the most skilled forest people in the area.
They know:

• Which mountain paths are safe after rain

• Where caves breathe cool air in summer

• How to move through bamboo forests without leaving scars

• How to read clouds, water levels, and animal movement

Long before visitors walked these routes, they were the ones walking them every day — checking water sources, guiding buffaloes, collecting herbs, and navigating caves hidden deep inside the limestone.

What travelers now call hiking or trekking, was simply daily life.