After 100 years, the journey to find the legendary ancient stone road contains many historical, cultural and unique sediments…

According to many seniors, in 1920 the French Governor Auguste Jean-Marie Pavie started the construction of the stone road.

In 1927, the Pavi stone road was completed with a total length of about 100km, crossing the Gio pass (2,091m) in Nhiu Co San mountain range, extending from Bat Xat district to Lai Chau city today.

The construction of a road crossing Nhiu Co San mountain range will reduce the distance of nearly 150km from Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province to Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province.

Pavi ancient trail

However, the ancient stone road is now only 17km long, stretching from Nhiu Co San village, Sang Ma Sao commune, Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province to Sang Ma Pho village, Sin Suoi Ho commune, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province.

Under the French colonial rule, this ancient stone road was likened to a traffic artery, with the purpose of allowing the French colonialists to transport goods, agricultural products, weapons, French troops… from Lao Cai to Lai Chau and vice versa.

By holding that important role, the road was built entirely of slate, smoothed, with a width of many sections up to 3m.

With that scale, although built to run through the forest, both people and horses can walk comfortably on this road.

In order to serve the transportation well, along the road, the French arranged a system of posts to ensure the safety of the entire road and serve border patrol and defense.

The French even built an airport on a large plain near Nhiu Co San village to facilitate the gathering and transportation of goods.

Pavi ancient stone road seems to have fallen asleep between great forest

Because of its large scale, construction in difficult terrain, the completion of the ancient stone road of Pavi has caused a lot of loss of blood and bones of the local people.

For the past hundred years, according to the people of the two provinces, the name Pavi was named after the French Governor mentioned above.

Right on the “Map of the North and the West of the group of fortresses Dien Bien Phu – March 1954, the stone road Pavi still appears with the name “Piste Pavie now QL-12”.

The road continues to stretch, quite intact, running through cardamom fields, primeval forests to Nhiu Co San village.

The deeper you go into the forest, the more the scenery makes people fall in love.

The beauty of primeval forests is hard to describe in words or a picture.

This trail attractive tourist come to experience

The most attractive thing about Pavi road is through a primeval forest with biodiversity.

The forest is divided into many layers with cardamom layer, low-rise mixed trees, higher than that of conifers, maples and large trees.

Just a lucky ray of sunshine through the vegetation, pouring down a canopy of leaves is enough to make visitors ecstatic.

Thanh Tuan