Discover the breathtaking Mu Cang Chai

Discover the breathtaking Mu Cang Chai

Comparing Mu Cang Chai with the famous tourist destinations across the globe, the Telegraph wrote: '' The fields in terraces in Vietnam create the spectacular, green landscapes in the world ''. Discovering Mu Cang Chai is a must – do thing if you wish to witness how miracle and majestic Mother Nature is.

Where is Mu Cang Chai?

Mu Cang Chai which is an isolated mountainous west district of  Yen Bai province is 280 kilometers away from Hanoi. In local dialect, “mu” means “forest of wood”, “cang” means “dry” and “chai” means “region” so Mu Cang Chai can be translated into “Region of the dry wood forest”. Being known as “the land of terraced rice field”, the beauty of splendid immense rice fields has won the heart of millions of visitor.

Mu Cang Chai is the home to several ethnic tribes, in which the H’mong community dominates (account for 90%). Moreover, the communities of Thai, Dao, Kinh, etc have settled here for a long time. Therefore, visiting Mu Cang Chai gives you the opportunity to not only contemplate the breathtaking landscapes but also discover the diverse and original culture of the ethnic minorities.

Because of being world – away from the bustle of modern life, Mu Cang Chai is perfectly suitable for those who like to find a calm atmosphere to ease your mind from all everyday troubles.

What to do in Mu Cang Chai?

Sightsee beautiful terraced rice fields

Stunning terrace rice fields

Stunning terrace rice fields

Because of the limited area, unlike the plain regions, in the mountainous lands including Mu Cang Chai, the terraced rice is quite popular. The rice fields are not flat but perch on the hills and expand across the flanks of the mountain. Rice fields follow another, which look like reach until the horizon.

Rice field has a narrow width and the gap between plots is about from 1 – 1.5 meters. In total, in Mu Cang Chai, there are approximately 2,200 hectares of rice field. The terraced rice fields of Mu Cang Chai indicate the ingenuity of the human hand in the mastery of nature to result in an outstanding beauty that touches the heart of millions of traveler.

In the season of ripe rice when is often from mid-September to mid-October, the scenery is even much more superb. The whole small town is covered by a bright yellow color like gold which evokes the feeling of prosperity. The image of the lush yellow terraced rice field which is immense and panoramic, once you have experienced, it’s always alive in your mind.

However, if you come to Mu Cang Chai at other times, your trip is still worthy. May and June are the time when the locals water their fields fully to begin a new crop. The water which flows from the mountains floods the field to make soil softer.  

In the sun, the limpid and flashed water surface of terraced fields shines like a mirror reflecting the reddish brown of soil, the pure blue of the sky and the green of surrounding forests will leave, all of which mix together to create a stunning picture of perfect natural harmony that can stop your heart.

If you come here in June or July, the green of paddy rice on the terraced field will surely blow your mind away. In the field, the paddy rice is grown fully and the rest of the space is filled with the green of the jungle trees from the ground to the misty top of mountains.

Join the paragliding festival

Paragliding festival

Paragliding festival in Mu Cang Chai

Annually the paragliding festival is organized in Khau Pha pass that is one of the longest one in Vietnam at more than 1200 meters above the sea level. The purpose of the festival is to show honor, concern, love and promote the values of the terraced rice fields as a precious creation of this mountainous area and the traditional culture of the ethnic tribes.

Take part in the festival and you will have a chance to fly over the golden terraced paddy fields and have a spectacular view of the magnificent scenery from above. If you are an adventurous traveler, wish to mingle with nature, you can’t miss this amazing festival.

Visit the local communes

It’s up to you to choose Lim Mong hamlet, Thai hamlet, La Pan Tau village or Tu Le village. Each place is the main inhabitation of one ethnic tribe and represents the cultural values of that community. Tu Le village which is extremely famous for the sticky rice has been chosen by Thai people to settle permanently. Seeing Thai girls having a shower by the springs will surely amaze you.

Hiding in mist and cloud, Lim Mong hamlet owns the wonderful sceneries of terraced rice fields during crop harvesting seasons. La Pan Tau which is the home to the H’mong community is one of the villages regarded as Vietnam National Geographic Site in 2007. Thai hamlet which resembles its name is the residential area of the Thai tribe.

Coming here, you take an opportunity to try Thai’s traditional cuisine, having a shower with herb or mix with the slow pace of life of the locals. Each location has its own quaint beauty that you have to discover by yourself.

All the above factors make Mu Cang Chai be in the list of must - visit destinations of the authentic travelers, and as well as an endless inspiration for everyone setting food in this land. Visit Mu Cang Chai and have memorable experiences in your lifetime.

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