The Best Mu Cang Chai Travel Guide Should Not Be Missed

Mu Cang Chai travel guide will introduce you to a new destination on the Yen Bai tourist map. Thanks to nature’s favor, Mu Cang Chai has a peaceful but equally majestic beauty that draws millions of tourists each year. Therefore, this location is also invested in more construction to serve tourists. Let’s prepare your notebook and take a look with Dideden to find out what things to do in Yen Bai.

MU CANG CHAI – PARADISE OF TERRACED FIELDS

Since 2007, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has recognized Mu Cang Chai as a National Landmark. This area is known as the Northwest’s heart. Because if you look at a map of Vietnam, Mu Cang Chai is in the center and the heart of the Northwest region. According to Dideden’s Mu Cang Chai travel guide, this is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Yen Bai.

Mu Cang Chai’s population is 90% Hmong, with the remainder being Thai, Kinh, and other ethnic groups. This place has a rich culture that is filled with national identity due to its ethnic diversity. What could be more wonderful than this famous destination on the Mu Cang Chai travel guide to help you both discover nature’s beauty and a new culture?

Mu Cang Chai – The pure beauty of nature

Mu Cang Chai has a distinct sub-regional climate. Because the average temperature in this area is 19 degrees Celsius, it is always cool in the summer and cold in the winter. Therefore, this area is known as the “Land of Clouds, Towering Mountains, and Deep Valleys”.

Mu Cang Chai’s brook and stream system is highly dense. Nam Kim Stream is the largest and only stream in the district, which travels from the Southeast to the Northwest.

Along with the slit and stream system, there is a series of multi-tiered waterfalls, such as Nam Mo Waterfall, De Thang (Che Cu Nha), and so on. You can immerse yourself in whitewashed water when you come here, and the adventure will begin. Let’s pack your backpack and experience it with the Mu Cang Chai travel guide!

THE BEST TIME TO VISIT

There are 4 distinct seasons in Mu Cang Chai: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. However, people are still most impressed with the 2 special seasons in Mu Cang Chai: the pouring water and ripe rice. This is the best time to visit Mu Cang Chai that Dideden’s Mu Cang Chai travel guide wants to recommend to you.

Pouring Water Season (May – June)

The pouring season lasts from May to June. The summer rains begin to fall at this time. At the same time, the water is carried from the highlands into the terraces. This is also the season when farmers begin plowing fields in preparation for a fresh crop. Therefore, rice can only be produced in the Northern mountainous terraces for one crop.

The fields are like “mirrors” reflecting the whole world

The sparkling water steps in the sunlight create an exquisite beauty that surprises many visitors. All of this contributes to a natural beauty that is difficult to put into words. During your journey, you will experience unexpected summer rains. However, all of them will just enhance the scenery after the rain.

If you come in May, you may also take part in a one-of-a-kind paragliding event. You will be absorbed in the serene broad countryside or the shape of working people in the mountains. You have only imagined it, but you already feel the incredible scenery, right? Just quickly write it down in your Mu Cang Chai travel guide!

Ripe Rice Season (September – October)

Ripe rice season lasts from mid-September until mid-October. At this time of year, Mu Cang Chai will be a bright golden rice color with lovely weather. Dideden believes this is a fantastic time to visit Mu Cang Chai. When getting there, you will be surprised since the entire Northwest mountains have been colored in vibrant and bold autumn colors.

The best time to visit this season is between September 15th and October 10th. If you go before this time, the rice is slightly green, and practically all of it has been harvested after this time. You can appreciate the lovely landscape of the golden rice strip while also smelling the perfume of ripe rice at this time. Mu Cang Chai travel guide promises that enjoying the beauty here will always satisfy you!

The best time of ripe rice season that the Mu Cang Chai travel guide recommends to you

This is the time of year when Mu Cang Chai photo tour groups enthusiastically plan to visit the stunning scenery of the Northwest. You will be able to catch the golden beauty of the terraced fields blended with the bright color of the sky. Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes you will be surprised by the peaceful but incredibly wonderful and lovely landscape.

When visiting Mu Cang Chai during the ripe rice season, you can feel that the weather is always cool in the early morning and a bit chilly in the late evening. Mu Cang Chai travel guide thinks the moderate weather gives visitors a very nice sensation when visiting. What could be better than seeing the peaceful countryside and listening to the aroma of ripe rice in the magnificent Northwest mountains?

MUST-VISIT DESTINATIONS

Mu Cang Chai Terraced Fields

Mu Cang Chai travel guide offers the breathtaking beauty of the National Scenic Landscape Complex, which is known as Mu Cang Chai Terraced Fields. The terraced fields in this area are recognized as a national scenic relic. Furthermore, this area will be designated as a “Special National Monument” at the beginning of 2022.

Mu Cang Chai travel guide wants to share with you that these terraced fields were produced by “barefoot artists” who had been born here for generations. They have a special affection for Mu Cang Chai, which makes many visitors fall in love as soon as they arrive.

The beauty is created by the creativity of barefoot artists

Dideden’s Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes that whenever coming here, you will fall in love not only with the scenery but also with the culture and people. These terraced fields are regarded as a unique architectural masterpiece full of creativity from the skilled hands of the Mong people.

Mu Cang Chai’s terraced fields cover around 2,200 hectares. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has designated 500 hectares as a national heritage in Che Cu Nha, La Pan Tan, and De Xu Phinh villages. Mu Cang Chai travel guide will introduce these 3 typical terraced rice fields below!

1. Che Cu Nha

Che Cu Nha is one of the must-see places on the list of must things to do in Mu Cang Chai for many travelers. The area around Che Cu Nha has a very steep mountainside and a beautiful view of the terraced fields. Mu Cang Chai travel guide recommends you should enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the neighboring mountains, which are totally covered in terraced rice fields.

Contrary to wet fields in the lowland areas, Che Cu Nha Terraced Fields are formed by a fertile layer of worn granite. It has chosen a very effective agricultural strategy for the harsh circumstances in the highlands. Mu Cang Chai travel guide thinks this will be the perfect place for adventurous photographers.

The colors and scenery of the Che Cu Nha Terraced Rice Field change with the seasons. When Spring arrives, the top of the field will be watered to keep moisture in place. At this time, the terraced fields are like a mirror at this time of year, reflecting both the sky and the sun’s rays.

2. La Pan Tan – Raspberry Hill

La Pan Tan Terraced Fields have been named one of the Top 10 most beautiful terraced fields in the world. The Raspberry Hill at La Pan Tan is known as the most picturesque hill in the Northwest. The reason for the name Raspberry Hill is that the fields in La Pan Tan commune have a circular form.

The cost of visiting Raspberry Hill is 20,000 VND (0.87 USD) per person, and it is around a 2-kilometer walk. According to Dideden’s Mu Cang Chai travel guide, you can hire local photographers here to snap photos for about 200,000 VND (8.7 USD) for 4 to 5 persons for about 30 minutes.

When you arrive at La Pan Tan, you can freely explore nature and check in with hundreds of excellent pictures in the Mu Cang Chai travel guide list.

Golden Raspberry Hill – The symbolic image of the golden season of Mu Cang Chai

The hills cultivated with buckwheat flowers are around 40 kilometers from Raspberry Hill. Therefore, tourists are always drawn to this site to take photographs. The flowering season for buckwheat lasts from September through December. This coincides with the ripe rice season, Mu Cang Chai travel guide suggests you snap some stunning images.

Mu Cang Chai travel guide wants to introduce you to the most exquisite Raspberry Hill at 2 distinct moments. The first is in the morning when the sunshine begins to flicker between the fanciful smog. The hour just before dawn is perfect for looking for attractive and unique photo angles.

The second time that the Mu Cang Chai travel guide will tell you about is sunset time. At this time, the purple-tinted yellow at this location makes the scene even more fanciful. If Raspberry Hill is vividly yellow in the dawn, the view becomes serene and picture-perfect when the sunsets.

3. De Xu Phinh

The terraced fields of De Xu Phinh commune are one of the 3 most beautiful fields in Yen Bai‘s Mu Cang Chai District. De Xu Phinh Terraced Fields are most lovely when the water is pouring or during harvesting season, like other fields in Yen Bai. Depending on your free time and interests, the Mu Cang Chai travel guide suggests you can explore this location at either of these two times.

Every time the rice harvest season arrives, the image of a quiet village in De Xu Phinh Commune is regarded as a work of art created by human hands. De Xu Phinh Terraced Fields is not only a gorgeous scene on Yen Bai Highland. But they are also an everlasting source of inspiration for photographers.

Mu Cang Chai travel guide recommends tourists to prepare a phone or camera with a fully charged battery to avoid the panorama of Yen Bai and the lovely terraced fields.

Panoramic view of De Xu Phinh

The picture’s standout feature is the thatched roofs looming behind the lush golden rice fields. People here usually get up quite early to work in the fields. Therefore, when people begin to flock to the fields, you will have a chance to immerse yourself in the joyful and hectic atmosphere.

Mu Cang Chai travel guide will highlight one of the most incredible things to do when visiting here. That is, you should observe the gorgeous sunrise and sunset from the terraced fields of De Xu Phinh commune. Isn’t it amazing to witness the union of heaven and earth in the midst of the spectacular majesty of the Northwest mountains?

Khau Pha Pass

Your Mu Cang Chai travel guide should point out the Khau Pha Pass when referring to the gorgeous scenery in Yen Bai. This is one of Vietnam’s four prominent peaks with the most twisting and steep pass.

Khau Pha Pass is known as the most dangerous and complicated pass in the North. Therefore, the Mu Cang Chai travel guide advises you to proceed slowly and carefully when ascending this pass. The Khau Pha Pass is 30 kilometers long, but it will take a long time to get there because of its arduousness.

Conquering the most dangerous pass in Yen Bai

Khau Pha Pass is located at a height of 1,200 meters above sea level. Therefore, the weather is always excellent all year. Winters here are bitterly cold and frequently snowy. According to the Mu Cang Chai travel guide, the best time to climb this pass is between September and October each year. This is when the terraced rice fields begin to ripen.

When traveling on the pass on foggy days, the Mu Cang Chai travel guide recommends you be especially careful. The pass is extremely difficult to drive across at this time because there are no barricades or warning signs. As a result, the road becomes more challenging to navigate.

Enjoy the panoramic view of Khau Pha Pass from the high point

Skydiving is a highly exciting activity that the Mu Cang Chai travel guide wants to recommend to you the Khau Pha Pass. You can leap from the top to the bottom of the pass using a parachute. If you like to take chances, just trust Dideden and enjoy the ride. Because absolute safety precautions are always provided when participating here.

Mo Waterfall

Mo Waterfall is one of the fantastic tourist locations that the Mu Cang Chai travel guide would like to introduce to you. This location is compared to a 3,000 meters long soft, which dazzles silvery white silk strip. People here often claim that the silk strip is as silky as a young girl’s hair with dazzling granite stones.

Mo Waterfall has an intriguing feature that Dideden’s Mu Cang Chai travel guide would like to share with you. The waterfall’s nature changes as the seasons change. In the spring, the waterfall has a pink color and the colors of apricot, plum, and peach flowers. The waterfall is most powerful in the summer, while its water is clearest in the autumn. The waterfall is flooded with steam and fog in the winter. 

A masterpiece of nature bestowed in the heart of the Northwest

To be able to reach Mo Waterfall, you have to first travel through 7 stunning stops before reaching the peak of the waterfall. If you reach the first floor of the waterfall and want to advance to the following 4 storeys, you must return to the waterfall’s foot. Although the route is challenging, the Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes you will not be disappointed!

From the moment you step foot in Mo Waterfall, you will understand that every effort is worthwhile. Standing at the highest point of the waterfall, you will view Mo Waterfall as lovely as a brilliant painting in the Northwest sky. Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes you will feel like you are in a fairy tale!

Pu Nhu Waterfall

The Mu Cang Chai travel guide takes you to a waterfall that looks like an ivory-white silk strip and crosses the Northwest mountains. Pu Nha Waterfall is the name of this location. The waterfall is divided into several storeys based on the flow step. On bright days, you can sense the waterfall’s pristine beauty and plunge your soul into the fresh air that heaven and earth grant.

The climate of Pu Nhu Waterfall is pleasant all year, and the hottest days in July average around 26 degrees Celsius. With its cool atmosphere, Pu Nhu Waterfall is an excellent tourist site. If you would like to go on picnics or undertake outdoor eco-tourism, quickly write this location in your Mu Cang Chai travel guide!

Pu Nhu Waterfall – a watercolor painting in the mountains of the Northwest

Furthermore, at the base of the waterfall, there is a lake named Dragon Lake. This is a vast and fresh lake that draws a lot of attention. In particular, the path to the waterfall is pretty simple. Therefore, you only need to cross a little brook and pass through a cornfield to enter this tranquil environment.

Pu Nhu Waterfall is one of the La Pan Tan commune’s legends about people and land. Pu Nhu Waterfall is also a popular place for photographers who are interested in nature tourism. If you want to rest and commune with nature, the Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes this is the perfect location for you!

WHAT SPECIALTY TO EAT

The Mu Cang Chai travel guide introduces you to local specialties that appeal to travelers.

Grilled Wild-caught Pork

Pigs in Mu Cang Chai are bred in a free-range environment, which results in meat that is better and firmer than that of other common pig breeds. The ingredients for this Mu Cang Chai specialty are slices of pork with both skin and fat marinated in Northwest grasslands woodland flavors. 

The ingredients for marinating such as Mac Khen seeds, raw onions, and so on. It is wrapped with fresh Dong leaves or roasted bamboo clamps on the charcoal stove.

Grilled Wild-caught Pork

When grilling over charcoal, the griller has to be astute in order to allow the meat to cook uniformly and golden. While the Dong leaves outside only burn and dry on the exterior. The Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes the excellent and strong flavors of the mountains would be hard to resist.

The Dong leaves combine with the freshness of the meat and distinctive spices to create a dish with a powerful flavor of the Northwest mountains. Grilled wild-caught pork in Mu Cang Chai always has the power to keep back people from afar due to the rather sophisticated and delicate manner of grilling.

Grilled Chicken With Clausena Indica Leaves

Mu Cang Chai travel guide takes you to one of the appealing food-grilled chicken vendors. Northwestern chicken is seasoned with clausena indica. The leaves are put inside the belly and then roasted over a charcoal fire. The chicken is grilled entirely, which preserves its inherent flavor. 

Grilled Chicken With Clausena Indica Leaves

Furthermore, “Cham Cheo” is frequently used as a sauce. This sauce is made from blood, chicken liver,  lemon, chili, garlic, and Mac Khen. Cham Cheo is an ethnic dipping sauce that is somewhat compared and thick. When served with grilled chicken, the sweetness of macadamia leaves, the mild flavor of Mac Khen, and a hint of chili pepper shine through.

Tu Le Green Rice

Mu Cang Chai travel guide believes that people who have eaten the local here dishes will never forget the taste of Tu Le Green Rice. This Green Rice is manufactured from glutinous rice with huge round grains and a pristine white tint. The sticky taste and aroma of Tu Le Green Rice make anybody who comes here want to eat it once.

Tu Le Green Rice – A gift of the Northwest Mountains

Tu Le Green Rice’s “reputation” must also contain its aroma. The aroma is as oppressive as if the scent of flowers or flowers from the Northwest highlands and forests was still present. Few types of sticky rice have the same scent that slowly spreads across the space. 

WHAT NEED TO PREPARE BEFORE TRAVELING?

The Mu Cang Chai travel guide contains information on what you should bring when visiting Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai.

• Personal items: warm clothes, windbreaker, personal belongings, batteries and chargers, sports shoes. If you are more afraid of the rain, you should bring a full set of raincoats, hair dryers, and shoe covers.
• Identity papers: to avoid encountering risks on the way, you should bring enough identification documents and identity cards. Especially the driver’s license and vehicle registration because on the way, there will be many checkpoints.
• Camera: Remember to bring your camera to Mu Cang Chai to record the amazing moments!
• If you are going on a motorcycle ride, you will need the following items: a normal helmet, protective clothing, gloves, a reflective vest, and so on.
• Medicines: personal medicine and personal first aid kit, sunscreen, mosquito repellent.
• Extra snacks: You can prepare some extra snacks to prevent hunger when traveling a lot.

Let’s experience with Dideden about the Mu Cang Chai travel guide!

Coming to Mu Cang Chai, you will discover many interesting things about the natural scenery or terraced fields. At the same time, you will also see the unique features of the highland culture with the simple and genuine people here. If you want to have a unique experience, let’s explore with the Mu Cang Chai travel guide!

If you want more details of your Mu Cang Chai travel guide for holiday experiences, please visit Travel News and Vietnam e-Visa. You also can quickly contact the Hotline at 1900 3398, Dideden is always available to help you have an unforgettable journey!