Chieu Lau Thi – an attractive destination for tourists.

The sun rises over the summit of Chieu Lau Thi mountain. Photo by CTV.

The Vietnamese name for this mountain means "Nine-Tiered Staircase." In Chinese, "Chiêu Lầu" means nine steps, and "Thi" means a large, high rock. The name "Nine-Tiered Staircase" refers to the path leading to the summit, a path constructed by ancient people as stone steps ascending from an altitude of over 2,300 meters to the 2,400-meter peak.

Legend has it that when the French invaded Vietnam, they intended to use this mountain as an observation point over a vast area. Therefore, they hired our people to break rocks and build a road to the summit, and hired Han Chinese craftsmen to carve nine stone steps from the base to the top of the mountain.

According to long-time residents, Chieu Lau Thi was devastated in the 1970s and 1980s due to food shortages, lax forest management, and people from both sides of the mountain clearing forests to cultivate corn to alleviate hunger, leading to a forest fire that lasted for dozens of days, leaving the pristine forest on the mountain bare.

Landmark at the top of Chieu Lau Thi mountain. Photo by CTV.

Thanks to the policies of the Party and the State, for over 40 years, the people of the ethnic groups here have stopped slash-and-burn farming and deforestation, the vegetation has gradually recovered, the land is green again, and many primeval forests have created incredibly rich vegetation.

The total area of Chieu Lau Thi is approximately over 36,000 hectares, with a population of over 40,000 people, including the Dao, Tay, Nung, and Mong ethnic groups. These ethnic groups all cultivate rice on terraced fields; the Dao people grow tea, and households with forest land on the high mountains cultivate cardamom and harvest it in areas covered by forest.

The clear, distant peak of Chieu Lau Thi mountain often features fluffy white clouds floating below its altitude of over 2,000m, making it a popular destination for tourists seeking to admire the poetic beauty of nature. Each season brings a different kind of beauty to Chieu Lau Thi. However, the best time for cloud watching is from September to February, coinciding with the ripening of the terraced rice fields or the blooming of spring flowers, including peach blossoms.

A sea of fluffy, romantic clouds floats over the summit of Chieu Lau Thi. (Photo: Contributor)

To watch the sunset from the mountaintop, March and April are the ideal months, lasting until 6:30 PM in temperatures of around 15-18 degrees Celsius. Additionally, visiting Chieu Lau Thi offers the opportunity to admire many rare species of flora and fauna, as well as ancient, moss-covered trees. On clear days, when the sunrise appears, the sea of clouds becomes even more romantic.

Hieu Anh

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/du-lich/202507/chieu-lau-thi-diem-den-hap-dan-du-khach-69f25cf/