The mountain forests change their attire in the new season.

After the harsh winter days, spring has brought sunshine, wind, and warmth, awakening the mountains and forests of Northwest Vietnam, urging them to replace their cold, gray cloak with a cloak woven from spring flowers. In the highlands at the northernmost tip of the country, spring arrives with a profusion of blossoms – peach, plum, and apricot – transforming the landscape. The delicate pink peach blossoms and the pure white apricot and plum blossoms shimmer in the spring sunshine, captivating visitors even if it means navigating treacherous mountain passes and hairpin bends.

It's still springtime, and on our journey through the villages, the vibrant yellow rapeseed fields are breathtaking. Tiny, delicate rapeseed blossoms cluster around a stem like a garland swaying in the breeze. Sometimes, an entire carpet of yellow rapeseed flowers seems to compete in color beneath an ancient peach tree with its bright pink blossoms by the stone fence. Whether professional or amateur photographer, no one will miss this impressive sight.

After enduring the damp spring rains, the late-blooming bauhinia flowers open up a peaceful, gentle landscape amidst the majestic mountains. The Thai people liken the bauhinia flower to pure and faithful love. The full bloom of the bauhinia flower is also a sign of a bountiful harvest.

Along the flower-lined roads, from Hoa Binh to Moc Chau and then to Son La city via National Highway 6, then looping up to Lai Chau, to Dien Bien , or turning towards Sa Pa and Lao Cai, spring flowers bloom to welcome travelers from afar.

If you want to join the crowds eagerly heading to the paradise of apricot, plum, and peach blossoms, you can visit Moc Chau town ( Son La province) in late January or early February, or the misty city of Sa Pa. The road to the Ha Giang rocky plateau is also bustling with spring tours of the mountainous region. Flowers bloom along both sides of the road from Ha Giang city to Quan Ba, Yen Minh, and are most abundant in Dong Van and Meo Vac.

Adventure-seeking travelers often avoid crowded flower-viewing spots and instead seek out secluded locations. There, the ultimate goal is the pristine beauty bestowed by nature. This could be Bac Ha ( Lao Cai province ) with its Tam Hoa plum orchards blooming in pure white in the communes of Lau Thi Ngai, Na Hoi, and Ta Chai… It could be Long Luong in Van Ho district (Son La province) with its breathtaking peach blossoms. It could also be the ancient forests of Y Ty or the Hoang Lien Son mountain range (Lao Cai province) where rhododendrons silently display their beauty amidst tranquil surroundings.

The journey to find rhododendrons in spring would certainly take many years to gather all nearly 40 varieties. There's a spring flower in Yen Bai with a rather unfamiliar name – the "to day" flower – that's enough to attract tourists to this land. The H'Mong people in Tram Tau and Mu Cang Chai districts (Yen Bai) eagerly await the blooming of the "to day" flowers on the mountain slopes to celebrate spring and festivals. That's why there's a saying here: "If you haven't seen the 'to day' flower, you haven't seen spring." If you venture into the remote villages of La Pan Tan, De Xu Phinh, Nam Khat communes, etc., during the "to day" blooming season, coinciding with the H'Mong New Year (a month before the Kinh Lunar New Year), you'll experience the warmth of spring in the mountains and forests.

Heritage Magazine