Ice and snow hunting spots in the North when it's cold

Mau Son Peak, Fansipan, Phia Oac or some other locations may have ice and snow when the temperature drops during the cold spell at the end of January.

According to weather forecasts, the current cold spell is the coldest since the beginning of winter, with temperatures in many places dropping below 0 degrees Celsius. This is also an opportunity for tourists to hunt for ice and snow in the northern mountainous provinces, with popular destinations such as Fansipan peak (Lao Cai), Mau Son peak (Lang Son) and Phia Oac peak ( Cao Bang ).

Fansipan Peak (Sa Pa, Lao Cai )

Snow on Fansipan peak in 2021. Photo: Vu Minh Quan — Snow on Fansipan peak in 2021. Photo: *Vu Minh Quan*

During this cold spell, Fansipan peak (3,143 m high) is likely to drop to -2 degrees Celsius, and ice and snow may appear.

Sa Pa is one of the places that attracts a lot of tourists to come to hunt for ice and snow every cold season. One of the advantages here is good infrastructure, hotel system, facilities and transportation are quite convenient.

The distance from Hanoi to Sa Pa is more than 300 km, traveling by Hanoi - Lao Cai highway, travel time is about 4.5 to 5 hours. From the center of Sa Pa town, there is a cable car system going straight to the top of the mountain operating from 7am to 7pm depending on the time (holidays, weekends).

Mau Son Peak (Lang Son)

Snow and ice on Mau Son peak in 2021. Photo: Son Tung — Snow and ice on Mau Son peak in 2021. Photo: *Son Tung*

According to forecast, the temperature in Mau Son from the night of January 22 will drop to -2 degrees Celsius and remain there for 4 days.

Mau Son peak is considered the roof of the Northeast region, with an average altitude of 800 to 1,000 m above sea level. Mau Son is located in the territory of 3 communes: Mau Son, Cong Son, Cao Loc district and Mau Son, Loc Binh district, with a total area of 10,400 hectares. The highest area of Mau Son mountain range is about 30 km east of Lang Son city center.

Mau Son is about 185 km from Hanoi, close to the Vietnam - China border. Travel time from Hanoi is about 3 hours and 45 minutes in favorable traffic conditions. Cars can reach the top of the mountain.

Phia Oac Peak (Cao Bang)

Snow and ice on Phia Oac peak in 2021. Photo: Ha Cuong — Snow and ice on Phia Oac peak in 2021. Photo: *Ha Cuong*

Cao Bang has many mountain peaks over 1,000 m above sea level, of which Phia Oac is 1,931 m high, the second highest peak in the province. Phia Oac is located in Thanh Cong commune, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province.

Phia Oac is located about 70 km from Cao Bang city, about 240 km from Hanoi, with a travel time of about 5 hours, depending on traffic conditions.

In addition to the three places with many opportunities to hunt for ice and snow mentioned above, the Northern region also has a number of places where there may be ice and snow when the weather is cold, including: O Quy Ho Heaven Gate (Son La - Lao Cai), Y Ty (Lao Cai), Meo Vac (Ha Giang).

Regarding snow hunting experience, it is not true that if it is really cold, there will be snow, there will usually be more ice. Mr. Vu Minh Quan, a photographer who has taken many photos of snow in Sa Pa and Mau Son, said "it is easy to have snow when it is drizzling, but it is difficult to have snow when it is too dry, even if it is very cold".

Anh Quan also said that hunting for snow also requires "luck". "The most certain thing is to see a leopard that it's snowing before arriving" or else you have to stay for a few days during the cold spell.

"If the current cold spell comes with rain and the temperature in Hanoi drops to 6-7 degrees, the northern mountainous region could have snow," Mr. Quan added.

Tam Anh

Source link