Coming to Mu Cang Chai to "smell" the scent of rice and admire the golden season

No longer a stranger on the Vietnam tourism map, Mu Cang Chai is one of the places that tourists cannot miss when coming to the Northwest region.

From mid-September to the end of October is the ideal time to enjoy the "golden season" in Mu Cang Chai.

Check-in the irresistibly beautiful golden rice season

Mu Cang Chai is a mountainous district in the west of Yen Bai province, 180km from Yen Bai city center, more than 300km northwest of Hanoi capital. This land lies at the foot of Hoang Lien Son mountain range, at an altitude of over 2,000m above sea level.

Not only attracting adventure enthusiasts with its natural beauty, Mu Cang Chai also leaves an impression on many people with the friendliness and hospitality of the people here.

Raspberry Hill, Mu Cang Chai. Photo: Giang A Chay.

From September to October is the "golden season" of Mu Cang Chai, this is considered the most beautiful time, attracting photographers and tourists to admire the colorful highland picture.

One of the destinations chosen by many tourists to visit is Mam Xoi Hill and Mong Ngu Hill. This place is also considered an ideal place to watch the sunrise and sunset in Mu Cang Chai. Standing from the top of the hill, visitors can look down to admire the beauty of peaceful villages and enchanting terraced fields.

Mam Xoi Hill is located in La Pan Tan, more than 8 km from the town center. With just a nice sunny day and a travel camera, visitors can easily capture breathtakingly beautiful images of the golden season in Mu Cang Chai.

Horseshoe Hill in Sang Nhu, more than 2 km from Mu Cang Chai town, attracts tourists with its picturesque semicircular terraced fields.

A corner of Mu Cang Chai terraced fields. Photo: Dinosaur Spine Homestay.

In particular, about 20 km from the center of Mu Cang Chai town, there is a bamboo forest with an area of about 1 hectare, which has existed for more than 60 years and is very famous, called Na Hang Tua Chu in Pung Luong Commune. To get here, visitors have to cross winding and difficult roads because of the very steep slopes. But overcoming all of that, visitors will see lush green trees and endless bamboo groves creating an extremely beautiful landscape.

Those who love the Northwest region and are passionate about conquering probably all want to come to Yen Bai once, cross Khau Pha Pass - one of the four great mountain passes in the North, located at an altitude of about 1,200 m above sea level - to explore the majestic beauty of the mountains and forests, mixed with the poetic beauty of the villages imbued with the cultural colors of the highlands.

Khau Pha Pass is where paragliding activities take place every year. From here, pilots and tourists can both parachute and experience the thrill while enjoying the panoramic view of Lim Mong valley during the rice harvest season. Paragliding prices range from VND 2,190,000/person (weekdays) and VND 2,590,000/person (weekends).

In addition, there are some other great places that visitors can add to their Mu Cang Chai exploration itinerary such as: Lim Mong Village, Tu Le Commune, Ba Nha Bridge, Pu Nhu Waterfall, Mo Waterfall...

Intoxicated by the golden season. Photo: Cuong Travel.

Pocket tips for enjoying the "golden season"

According to the experience of travel enthusiasts, there are many forms of transportation in Mu Cang Chai. Tourists can drive their own cars to the tourist attractions, then hire motorbike taxis from local people for each stop. Self-driving motorbike rental is recommended for experienced guests with good driving skills.

The average price for a round trip to each destination such as Horseshoe Hill and Raspberry Hill is from 120,000 to 150,000 VND. The entrance ticket to each destination is 20,000 - 30,000 VND per adult.

Traveling from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai, in addition to personal vehicles, visitors can choose passenger vans, departing from My Dinh Bus Station (Hanoi). Travel time to Mu Cang Chai is about 8 hours.

If departing from Hanoi, visitors will go to Yen Bai city, from Yen Bai to Muong Lo is 70km, sleep here to take a car from Muong Lo early the next morning, and arrive in Mu Cang Chai in the afternoon. This section is nearly 100km long, but more than 80km is a steep mountain pass that continuously goes up, until reaching an altitude of 1,750m, the fog and clouds are almost reaching Mu Cang Chai town. In the middle of the pass, there is a flat land, stop here to enjoy the fragrant sticky rice of Tu Le, famous throughout the region.

The second direction, tourists go all the way on Noi Bai - Lao Cai highway, up to Sa Pa and over O Quy Ho pass, then through Tan Uyen and Than Uyen of Lai Chau to reach Mu Cang Chai.

Accommodation here is also quite diverse, community guesthouses, homestays in Mu Cang Chai rent from 150,000 - 400,000 VND/person/night. In addition, there are also resorts with prices from hundreds to several million per day, depending on the service needs of tourists.

To fully enjoy Mu Cang Chai, as well as "hunt" for "cool" photos, visitors should arrange a schedule for the trip of 3-4 days.

Finally, always be a civilized tourist by not littering, not jostling, pushing or trampling to damage local people's rice fields while taking photos.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ve-mu-cang-chai-hit-ha-huong-lua-ngam-mua-vang-post251116.html