This year’s flowers bloom early, so in mid-September, Anh Chiem took his wife to the top of Ta Chi Nhu to see the flowers.
Nguyen Anh Chiem and his wife, 41 years old, and Do Thi Quynh, 38 years old, Hanoi , share the same hobby of traveling, exploring and taking photos. They have just had a three-day and two-night trip, from September 14 to 16, to the top of Ta Chi Nhu , 2,979 m high, which is known as the ” roof of Yen Bai ” to see the flowers. The two had planned from 2021, but because of the epidemic, they had to postpone it.
The flower is called swertia or dragon nectar or modern medicine. The name chi pau originates from the answer of the H’Mong when asked about this flower. Tsi Pau (pronounced “chi pau” means “don’t know”). Since then, mountain climbers in Vietnam still maintain this highland calling.
He and his wife have seen the flower many times through the set of photos. “But witnessing the purple flower carpet on the side of the mountain with our own eyes is a completely different feeling. Under the dawn of the mountains and forests, the flower beds are still dewy, making us feel lost in the fairy scenery”, Mr. Chiem said. To share.
This trip of Mr. Chiem has many special things. Yen Bai is a place that both husband and wife love. I have been here a few times, but climbing Ta Chi Nhu to see Chi Pau is an unprecedented experience. “The trip is very meaningful to me. We went on Quynh’s birthday. The photos in the flower field are a gift I want to give to my wife”, the male tourist shared.
From early September to early October, the flower blooms brilliantly, in which the most beautiful time is mid-September. Because the flower grows on mountainous terrain, at an altitude of 2,500 m or more, it is difficult to take pictures. In order to take satisfactory photos, Chiem uses the telephoto lens to take photos of people, and the wide-angle lens to capture the whole scene. “Due to the large scenery and high slope, many pictures I had to take vertical and horizontal pano, combined with bracketing technique (take 3-5 photos and then combine them into one)”.
“The most beautiful moment of the flower is in the sunrise. At that time, Chi Pau is like a princess in the mountains of the Northwest. Therefore, if you want to hunt for the most beautiful time, you need to choose a sunny day to capture the whole thing. sunrise and sunset”, Mr. Chiem said. His trip this time only captured the sunrise, and the sunset due to the unfavorable weather, so there were no good photos.
The weather in the mountains is erratic, rainy and sunny, so you need to bring a raincoat, a cold coat, a hat, preventive medicine such as flu, headache, fever, backup charger, flashlight…
Mr. Chiem’s trip this time consisted of seven people. They started at 2 o’clock in Hanoi, followed Google Maps to Tram Tau, Yen Bai at 8 o’clock. After resting, the group started climbing at 9am. “This is the hardest day of the journey. About the first three hours, we climbed the mountain smoothly, the slope was less. At 12 noon, the group took a break for lunch. The road after lunch started to be more strenuous, the difficulty increased due to The terrain is steep, with many vertical sections. The whole group was very tired, but everyone encouraged each other to resolve to reach the destination. At 4 pm, we went to the shack, “said Mr. Chiem.
The second day was the most beautiful day, according to the group’s assessment. They got up at 4am, had breakfast, then packed up their things so that at 5am, they went to the top to conquer Ta Chi Nhu. On the way, people are passionately watching the flower beds blooming on the side of the mountain, brilliant in the sunrise. “We walked slowly to see the fairy scenery of the mountains and forests,” Chiem said.
The higher you go, the more purple the flowers bloom. At the top is a bunch of wild flowers appearing in front of your eyes. This is also the most beautiful and flowery location in Ta Chi Nhu. The group rested for lunch, then took pictures with the 2,799 m milestone. Then, at 3pm, they continue to go around to the goat shack (where people raise goats) to watch the sunset. The flowers on the side of the shack are white and pink, instead of purple like at the top. After that, they all went to a specialized shack for overnight rest and food. On the last day, the group moved down the mountain to depart for Hanoi, ending the trip.
Trip cost:
Renting a porter: 500,000 VND per person per day
Meals: 4.7 million VND (3 days 2 nights for a group of 7 people)
Petrol: 400,000 VND for a 7-seat car
Road fee: 140,000 VND
Total cost: nearly 13 million VND/7 people
Photo: Nguyen Anh Chiem