SON LA – Pham Xuan Hoan went to Na Ka valley in early December, watching plum flowers bloom in the garden, even though it was nearly 2 months before the season came.
The garden is located about 3 km from the road to Na Ka plum forest (Moc Chau, Son La) to the left. Xuan Hoan, a tourist from Hanoi, shared that the homestay owner showed him this place. Coming here, he couldn’t help but be surprised when the plum blossoms bloomed in the white sky, blending with the wild mountains, blue sky, and warm sunshine. “I have never seen such a beautiful plum blossom garden, perhaps fortunately due to favorable weather, I had a beautiful set of photos here,” he said.
Nguyen Hai Duong, a local photographer who also made Hoan’s photos, said that this is an unseasonal plum garden in Na Ka and will be in full bloom for about a week. Last week many tourists visited because of the warm weather. Currently, in the valley, there are a number of gardens that bloom sporadically due to care and weather, and the official plum blossom season in Moc Chau is the most beautiful in the next 1-2 months.
Schedule of “hunting” Moc Chau plum blossom
Hoan shared that he came here by sleeper bus, costing 220,000 VND/way. In addition, visitors have many options such as shared taxis, limousines, or self-driving motorbikes and cars from Hanoi to explore along the way. He rides Hanoi – Moc Chau in the night to save time. Staying at the homestay Moc Chau Cottage right in town, he was allowed to check in early and rest until morning, before visiting.
On the first day, he went to Na Ka plum garden at the suggestion of the homestay owner. The best way to know where has bloomed, where flowers are dying is to ask the locals. After that, he visited Thanh Binh rose garden and tea hill in the farm town of Moc Chau. Moc Chau is in the most beautiful ripe persimmon season of the year when the leaves fall, the trees are laden with fruit and the branches are low. However, the rose garden has just announced that it will be closed from December 8 to prevent and control Covid-19. Visitors can visit the persimmon trees scattered on the way to the five caves of On, Na Ka, and Tan Lap villages.
After the lunch break, he continued to visit the pine forest of Ang village and took pictures in the field of canola flowers on the way here. According to local people, canola flowers will bloom in about 2 weeks.
On the second day, his sightseeing schedule is to visit Chieng Khoa waterfall, also known as May waterfall. The entrance ticket here is 25,000 VND/person. Although it is not possible to swim in this season, visitors should not miss this attraction because of its wild beauty and fresh air. Picnic, camping near the waterfall, enjoying local chicken sticky rice will help you dispel stress.
Next, Hoan went to take pictures at the S-shaped street, in Long Luong commune, Van Ho district, very close to Moc Chau. The soft curve is located in the valley, surrounded by rolling mountains, so it is chosen by the backpacking community as a check-in point. In the afternoon, he finished the trip and returned to Hanoi. The total cost for the trip is about 2 million VND/person.
The weather in Moc Chau this season is cold, especially early in the morning and foggy at night, but the afternoon is sunny and warm. Visitors should bring plenty of warm clothes. In the plum blossom season in January and February, in addition to Na Ka, visitors can take photos in the area near the pine forest of Ang village, the way to the Long Sap border gate, and the Pa Phach plum valley.
The recommended homestays for tourists are Le Chalet Dulac (Pó Pip village), The Nordic Village (Hua Tat village, Van Ho village), Moc Chau Retreat (Chieng Di village). The dishes you should enjoy are hill chicken, steamed fish, veal chao, milk veal hot pot… at recommended restaurants in Dong Hai (sub-zone 9), barbecue at Ken BBQ (sub-zone 3). Follow (vnexpress)