For a long time, the young Saigon – Tran Le Tan Hieu was fascinated by the scenery of the golden season of Mu Cang Chai through pictures from friends or on the mass media. He has set a goal to conquer this land by 2020. However, due to the complicated developments of Covid-19, Hieu had to delay this journey many times. Last September, he was determined to leave his job, officially set out to cross 2000km to enjoy the “golden season” of the Northwest.
Mu Cang Chai is a mountainous town in the west of Yen Bai province, located right at the foot of the majestic Hoang Lien Son range, at an altitude of 1000m above sea level. To get to Mu Cang Chai, visitors have to cross Khau Pha Pass – one of the four great peaks of the Northwest.
This land is still poor and unspoiled, but very rich in natural beauty with terraced fields stretching out to the eye. The terraced fields in the three communes of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and Di Xu Phinh in Mu Cang Chai are ranked by the State as a national landmark and are one of the most unique destinations in Vietnam.Because of its unique beauty, Mu Cang Chai terraced fields are ranked in the top 20 most colorful destinations in the world voted by CN Traveler, and recognized by the Prime Minister as a National Monument. special family.
Itinerary 4 days 3 nights from Ho Chi Minh City to Mu Cang Chai The best time to come to Mu Cang Chai according to tourists is May, June (flood season) and September and October (rice season). The distance from Ho Chi Minh City to Mu Cang Chai is not close, so visitors need a detailed schedule to ensure health and ensure a long journey.Tan Hieu decided to spend 4 days 3 nights to join the journey to conquer Mu Cang Chai.Day 1: TP. Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi – Mu Cang ChaiDay 2: Mu Cang Chai (Mam Xoi Be, Mam Xoi Lon, Horseshoe Hill)Day 3: Mu Cang Chai (Na Hang Tua Chu Bamboo Forest, Dinosaur Backbone, Lao Chai, Di Xu Phell)Day 4: Mu Cang Chai (Khau Pha Pass, Tu Le) – Hanoi – HCMC
Hieu chose to travel by plane from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, then overnight by car to Mu Cang Chai. “Depending on the condition, people can choose a bed car or a 9-seat Limousine to go. If the group is large, you can also rent a 7-seat car to be more active. The price of the bed car is about 200,000 VND / ticket. Limousine 9 seats ticket is 350,000 VND / ticket (with airport pick-up) “, Hieu said.
When arriving in Mu Cang Chai, Hieu rented a motorbike for 150,000 – 200,000 VND / day to easily move to different locations. The beautiful places in Mu Cang Chai are located far from the center, there are steep slopes that are difficult to go, especially in the rainy season, which is often muddy and slippery, so visitors must be sure to drive themselves, otherwise hire people. native support.
Where to stay when traveling to Mu Cang Chai?
In Mu Cang Chai, tourism has not yet developed like Sa Pa or Ha Giang, so there are still few large hotels and homestays; Most of them are small homestay stilt houses with community rooms or if there is a private room, only separated from each other by a thin wall.
Hieu has researched and read the review before to have a list of good homestays here such as A Lu, Hello Mu Cang Chai, Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge, Pu Nhu Homestay, Go Du Homestay …
“The peak tourist season of Mu Cang Chai focuses on May, June (flood season) and September, October (the season of rice ripening), so everyone should actively book homestay early, but wait for days. There is no good room to stay, “Hieu shared.
Places to visit can not be missedChâm Xôi Baby – Big RaspberryThe road to here is a bit difficult, but in return, this area will not be as crowded as in Mam Xoi Lon. From Mam Xoi Be, visitors can admire the terraced fields running thousands of times below, comfortably check-in with the majestic scenery here.
Mam Xoi Lon is more popular than Mâm Xôi Be because the road is easier to go and has services such as ethnic furniture rental, some restaurants … In addition to the entrance ticket is 20,000 VND / person, some other areas Here also charges for taking photos at the price of 10,000 VND / point. The most popular check-in point at Mam Xoi Lon is the stilt house with an “infinity” view. However, Mam Xoi Lon is a popular area, easy to go, so the number of tourists gathered on weekends is very crowded, even tourist cars are lined up, visitors have to squeeze in to take pictures. Horseshoe HillMong Ngua Hill is considered to be the highlight of Mu Cang Chai. To reach the most beautiful terraced fields, visitors have to travel 1.7 km long and can only travel by motorbike. With the characteristics of the highland terrain, this place is not for the “faint of heart” because of the steep and rugged road. Tourists should rent a motorbike taxi carried by a local with the price of 100,000 VND.
Such a dangerous road, but you will not regret when you arrive in front of the beautiful picture-like scenery. Standing from above, zooming down into the winding arc-shaped fields like horseshoes, you will feel the magic of nature. Breathe freshness amidst the vast space covered with splendid gold, all fatigue and sorrow in the city seem to vanish Bamboo forestComing to Mu Cang Chai this season, visitors not only fall in love with the golden terraced fields but also admire the vast bamboo forest like in the swordplay movie. Two typical bamboo forests attracting local tourists are the Hang Sung bamboo forest, the Lung Luong bamboo forest (the Na Hang Tua Chu bamboo forest – the easier way to go).
About 20km from Mu Cang Chai town (Yen Bai), the Na Hang Tua Chu bamboo forest in the Lung Luong commune has a age of more than 60 years, attracting tourists by its pristine beauty, more than 1ha wide. The road to this place is quite small, visitors can hire villagers to transport by motorbike to the forest, or can drive themselves to conquer this road. Going deeper into the forest, a green color of hundreds of thousands of straight bamboo trees, covering the entire space is the ideal place to relax and breathe the fresh air of the mountains.
“Do not forget to bring mosquito spray because there are many mosquitoes and insects in the bamboo forest,” Hieu shared.“Dinosaur backbone”Coming to the “dinosaur’s backbone”, visitors will admire the panoramic view of terraced fields of the four clustered communes (Di Xu Phinh, Che Cu Nha, Mo De, La Pan Tan). But this is a challenging area for those who are afraid of heights. “The way to conquer a dinosaur’s spine is not easy either. The road is full of rocky and muddy roads, the road is small and quite dangerous”, Hieu said, “But when standing at the top of the dinosaur’s spine, you can see In the view below, you will find the effort is completely worth it.
In addition, if people have more time to go to other places such as Tram Tau, Lap Mong, Lap Thai, Lao Chai, Khau Mang, Fabric … These places are mostly far away from each other and difficult to move. Visitors can hire natives to guide them to avoid wasting time.
According to Hieu, although the food in the South and the Northwest like Mu Cang Chai has many differences, he is still very interested in the dishes in this land such as sturgeon hot pot, salmon salad, and buffalo meat. mustard greens, roasted spring crabs, roasted pork, black chicken …
The 4 day 3 night journey to Mu Cang Chai is a memorable memory for Saigon boy Tran Le Tan Hieu. Hieu also does not hesitate to share, he will continue to return to explore this land.
Toan Vu – Tran Le Tan Hieu
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