300km from Hanoi, located on the beautiful Northwest road of Yen Bai province, Mu Cang Chai is considered an indispensable “check-in” point for travelers and photography enthusiasts. Every year, at the end of September, when the rice season begins to ripen, tourists do not plan the trip but meet to discover the “golden season in the high mountains”.
In the ripe rice season, the whole Mu Cang Chai valley is like wearing a bright yellow shirt of the sun and ripe rice that if anyone has ever seen, it will never be forgotten.
In the ripe rice season, the people of Mu Cang Chai are eager to celebrate the harvest season. The whole valley smells like new rice, the cheerful faces of local people and the eager and absorbed faces of tourists create a colorful picture.
The terraced fields are considered as masterpieces of the Northwest mountains. With the experience of ancestors and strong and skillful hands, the people of this place have created a population of the most beautiful terraced fields in Vietnam.
Visitors will be amazed by the fields that are closely arranged and stretched like piano keys, from the foot of the mountain towards the sky. In the harvest season, the keys of the piano glow with a warm, full color and are absorbed in the endless symphony of the mountains and forests, with the sound of thousands of winds and joyful laughter in the harvest season.
The mountains and forests are so majestic, people become both small and resilient. The image of the H’Mong people carrying rice is both close and beautiful at the same time.
Mu Cang Chai is also famous for places like La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha, Ban Thai, Lung Lo pass… Famous for its beautiful terraced fields like the fingerprints of heaven, La Pan Tan is one of the most visited by tourists localities in Mu Cang Chai district.
To reach Mu Cang Chai town, visitors have to go through Khau Pha pass, considered one of the four great peaks in the North and the longest pass of over 40km. On Khau Pha Pass, clouds often cover the sky. It seems that every road, every field, every angle of Mu Cang Chai is beautiful. From the top of the pass, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the vast valley below, as beautiful as a painting.
Standing on the top of Mam Xoi viewpoint, looking out into the distance, you will have the feeling of embracing a vast space, the terraced rice fields also becoming close in sight. Every angle gives us a new feeling. The green color of the forest mixed with the yellow of rice creates a majestic and poetic scene. On the beautiful roads, visitors cannot help but stop to admire the scenery and “check in”.
Here, people live simply, soulfully and have a strange attraction to tourists, especially paparazzi. Through Tu Le commune, we can’t help but stop by and watch the women pounding the baby rice by hand. Under their hands, Tu Le baby rice or ‘com’ are green, fragrant, and still have the smell of new rice. Different from Hanoi’s Com Vong, Tu Le com is greener, harder, when chewed, they feel glutinous and very fragrant. Not only com, but also from rice planted in the middle of the sky, the people here also create traditional bold dishes that are loved by tourists.
Without noise and dust, Mu Cang Chai still retains its wild features. The yellow color on the rice waves overlaps, interspersed with a wooden roof. The “rice waves” from high to the foot of the mountain create a poetic picture. The small houses crammed on the top of the hill, attracting visitors’ eyes. Mu Cang Chai is a beautiful picture. This place is known as an ideal place for tourists to enjoy the wonderful beauty of nature.
In fact, Mu Cang Chai is appreciated all year round. In the spring, young rice seedlings shine on the water, in the warm summer months, the green terraces are brilliant in the mountains and turn into a golden sea in autumn. At the end of winter, the fields are like a watercolor painting of the mountains and forests.
Recently, the US news agency CNBC introduced Mu Cang Chai district as one of the most attractive destinations in 2020.
According to CNBC, Mu Cang Chai’s specialty is trekking through terraced fields, discovering the culture of ethnic minorities such as Thai, H’Mong, Red Dao, and at the same time enjoying authentic traditional local dishes. Visiting Mu Cang Chai in the ripe rice season will be considered one of the most amazing tours in Vietnam for those who love nature
