Best places to see rice terraces in Vietnam

Whoever travels to Vietnam wishes to see with their own naked eyes the natural landscape of mighty and colorful rice terraces. It is not too hard to find vast and immense rice fields in Vietnam, however, in order to fully admire the allure of rice terraces, then Mu Cang Chai, Sapa, and Ha Giang, which are the best places to collect impressive and unforgettable photos of picturesque rice terraces on a trip to Northern Vietnam, are must-visit destinations.

Terraced rice paddies shimmering in “pour water season” and bright in “golden season”

In Mays and Junes, on North mountains are pour water season, tourists will find the beauty of terraced rice paddies – looking like a natural giant mirror reflecting the shimmering sun - incredibly beautiful.

Coming right after that, by the end of Augusts and at the beginning of Septembers, travelers can reach to Northern Vietnam admire charming rice terraces on the golden season. It is still the same best 3 places for you to enjoy terraced rice paddies on the ripening of rice season, and it seems that the 3 places are a successive arrangement of the time when rice ripens. Sapa is the very first place to welcome the ripening of rice season (by the end of Augusts and at the beginning of Septembers), then golden season occurs in Mu Cang Chai (in the middle of Septembers), and finally, it ends in Ha Giang (by the end of Septembers and at the beginning of Octobers).

Everyone should get to Yen Bai in Mays and Junes to visit Mu Cang Chai, one of the places where there are the most attractive rice terraces in North Vietnam. At this time, when showers supply more water to winding rice terraces, this land, normally seen to be dry, is now fully vital when showering in the water. The higher rice paddies keep pouring water on lower ones, every single layer is connected to one another by the little gutter. Nature, as well as upland residents in Mu Cang Chai, have all created a colorful painting, including whitish water, yellow sunlight together with green rice-seeding fields. How clear and shimmering! The coating on another hue when it comes to golden season, sometimes intertwined with a greenish layer, golden rice terraces spreading through hills can be seen from high above, besides, we can also get our glimpse of people harvesting, all of them make a majestic the image which any tourist will have to give compliments as admiring every detail. The H’Mong and Thai women have bright and happy expressions on their faces. Terraced rice paddies in Cao Pha, La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha, Sang Nhu … valleys are locations where the best angle of view can be taken.

Going through Mu Cang Chai, straight to the 32 highway and you will get to a well-known land to travel – Sapa. Rice terraces in water-filled the season is the most beautiful when you admire them in Muong Hoa valley areas such as Lao Chai, Ta Van or a little bit farther and wilder rice areas such as Y Ty, Muong Hum. Walking through mountain hamlets and villages, strolling along paths at the edge of rice fields, following trails, one side of which overlooks majestic rice terraces spreading on mountain walls and welcoming little gutter as well as turning gold, taking part in cultivating or harvesting rice with the Mong and Dao people… are one of the interesting experiences when mentioning Sapa.  

Unlike Mu Cang Chai or Sapa, rice terraces in Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang is a new destination, it is still pristine and little known to domestic and international tourists. Lying on a higher, steeper and more tottering position, the road to Hoang Su Phi is much more difficult and harder due to having to make it through crooked ways, mountain passes, and slopes. It is because Hoang Su Phi does not lie on highways like Mu Cang Chai or Sapa. But that is the reason why this location still remains pristine, together with primary forests next to rice terraces, which cover all the Dao people in Hoang Su Phi. Places, where the most beautiful rice fields are grown in Hoang Phi Su, are around Phung hamlet and Luoc hamlet… Reaching Hoang Su Phi in filling water season and harvest season, you will easily find the Dao, Nung ethnic people happily cropping and harvesting. By the end of Septembers and at the beginning of Octobers, if you unexpectedly schedule late, not a time to enjoy rice season in Sapa or Mu Cang Chai, then in Hoang Su Phi, there are still golden rice fields waiting for you. There is a light-hearted joke, saying that coming to Hoang Su Phi is finishing an arc of ripening rice in Northern Vietnam. 

On the other hand, Hoang Su Phi is one of the locations which still keep green primary forests, with average height and abundant sources of water, moreover, the Dao people still keep the traditional custom, so you can spend about 3 or 4 days experiencing and exploring this interesting land (you can choose to walk, ride a bicycle or use a motorbike).

Do you know what is the most complete thing to admire rice terraces in Northern Vietnam? That is days going here and there, conquering challenging routes, moving around from Mu Cang Chai to Sapa and to Ha Giang. It is really worth it when such a complete gift is given to you, you will not miss any single moment to enjoy rice terraces, whether it is pouring water season or harvesting season. Actually, the greatest thing is to be able to see with naked eyes the beauty of terraced rice paddies which mother nature has given to Northern Vietnam.

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You can consult some suggested schedules about experiences and activities (such as trekking or using a motorbike) in Mu Cang Chai, Sapa or Hoang Su Phi here:

http://zonitrip.com/package/trekking-in-hoang-su-phi-ha-giang-4days/

http://zonitrip.com/package/hard-trekking-mu-cang-chai-tour-4day/

http://zonitrip.com/package/trekking-mu-cang-chai-tour-3-day/

http://zonitrip.com/package/sapa-trekking-tour-though-muong-hoa-valley-to-ban-ho-valley-3-days/

Please send us - Zonitrip - your requests or demands, we can give you some advice which is uniquely suitable for you.

Summer day on Mu Cang Chai mountain

Although the peak season of the water filled season in Northwest is over, the journey to see the rice in Tu Le, Cao Pha, Mu Cang Chai is still extremely attractive this summer.

Coming to Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province at this time, visitors are no longer admire the scene of pouring water into the terraced fields, because in some places they are near the end of the plowing and planting.However, the deserted tourists with natural wonders and the urgent atmosphere of the crop will bring you peace & relaxation.

In Tu Le commune (Van Chan district) and Cao Pha commune (Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province), local people plant two rice crops in the year. At this time, Tu Le and the whole Cao Pha valley show up with many colors of pouring water, green rice as well as ripen rice. It creates a beautiful color picture.

In the early morning, wandering to the Lin Mong village with a motor and down the valley to watch the dawn under the blue sky and morning sunshine will make you relax and sunk in the space filled with color.Beautiful scenery that is easily absorbed all visitors.

From the KhauPhau Pass, one of the four high-altitude passes in the North West, you can easily see the entire gorgeous rice valley of many beautiful colors with the scenery of peaceful villages of Thai, H’Mong people surrounded by majestic mountains. The farmers in the highland area cultivate rice for the new season.

After the water filled season, farmers in the highlands of North West will be in the planting season during July. The rice will ripen in 3 months, to October is harvestable.The sun shines over the mountains and forests of the Northwest makean unbelievable beauty that makes you feel overwhelmed and more and more loved this land.

You can drop off on Khau Pha Pass, one of the legendary North West to go to Mu Cang Chai town and just go sightseeing mountain scenery. It is an interesting and memorable experience. You stop on the pass, breathe fresh&cool air in the mountains and admire the majestic beauty of the Northwest mountains.

Unlike Tu Le and Cao Pha communes, the communes around Mu Cang Chai town have only one rice crop per year, so this time, they have finished plowing and planting. The terraced fields here are mostly filled blue. However, the magnificence, the cliffs of terraced fields here is still an attractive feature that absorbs the people love nature, mountains and forests of North West.

 If any of these destinations have peaked(!) your attention, why not check out our Hard Trekking Mu Cang Chai Tour 4Day / Trekking Mu Cang Chai Tour 3 Day  Alternatively, we can arrange treks lasting anywhere from a day to a week as part of a tailored itinerary. 

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Watch paragliding spread wings above sun-kissed rice terraces in Vietnam

Mu Cang Chai got to boast its majestic splendor through a series of aerial photos.

A paragliding festival in the mountainous district of Mu Cang Chai in the northern Yen Bai Province saw 70 local and foreign pilots taking to the sky last week. The event was held by Yen Bai’s tourism department and Viet Wings Hanoi Paragliding Club.

Sunlight touches down on Mu Cang Chai’s terrace rice fields, one of most magnificient attractions in Vietnam. Mu Cang Chai was named one of the 19 most picturesque peaks on Earth last year by U.S. travel site Insider, which called it “a hidden gem” where the “terraced rice fields are a shade of green so deep you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a painting.”

rticipants gather before the flight.

Counting down.

Taking off.

Looking down.

Landing.

A full view of Mu Cang Chai. People from the H’Mong ethnic group started carving rice terraces into the mountain range centuries ago, and are still harvesting them today.

Mu Cang Chai is said to be at its most beautiful from late September to early October when the fields are dyed yellow during the harvest season. But a few months before during May and June when farmers flood the fields to prepare for a new crop, a spectacular sight emerges, with natural mirrors reflecting everything above them.

Source coppy: By Phan Anh   

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Cap Sac ritual of Dao people in North Vietnam

Cap Sac ritual of Dao people in North Vietnam

In the traditional rituals of the Dao people, there is a special ritual called the Cap Sac, it is only for men. Dao people think that if men have not passed the ritual, they are still considered as children. Persons who passed the ritual are considered to be adults even though they are still young, they will have chance to participate in the important work of the village and help the shaman.

Ceremony is usually held in November, December or January each year, as this is a free time. The ceremony was selected very carefully, the Red Dao and Dao Tien usually graduated from the age of 12 to 30 while in the Long Dress Dao is 11 to19 years old. The Red Dao can hold up to a maximum of 13 people (if less than it must be an odd number) at the chief house of family. But the Long Dress Dao is only for one person at a time and at his home. Near the ceremony, families have to send people to bring gifts to shaman, worshipers must abstain singing, quarrels, sleeping with others. To serve rituals and incentives to the villagers to witness, families must prepare essential items such as pigs, rice, wine, clothes…

Each group of Dao has a rank: Red Dao and Long Dress Dao have 7 lamps, Dao Tien has 3 lamps. Each ceremony must have 6 shamans to take responsible for the various tasks. All the shamans must worship ghosts at the altar of their ancestors to ask for blessings and helps. At the ceremony, they hang the Jade Emperor and the gods of the Dao, set up the altar of the ancestors of worshipers and altars of the gods. When performing the ceremony, the shamans must perform a lot of offerings, dance, magical gestures according to books. The worshiper and his wife also must perform many ceremonial movements as instruction of the shaman. In all Dao groups, after completing the complex rituals, the shamans have to give thanks to the ancestors and gods so that the sacred ritual ends.

If you want more infor mation about- mu cang chai and how to take the trip to mu cang chai, feel to let us know

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How to make traditional Clothes of Black H'mong in Sapa & Mu Cang Chai, ...

The Black H’mong women are famous for making cloth from hemp and dying it a deep indigo blue. They wear long blouses decorated with batik flowers over short trousers, and wrap long scarves around their legs. They wrap their long hair around their head and wear a blue turban. The men wear long jackets with shirts and a long waist coat embroidered at the collar, and a small hat. Today some H’mong wear Viet or western clothes. Let discover with Zonitrip.com - the specialist for adventure trips in Vietnam. We provide private/personalized day trips, cycling, motorbiking, trekking & hiking trips from Hanoi for small groups. website: http://zonitrip.com/