The Northwest Vietnam is known for its beauty of natural landscape with spectacular passes and mountain driving routes, lovely ethnic people and more attractive of beautiful season of terraced rice fields stretching in yellow. The two most beautiful seasons in the Northwest are spring with peach blossoms and blooming flowers; autumn with terraced fields with yellow ripping rice. Planing your trip to this part of Vietnam, you might be interested in traveling in the right time, the season of rice terrace in northwest Vietnam!
The most suitable time to “hunt” the northwest golden season is around early September to the end of October. The famous places to visit the rice terrace season are Mu Cang Chai, Sapa, Y Ty and Hoang Su Phi. Below is a schedule of ripe rice throughout the Northwest compiled by experienced travel bloggers.
SAPA
(25 Aug – 15 Sep)
The terraced fields in Sapa have been voted as one of the seven most beautiful terraces in Asia and the world by the famous American travel magazine, Travel and Leisure.
Running along Muong Hoa valley, Cat Cat village, Thanh Kim, Thanh Phu, Ta Van, Lao Chai, Ta Phin… are picturesque terraced fields.
From Hanoi, visitors can take a bus or train, travel time about 5-8 hours. Up to Sapa, you should rent a motorbike, roam the roads in Muong Hum, Ta Phin village to be immersed in the atmosphere of the smell of new rice.
Sapa weather this season is also very pleasant, visitors can feel a little chilly in the early morning, warm in the afternoon and gradually cooler from the evening. In addition to taking photos, sightseeing, traveling to Sapa in the middle of September, you can also experience the bustling atmosphere of the harvest. Local people often reap from dawn to dusk, the whole family from old to young, working in the fields.
In addition to the golden rice fields in Sapa, visitors should not miss many other famous landmarks such as Fansipan peak, stone church, Cau May old town, Love waterfall…
Y TY
(1 Sep – 20 Sep)
Y Ty belongs to Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province. The road to Y Ty is also more difficult than that of Sapa and Mu Cang Chai. The famous spots for ripe rice here are Den Sang, Den Thang, A Lu, Lao Chai, Khu Chu Lin, Thien Sinh valley…
Lying at an altitude of nearly 2,000 m above sea level, Y Ty year-round white mist is covered with fog. But every season of rice, the whole region suddenly awakened by the yellow color of the terraced fields. The scene of Y Ty in the ripe rice season makes visitors admiring.
Terraced fields in Y Ty are as beautiful as waves, falling from the top of the mountain, flowing down the valleys, everywhere wafting a scent of new rice, fresh stubble created a special atmosphere.
Occasionally, visitors can come across clouds floating on the field. Like many other regions in the Northwest, the scenery in Y Ty remains untouched with wooden houses nestled on the hillside. The season of ripe rice in Y Ty might last about 3 weeks from the beginning of September, you can take a bus or train to Lao Cai and from here rent a car, follow Muong Hum or Bat Xat route.
MU CANG CHAI
(10 Sep – 5 Oct)
Mu Cang Chai is a highland district of Yen Bai province, about 280 km from Hanoi. To come here, you will pass through Khau Pha Pass, one of the most beautiful and rugged mountain passes in Vietnam. Mu Cang Chai is famous for its terraced rice fields spread across the mountainsides. The three communes La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh are the places to see golden rice that are most visited by tourists.
In fact, Mu Cang Chai has 2 rice crops in a year: spring crop (April – May) and the main crop (September – October). In the spring crop, people focus on lowland rice cultivation because there are not enough water on the high hills. Only in the main crop, new rice is grown. Around September to October, the rice fields begin to mature, turning golden color, stretching as far as the eye can see.
The interesting thing in Mu Cang Chai is that people here still preserve their traditional beliefs and farming methods. In the middle of the immense mountains and the golden terraced fields, you will encounter the simple huts that create a poetic landscape in the majestic mountains.
Hoang Su Phi
(20 Sep – 20 Oct)
Hoang Su Phi and Ha Giang are always favorite places for backpackers. The two most beautiful seasons here are the watering season (March – May) and the ripe rice season (September – October). Hoang Su Phi has over 3,600 hectares of terraced fields, of which more than 760 hectares of terraced fields spread over 6 communes have been recognized as national monuments. This year, the ripe rice season will last for about a month, until the end of October.
The unique feature of Hoang Su Phi in the ripe rice season is the stacking terraced fields. Standing on the top of Tay Con Linh mountain, looking at Cao Son valley, you will see all the majestic beauty of northwest mountains. In addition to the golden rice field nurseries harvested, to Ha Giang this season, visitors do not forget to visit the Dong Van rock plateau, Meo Vac market…
In addition to the above destinations, you can also stop by Cao Bang and Bac Son (Lang Son) to see for yourself.
