Is part of northern Vietnam, the remote northwest of Vietnam appeals to those wanting to get off the beaten track in some of Vietnam’s most beautiful, unaffected and untouristed areas.
A striking blend of jagged mountain ranges, lush valleys and jungle, the northern provinces of Vietnam are culturally diverse and largely inhabited by ethnic minorities and it is also the perfect land Trekking.
A general guide to tourism in North West Vietnam is the basic thing you need to know before starting a journey to explore this land. This article will have all the necessary instructions for you.
Read on!
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| Photo by hannghia |
The most appropriate time to travel Northwest
One year has four seasons, each Northwest season has its own beauty, but the spring and autumn are the most beautiful and most brilliant Northwest times.
Spring: January - March . Around this time, the Northwestern mountains and forests put on themselves an extremely beautiful flower board, plum flowers and peach flowers. Not only that, this is also the festive season of the Northwestern ethnic people. In addition to "hunting flowers", you also have the opportunity to sing and play in the traditional festivals of many ethnic groups and enjoy delicious food with indigenous people.
Autumn: Autumn is probably the ideal time to visit northern Vietnam. The weather is generally comfortable (although the summer monsoons can extend through October, so there still may be a lot of rain) and the rice fields should be golden.
The season of golden ripe rice on terraced fields is a symbol of the Northwest, Vietnam.
The rice harvest usually occurs in October, although it can be earlier or later depending on the season. September, October, and November are generally considered good months for trekking throughout most of northwest Vietnam. That makes this a busy time of year in popular locations like Sapa.
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| Photo by nguyenhuynhmai |
How to get to travel to Northwest, Vietnam?
You can ride a motorbike or a car to the Northwest. There are many buses from Hanoi to the Northwest provinces. However, if traveling by this means, you will miss many beautiful scenes along the way. Therefore, the best way to explore the Northwest is to private car or motorbike.
- If traveling by rented or self-driving car: You should not go more than 60 km / h when going up the steep passes. The best speed is 40–50 km / h, you can both admire and secure.
- If traveling by motorbike: Keep the speed between 30–40 km / h when passing. Every time it reaches a peak of a slope, it is necessary to stop for a few minutes before sloping down. Every day should not go more than 200km. The last days will be more tired. Going about 150km, stopping for a night is the best.
According to the Northwest travel experience, you should carefully check machinery, brakes, lubricants ... before departure. Whether the gas tank is more or less, you should bring a spare petrol or see a gas station where you should fill the tank there, not waiting for the empty gas tank to run out, rooms with no gas stations.
Northwest tourism should not go too fast, otherwise it will miss many precious moments. Every day, you should depart early in the morning to have a sense of sanity and to reach the town, village or city where there is a rest before dark. Most importantly, do not pass the pass, downhill at dusk or dark.
But if you are not an adventurous enthusiast, or you are not sure of the steering wheel, then the Northwest tours is a option can't be better. You can just enjoy the beautiful scenery, just being explained by local guides and introducing beautiful scenery and above all, it is more comfortable and safe than driving yourself.
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| Photo by Quangpraha |
The roads of the Northwest tourism are common
- Hanoi - Sapa - Mu Cang Chai - Hanoi
- Hanoi - Mai Chau - Nghia Lo - Mu Cang Chai - Sapa - Hanoi
- Hanoi - Lao Cai - Sapa - Dien Bien - Son La - Moc Chau - Hoa Binh - Hanoi
- Hanoi - Moc Chau - Son La - Dien Bien - Sapa - Lao Cai - Hanoi
Of course, the journey will no t be as fixed as above, you can absolutely choose the most beautiful points you love to explore throughout your journey. Let us know the destinations in Northwest Vietnam that you want to explore, maybe our proposed itinerary will satisfy you. Or watching our Northwest tour itineraries has been loved and chosen by many tourists.
Where should northwest travel?
Northwest tourism is now more developed, in every city, town or village you can find hotels, motels or homestays to rest. If you choose a hotel you should go to nearby accommodation or near the center to make it easy to eat and drink at night. However, an extremely useful advice is homestay.
Homestay is the choice most tourists use in recent years. maybe it won't be as convenient and luxurious as the hotel. However, during your stay here you will experience many new things, activities and contact with interesting people. Understanding more about the lives of local people, discovering the culinary culture is extremely diverse and unique. Things you won't get when staying at the hotel.
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| Photo by pxhere |
Certain destinations in the Northwest must visit
Sapa, Lao Cai
Not only are there stunning rice terraced paddy fields sprung up right after you set foot in the land, but it is also home to diverse groups of ethnic communities. It’s believed that you will not be able to find any place where there is the large number of ethnic people like you see here. In fact, the trip will let you grab an unforgettable memory of dipping yourself into the unique cultural life of locals in the highland, comprising how they gather at market, trading farming products, and treating guests.
Y Ty, Lao Cai
Y Ty is located in the western of Bat Xat district, Lao Cai Province, about 100km from Lao Cai city. The place known as a “misty land” has the most beautiful terraces and H’Mong-architectured-houses in Lao Cai province.
The land of Y Ty is located deep in the mountains and coverd by the cloudiness all year. You can rent motorbike from Sapa and Lao Cai city to move to Y Ty. But ensure that your driving skill is good enough to be able to take control through the dangerous roads. At a height of 2000 meters, the back rests on the Nhiu Co San mountain with a peak of 2660 meters, it is rarely to see the sun all day long. It is interesting to visit the Saturday market where you can see the Ha Nhi mothers with colourful pairs of leaves and braided hair around the head. The products brought to the market are the farm produce of the families. Specifically, you can admire the "sea" of clouds from Y Ty.
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| Photo by Quangpraha |
Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai
Mu Cang Chai is a rural district of Yen Bai Province , in the Northwest region of Vietnam, about 300km from Hanoi city. In September and October, Vietnamese people often visit Mu Cang Chai to admire the great view of the incredible terrace fields as yellow carpets in the wild scenery. During these 2 months, a tourism Cultural Week of Mu Cang Chai terraced field festival attracts many visitors by its many interesting activities such as parachuting festival, a mountainous market and a making-cake day.
Moc Chau, Son La
Moc Chau plateau is located at an altitude of 1050m above sea level, far away from Hanoi city 200km to the Nortwest. This is a large plateau in Son La Province, stretching about 80km, 25m wide with 1600ha of grasslands.
With superb scenery, beautiful villages along the road with peach blossom season, plum blossom season or Brassica napus season, it is regarded as the most beautiful highland in the Northwest region. The weather usually cold with the thick layers of fog that makes the nature here more mysterious and attractive. This mountainous NorthWest highland provides the perfect terrain for Moc Chau trekking routes. The Thai minority, a warm and friendly ethnic group, will welcome you into their homes and share their stilt lifestyle. The roads wind precariously across the mountain ranges, capturing the intensely varied lifestyles of Vietnamese people.
From January to February, you will be overwhelmed by the plum and peach blossom blooming all the ways and mountains. March is the time of white colour when Bauhinia variegata season comes. From April to August is the peaceful, cool-weather time, though there wont be flower season but you can enjoy plums or peachs in local gardens. Independent Holidays in September will be suitable for visitors who love to discover the history of traditional customs.
Mai Chau, Hoa Binh
Mai Chau is located far from Ha Noi city about 140km and from Hoa Binh city about 60km to the Northwest.
Mai Chau is the land of pristine natures of high mountains & green valleys - the home of friendly local ethnics. Trips to Mai Chau promise many interesting travel experiences. Biking along Mai Chau valley to explore remote villages, homestaying in a Thai family enjoying their friendliness, delicious dishes & wonderful traditinal show of dances & songs performed by local Thai; trekking to villages & conquer Chieu cave on the top of mountains ( two thousand steps up, then down) for great captivation of Mai Chau valley & nice insight of Chieu cave's stalagtites & stalagmites....!
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| Photo by internet |
What specialties should Northwest tourists enjoy?
The specialty dishes you will enjoy on the way to explore the North West are tofu with tomato sauce, stir-fry beef, Canh Rau Day with Ca Phao ... Some restaurants on Moc Chau Street have fried fish streams serving with pickles is quite good.
The Son La - Dien Bien section has sour bamboo shoots, or salted roasted chicken ... Most visitors visit these restaurants at different times, so the owner rarely cooks dishes before. Only when the guests come to the shop do the cook so that the food is eaten hot. So do not be afraid of restaurants that look "poor", boldly ask, you will have a warm meal before continuing your journey.
Do not forget to enjoy Lam rice, fish stream, hill chicken, Cap Nach pig when traveling northwest.
There are also some items that you do not miss when traveling to the Northwest such as: buffalo meat in the kitchen, Thang Co, forest vegetables, wine corn ...
Hopefully, the above 2019 Northwest tourism sharing will help you have a safe, convenient, fun and interesting trip. If you have any other questions, please contact us, we are ready to answer and advise on destinations in Vietnam.
