It is lucky for anyone have chance to visit Sapa in this falls, because they will be surprised by one brighten Sapa with yellow color of the ripen rice terraces. It is the most beautiful season in Sapa, when many tourists come here just to admire the amazing view and breathe fresh fragrant air in the fields.
According to Mother Nature Network, rice terrace in Sapa (Lao Cai province, Vietnam) is one of the thirty most beautiful scenes in the world. Inhabitants here have been doing a seemingly impossible job for millennia: cultivating rice – which needs a flat surface and lots of water – in mountain slopes.
Sapa rice terraces have also listed as one of the most spectacular rice terraces in the world by Travel and Leisure (the USA), a famous tourist magazine.
The beauty of terraced fields makes Sapa become a fascinating location to many photography enthusiast. They do not mind climbing rough passes, wading through streams and passing over hard road to be able to shoot nice photos.
Sapa terraced fields have different beauties in different times. But they are most breathtaking in three times: when the fields are full of water making the entire space looking like a giant ink wash painting, when rice is very green, and when rice turns into golden creating dreamy views.
Yearly September in Sapa is the harvest season of rice, when rice changes from green to yellow. This is the best time to take a trekking trip in Sapa. Immersing cool weather and admiring stunning golden rice terraces sparkling in sunshine, you will experience wonderful emotions. Green and yellow, the two outstanding colors combine naturally, will form poetic and splendid photos.
From 10km of Sapa town, Muong Hoa valley, which comprises wards of Ta Van, Lao Chai, Hau Thao and Su Pan, is a well-known destination for beautiful locations such as Hoa stream and the ancient rock site, where has trace of prehistoric men. Muong Hoa has a complex of the most beautiful and largest terraced fields in Sapa with an area of 1000ha. By reaching to Ta Van and Lao Chai, you will be mesmerized by glorious row-in-row terraced fields, which are masterpieces between earth and sky.
To the northern Sapa, Ta Giang Phinh is the ancient land of H’mong people. The weather here is cool year-round. Unlike other places, terraced fields in Ta Giang Phinh spread and scatteredly lie in the foot of the Ngu Chi Ton mountain. Particularly, Vu Lung Sung of Trung Chai ward is the field area having the most stairs in Vietnam, 121 stairs.
Sapa is also the residence of many ethnic minorities, namely Kinh, H’Mong, Thai, Dao, Tay, Giay, Ha Nhi, etc. Each race has distinct tradition and custom, creating a fascinating and original cultural region to travelers.
So, trip to Sapa in the ripe rice season, you will have chances to explore unique growing culture of mountainous people in Vietnam.