MU CANG CHAI — Rice Terraces [Tips + Travel Guide] ☀️

Northern Vietnam

9 min readMay 30, 2020

Rice Terraces in Mu Cang Chai / Northern Vietnam.

Mu Cang Chai — these rice terraces that you will remember for a long time.

Northern Vietnam offers a number of sites with beautiful rice terraces, listing them all would be a longer list and you will still see them when you travel in the north. One of the most interesting places is in Yen Bai province - Mu Cang Chai District (Mù Cang Chải) with the same name town. This place has already been listed on prestigious travel websites as one of the most beautiful places in the world, mainly due to the fact that there are some photogenic spots and sceneries.

Mu Cang Chai town surrounded by rice terraces, mountain areas.

Mu Cang Chai itself is rather a small town along the Nam Kim River, but surrounded by beautiful rice terraces and fields. Travelers come to a much smaller extent than those from Asia, so the place cannot be described as a top tourist, such as Sapa, but even in some places and spots you meet tourists, it also depends when you visit Mu Cang Chai. But it is possible that with time everything will change and tourism will grow much more in this district.

Mu Cang Chai area begins at the small town of Tú Lệ and majestic Khau Phạ Pass.

Mu Cang Chai District is a relatively larger mountain area, which winds the main road QL32. The district begins at the town of Tú Lệ and the fascinating Khau Phạ Pass, rice paddies and terraces starts right outside the city. All this route from Tu Lệ to Mu Cang Chai (about 40km) is a beautiful mountain place and if you can drive a motorbike - I highly recommend it (drive carefully and slowly, IDP is necessary).

Hmong people are the largest ethnic group in Mu Cang Chai District.

This place is not a place where you get “western” services, it is rather poor typical Vietnamese area, but more interesting for visitors. Yen Bai province is mainly an agricultural province. Hmong ethnic villages in high-lying areas, amazing rice terraces, harsh landscapes, but also the hard and demanding work of local Hmong on these terraces.
A beautiful area of Mu Cang Chai District begins already close to Tú Lệ.
Khau Phạ Pass - this place is also known for paragliding.

How to move and travel in Mu Cang Chai district? Motorbike, Car, Bus?

The best option is to travel by motorbike in Mu Cang Chai distrcit, because local buses are very limited. E.g. interesting sightseeing spots in the south below the town are about 10 km away and you will definitely not want to walk. Many other places, for example, are located a few kilometres in higher altitudes, and you will not be able to get there on the bike because the roads in Mu Cang Chai district are very steep and some are difficult to navigate.

Read this > How to travel from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai?

Read this > How to travel from Sapa to Mu Cang Chai?

Without your motorcycle, mototaxi or private transport it is not so easy

Other option is to hire a motorbike taxi (Xe Om) in a place that will take you somewhere in this district. However, you have to arrange it in the city, preferably in the hotel, because in the town you will not find any official motorbike rentals, or I have not seen any (it may change over time). It should be noted that some smaller roads to the surroundings are less passable and I recommend to avoid these roads in the monsoon season.

Terraces and interesting sightseeing sites around Mu Cang Chai town.

Probably like most travelers you will come to Mu Cang Chai because there are amazing rice terraces, but that is not all. Another interesting option is to try homestay with local ethnic residents, even in the area of rice terraces. The surrounding area has a lot of interesting sightseeing places, photogenic and nice places, some are marked for tourists and some are not, everyone will definitely find their nice place. Most of them are located at higher altitudes, eg. Raspberry Hill (Mâm Xôi) or La Pan Tan area.

Interesting areas — La Pán Tẩn, Dế Xu Phình, Ku Bao Chay…

In Mu Cang Chai, most of the places are located a few miles south below Mu Cang Chai. These areas of rice terraces - La Pan Tẩn, Dế Xu Phình or Ku Bao Chay or Mo De. There are several scenic spots for beautiful surroundings. Some of these places are charged with a smaller entry fee, eg 1–2 USD.
La Pán Tẩn - a few interesting rice terraces and viewpoints, ethnic villages (Raspberry Hill - Mâm Xôi viewpoint).
Dế Xu Phình - another nice places, a little worse roads for motorbike, but you can ride or walk
Ku Bao Chay - several spots already at the road (eg. Mũi Giày Spot, Choi Vọng Canh…).

What is the weather in Mu Cang Chai and what is the best time to visit?

Mu Cang Chai is an elevated area surrounded by mountain ranges. In winter it can be very cold, but in summer it is very hot. However, the climate in Mu Cang Chai is definitely more pleasant opposite to lowlands in northern Vietnam. Of course, sudden faster weather changes - hot/cold - cannot be ruled out. You can visit this place all year round, but I would rather avoid the monsoon season (summer months), dry season is better.

When to visit Mu Cang Chai, if you want to see beautifully colored rice terraces?

Yes, it’s nice at the harvest time and just before it. The area plays a yellow-green color where you look and the harvest work is in full production. It’s very photogenic. However, this does not mean that this area is beautiful only at this time. However, if you want to see this beauty in the harvest or just before it, you have to come in autumn and preferably at the months of September - October. Rice is harvested there once a year just in the autumn, in May the rice is still sown.
September and October - harvest time in Mu Cang Chai, work on terraces, photogenic and colorful.
However, you can come all year round (if it is possible, avoid the monsoon season).

Mu Cang Chai — Ku Bao Chay — Mu Cang Chai - Ku Bao Chay.

What else can I see in Mu Cang Chai, some historical monuments?

The town of Mu Cang Chai itself is not so interesting, just a typical Vietnamese town. There are restaurants, shops, a local market, small guesthouses, but do not look there for historical monuments because you will not find them. Typical Vietnamese dishes, do not look for European cuisine there because you will not find it here. In the area of Mu Cang Chai it is mainly about rice terraces, nature, ethnic villages of Hmong. Mu Cang Chai is not a place where you can visit historical monuments - there are none.

Accommodation in Mu Cang Chai. Homestay/hotel?

There are various options for accommodation, especially cheaper guesthouses, homestays or motels in Mu Cang Chai town or even south of rice terraces. The prices for accommodation in Mu Cang Chai are low and start already at 8–10 USD/per room. Some local homestays can be shared with more people, but then it is also a cheap way how to accommodate, somewhere is even for a fee, so you have eg. lunch dinner. Some of these accommodation is also located in the area of rice terraces, eg. in La Pan Tan.

Hello Mu Cang Chai Homestay - La Pan Tan (photo: Agoda).

Stay south of Mu Cang Chai town, in the area of rice terraces.

The advantage of accommodation in the city is the availability of services, meals, etc. However, very interesting areas are located a few kilometers south of the town, so I recommend to consider whether to stay and use homestay directly at these places, in the villages of ethnic local people, it’s up to you. However, the services are a little bit more limited, the roads somewhere a bit worse, but do not be afraid to get food almost everywhere and in addition you will be in a fantastic area.

Accommodation in Mu Cang Chai:

▶ Hello Mu Cang Chai Homestay
▶ Do Gu Homestay
▶ Hong Minh Guesthouse
▶ Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge
▶ Nhu Y Guesthouse

Accommodation in Mu Cang Chai town:

▶ Mu Cang Homestay
▶ Huong Siu Homestay

Accommodation in Tu Le — Khau Pha:

▶ Le Champ Tu Le Resort

Rice terraces after harvest in Mu Cang Chai.

Faqs + Travel Tips about Mu Cang Chai District:

Where is Mu Cang Chai?

Mu Cang Chai s about 300 km north-west of Hanoi in Yen Bai Province, 100 km from Nghia Lo. Mu Cang Chai District is surrounded by the provinces of Son La, Lai Chau, Lao Cai.

🚍 How to travel from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai?

You can take a toruist bus from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai (if you are not riding a motorbike), but travel by bus takes about 7–8 hours (it can change). Some buses to Mu Cang Chai depart from My Dinh or Giap Bat stations in Hanoi, check the times on site. Bus tickets from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai cost about 8–14 USD/pp.

Book bus tickets from Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai online on Baolau

If you are travel from the north - from Lai Chau and Sapa to Mu Cang Chai - there are some local buses, but find out the bus connection in advance before departure. Note that bus transport is limited. Travel by bus from Sapa to Mu Can Chai takes about 6 hours.
You can also travel by train of VR from Hanoi to Yen Bai, from Yen Bai town to Mu Cang Chai you have to travel by local bus.

Train tickets from Hanoi to Yen Bai book online on Baolau or 12go.asia

What to see in Mu Cang Chai?

Mainly you can see rice terraces, nature, ethnic villages and nice surroundings, nature. Sites and viewpoints in Mu Cang Chai — Mâm Xôi (Raspberry Hill), Mũi Giày, Chii Vọng Canh, Điểm chụp Lúa Sáng Nhù — La Pan Tan Area, Dế Xu Phìn, Ku Bao Chay, Che Cu Nha, Mo De. Amazing and fascinating Khau Phạ Pass (about 40 km from Mu Cang Chai town)

When to visit Mu Cang Chai?

You can go to Mu Cang Chai throughout the year (but rather avoid the monsoon season - summer months), the best time to visit Mu Cang Chai is in September to October - colored golden-yellow rice terraces and harvest time.
Mu Cang Chai in March - you can see glittering ponds before locals plant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, these hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September. During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests.

How does transport and local/tourist buses work there?

Bus transportation works, but the departure times from the town, eg. to Sapa, Lai Chau, are limited. The local buses often stand on the square in the center of Mu Cang Chai town, but I suggest you check it out before you go, and ask at your hotel/homestay.