Located on the border between the two provinces of Son La and former Yen Bai (now Lao Cai), about 200km from Hanoi, Ta Xua appears as an isolated oasis from the chaotic world. Possessing mountainous terrain, where valleys are surrounded by rolling clouds, Ta Xua becomes a destination for anyone who wants to witness the majestic sea of clouds with their own eyes.
Ms. Quynh Hoa (a tourist from Hanoi) had an emotional Ta Xua travel journey in the early days of 2026 with her best friend. She excitedly shared: "This is a true healing trip. Ta Xua is not only a sea of clouds, beautiful scenery, romantic cafes for chilling, there are also grilled dishes with a strong mountain and forest flavor and friendly, enthusiastic people.
Move
The couple's journey starts from the night before to maximize time. From Hanoi, tourists often choose sleeper buses with cabins departing at 9:30 pm. After about 6 hours of travel, the bus will stop at Bac Yen town at 3 am.
Due to the characteristic of continuous downhill roads and narrow roads, tourists are required to switch to a 16- or 24-seat shuttle bus to continue to Ta Xua town. At about 4 am, when the fog is still thick, you will arrive at the commune center and can take a nap at the bus company's rest room before starting a day of exciting exploration.
“We chose to stay at a homestay located right in the center of Ta Xua town for convenient travel between attractions. From my hometown to Khe Cai is only about 2km, to Thao Nguyen is more than 13km, to Dinh Gio is 3km, to Song Lung Khung Long is about 13km,” Ms. Hoa said.
First day
On her first day in Ta Xua, after sending things to the homestay and receiving a motorbike rental, Ms. Hoa chose Khe Cai as her first destination. This place is known as an extremely ideal sunrise and cloud hunting location.
Here, visitors can choose to sit in a cafe with a million-dollar view, sip a warm cup of coffee and enjoy a bowl of instant noodles watching the floating sea of clouds.
At about 9 am, when the sun rises high, the couple moves on the road leading to Ta Xua Steppe. With just 35,000 VND for an entrance ticket, you can freely stroll and check-in on endless grass hills.
Many tourists choose to come here to take photos to capture the brilliant youthful moments in the great forest. With a background of vast lawns and high skies, each camera angle in the meadow easily creates artistic and free photos.
For lunch on the first day, Ms. Hoa chose Thao Co Don restaurant, located about 15 minutes by car from the steppe. This is a prime location to both enjoy cuisine and admire the panoramic view of the green Suoi Sap stream like a "Second Cinnamon Grape".
On the way back, you should combine visiting the Lonely Tree (entrance ticket price 20,000 VND/person) and Dolphin's Neck. These locations are located on the same road, very convenient for travel.
When evening falls, Wind Peak is the best coordinate to watch Ta Xua sunset. The Wind Peak area has many cafes with "infinite" views covering the cloud valley. Sitting at any cafe, visitors can both rest and relax, and freely admire the majestic scenery of the great forest.
Especially, right near the famous Mi Oi cafe is Hem May - a check-in location that is attracting a large number of young people to visit, to record romantic frames amidst the white clouds.
To ensure safety when traveling on the pass road, around nearly 6 pm, the two friends decided to move back to the homestay to rest. In the evening in Ta Xua, the two girls chose to enjoy hot sidewalk grilled food and listen to live music at Nha Hmong cafe.
Day two
Stepping into the second day, after fully enjoying the sunrise moment right at the homestay porch, the couple began their journey to conquer Dinosaur Spine. This is considered the most challenging destination but also a symbol that anyone who sets foot in Ta Xua cannot miss.
The road to the dinosaur spine is quite arduous with many bumpy gravel sections and dangerous curves, requiring tourists to be very calm and steadily drive. Because the way down the spine is both small and steep, Ms. Hoa suggested that tourists should hire local youth to take them down by motorbike, with a round trip price of 50,000 VND/person to ensure safety.
Standing in the middle of a fragile mountain ridge, with deep abysses on both sides, people suddenly become small before the majesty of nature.
By noon, tourists return to pack their luggage, check out and get on the bus back to Hanoi. Ending the 2-day 1-night journey to explore Ta Xua, the total cost per person is about 2 million VND, including round-trip bus, homestay room, motorbike rental for transportation, refueling, food, coffee and entrance tickets.
Notes
To make the Ta Xua trip complete and safe, tourists should carefully prepare personal items such as motion sickness medicine, warm towels, gloves and heat patches to cope with the cold of the highlands.
Don't forget to bring good-grip sports shoes for easy movement, sunscreen and a little snack and drink to recharge energy along the way. In particular, it is necessary to maintain hygiene and not litter to preserve the pristine beauty of Ta Xua.
