In mid-September, Hoang Ba Dinh (Hanoi) returned to Hoang Su Phi after three years of missed the ripe rice season. Dinh shared that many tourists know about the Dong Van - Meo Vac - Lung Cu backpacking route, so Hoang Su Phi is a mystery that few people know about.
This place until September and October has a completely different beauty with terraced fields in the brilliant golden rice harvest season, with small villages peacefully located between mountains and forests and immense, poetic grasslands.
The Hanoi guy suggested that to explore the western land of Tuyen Quang province, tourists should go for 3 days and 2 nights, combining the locations of Xin Man, Suoi Thau, Ban Phung, Nam Khoa, Chieu Lau Thi peak.
How to move
From Hanoi, you can take a sleeper bus to Bac Quang (Tuyen Quang) or Bac Ha (Lao Cai) from Bang Phan, Futa Ha Son bus companies... then rent a motorbike to follow the route according to the points.
Schedule
Day 0: 10:00 p.m. from Hanoi by sleeper bus.
Day 1: Receive a homestay, rent a motorbike to explore Xin Man - Suoi Thau Thao.
Day 2: Xin Man - Ban Phung - Mat Xoi Nam Khoa hill.
Day 3: Hunting for clouds at Chieu Lau Thi peak - moving to the bus pick-up point to return to Hanoi.
According to the above schedule, the two places that impressed Dinh the most in his return to Hoang Su Phi were Suoi Thau grassland and Ban Phung. Those are also two places so beautiful that the Hanoian guy had to exclaim: "Is this really Vietnam? ".
Suoi Thau grassland is compared by many young people to a miniature sky. Suoi Thau has a strangely gentle and peaceful beauty. The long, enchanting steppe, the golden ripe rice fields, the buckwheat hills, mustard flowers, chicken ma ma ma hoa... are showing off their brilliant colors.
From October to the end of the year, flowers in the steppe will bloom more. In particular, in Suoi Thau, there are not too many noisy tourism services, only nature and quiet.
Phung village with "specialties" of terraced fields in the ripe rice season is a place that anyone who comes to Hoang Su Phi must check-in once. If you ask where the most beautiful terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi are, Dinh does not hesitate to say Ban Phung.
"The Village in the clouds" with each soft curve of the terraced fields winding along the mountain slopes, interspersed with small, beautiful houses hidden in the afternoon kitchen smoke, creates a painting that is both majestic and poetic.
Meanwhile, Nam Hoa has a unique Mat Xoi hill located in the middle of the rice valley. If you have more time, you can go to some other places to see ripe rice such as Thong Nguyen, Ta Su Choong, Ho Thau...
Notes on the trip
Prepare good health, have the skills to drive a cable car or rent a local motorbike taxi to proactively stop and rest.
Limit carrying bulky suitcases, so bring light weighted buckets to make the rear of a motorbike moving between tourist attractions more comfortable.
Choose the travel date of Hoang Su Phi and Suoi Thau, you should check the weather forecast carefully on the expected travel date. Remember to prepare raincoats and cold clothes because of erratic weather, sleeping overnight in high mountains will be colder in the plains.
If riding a motorbike, remember to fill up gas at the right time, suitable for each stage to avoid running out of gas on the pass or in places without houses.
The ripe rice season is the peak tourist season, remember to book bus tickets and homestays early to have more options and cheaper prices.
