Before going, I didn't know Ta Van, after going, I knew how beautiful Ta Van is" - The excited exclamation of Duy Manh, a young person passionate about moving, seems to be the voice of anyone who has ever set foot on this land.
In 2025, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) voted Ta Van (Lao Cai) as one of the 6 most beautiful villages in Asia.
Ta Van is beautiful in any season, but it is not until the terraced fields enter the ripe rice season that this village truly shows off its depth, like a masterpiece of nature, becoming the most impressive coordinates on the Sa Pa tourism map.
Amidst the strong wave of urbanization, Ta Van was lucky to maintain isolation when it was not too much concreted.
This place still retains the original, pristine beauty of the Northwest mountains and forests with wooden houses that have faded with time and the winding Muong Hoa stream.
If Ta Van usually has a contemplative, peaceful appearance, then the ripe rice season is the moment this village "changes clothes", putting on the most magnificent and vibrant colors of the year.
Ta Van village usually enters the most beautiful ripe rice season from mid-August to October every year. September is considered an ideal time to come to Ta Van to admire the magnificent golden rice, flowing across the gentle hills.
Around June-July, fresh green rice is still suitable for taking "fragrant" photos with green covering the sky and earth.
Convenient transportation infrastructure from Hanoi makes the journey to Ta Van easier than ever.
The most expensive highlight of Ta Van lies in the lovely homestay system in the indigenous villages. There will be no greater experience than the feeling of waking up every morning, opening the window wide and a sea of rice from terraced fields rushing into your eyes," Duy Manh recounted.
If it comes to the ripe rice season, the contrast between the brilliant yellow of rice, the green of mountains and forests and the faint mist creates a strong visual space, enough to overwhelm anyone.
In the ripe rice season, the experiences at Ta Van also become richer in emotions.
Visitors can leisurely stroll on winding small roads filled with the scent of new rice, admire the golden carpet winding along each hillside, or choose a corner to sit at rice-view coffee shops to capture the entire moment of sunset falling into the valley.
After a long day of diligently recording impressive virtual living frames, soaking your feet and bathing in the unique traditional medicinal leaves of the Red Dao people will be the perfect therapy to close a full day of experience.
Ta Van rice season is in its most brilliant and magnificent days, turning this place into an irreplaceable "town escape" paradise.
Nature has bestowed many landscapes on the Northwest, but the moment Ta Van enters the peak ripening season is truly a privilege that if you miss another year, your journey will surely leave a void full of regret.
