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Nature & Adventure

Moc Chau travel guide for 12 months of the year

Translated by Bing
Located nearly 200 km from the center of Hanoi and 4 hours by car, Moc Chau has long been considered one of the most attractive destinations in the Northern region, especially in the plum blossom season at the beginning of the year.

What season is Moc Chau beautiful


Moc Chau has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter with mild weather, with fruits all year round. In January, the plateau has the green color of budding tea hills, peach blossoms, plum blossoms, apricot blossoms, cherry apricots...


From mid-May, plums begin to ripen, people harvest plums and sell them to downstream traders. Summer has no flowers, nor is it strawberry season, but this place is very suitable for picnics because of the fresh air and many outdoor activities.

The ripe persimmon season in Moc Chau starts from August to December every year.


The white cabbage season in Moc Chau begins in November. In December, brilliant yellow wildflowers adorn the plateau.


Photo: Hai Duong


Move


Moc Chau is nearly 200 km from Hanoi. If you go by motorbike, you should follow the old National Highway 6 because there are many beautiful scenery along the road, but you should pay attention to the steering wheel because the road is also quite degraded. The distance takes about 4-5 hours.


On the way, you will pass the S-shaped road in Van Ho district. Most backpackers stop to admire the scenery and check-in at this soft S-shaped curve.


If you take a bus, you can choose routes to Son La from My Dinh or Yen Nghia bus station, then get off at Moc Chau with a high-quality bus ticket price of about 200,000 VND.


If you drive your own car, you don't need to worry too much because the road is big and easy to go even though there are many steep passes. Note, run at the right speed and pay attention to the lane when overtaking. In summer, the road is less foggy but visibility is limited when it rains. The section that can be cloudy is the road from the Thung Khe section.


Accommodation


Moc Chau has quite a few motels. However, to get a quality room during the peak season, you should still call in advance. Here there are forms of eco-lodges (with mountains, hills, lakes, stilt houses) or homestay-style community lodges. The price of a room is about 200,000 - 300,000 VND per night, but there are also many motels with lower prices.

Some "chill" homestays are MAMA's House, Le Chalet du Lac, Fairy House Moc Chau, House By Lake, The Nordic Village, Moc Chau Retreat... Room rates range from 300,000 to 1,000,000 VND per night.


Photo: MAMA's House


Where to play


To explore all of Moc Chau, you can go quickly in 2 days. If you have more time about 3-4 days is the best, you will have plenty of time to find beautiful camera angles to take photos or turn to nearby famous tourist areas such as Thung Nai, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh hydropower...


Ban Ang pine forest


The pine forest is located in the area of Ang village in Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province, 2 km from the center of Moc Chau town along National Highway 43. With a total area of over 43 hectares including a soaring green pine forest, stretching on reddish-brown hillsides and a cool lake, this place has become a new camping spot in the Northern region.


Mu Nau Plum Valley


In early May, Mu Nau plums have produced quite large fruits, ripe and no longer green like some plum orchards in Na Ka or Phiêng Khoang. Since the road to Mu Nau is difficult to travel, you should choose a digital car instead of a station wagon. If you rent a weak car, you should only ride alone. If the steering wheel is weak, you can rent a two-way motorbike taxi. Entering the garden, you can visit, pick plums and take pictures, but it is not recommended to pick green plums to play.

Motorbike taxi: price 120,000 VND per person.

Entrance ticket: 20,000 VND per person.


Photo: Ngoc M


Sunflower Garden


This is a new check-in point in Moc Chau, located deep in the valley, because there is no signboard, so it is difficult to find. If you go from the town, along National Highway 6 towards Son La through Km 106, you will see a slope going up. That is the road to the valley of flowers. In the early days of May, the flowers are just starting to bloom, but in just a week the flowers will bloom and become a very beautiful photo spot. Entrance ticket: 30,000 VND per person.


Moc Chau Tea Hill


The whole town of Moc Chau, Son La, is surrounded by green tea hills. Moc Chau Farm (only about 7km from the district center) where there are green tea hills or vast grasslands. One of the other places that many people visit is the S-shaped tea hill, a heart-shaped tea hill located on the road to Ngu Dong village, about 15 km from Moc Chau farm town.


Photo: Lam Linh


Chieng Khoa Waterfall


To descend the falls, you will follow a dirt road then to the steep steps of the nearby water pumping station. Walking about 200 steps, you will see someone standing to collect environmental sanitation tickets before entering the waterfall to visit and take pictures.


People here make more rafts for rent for tourists to take pictures or play instead of just taking pictures on the shore. Girls can choose boho-style outfits, maxi skirts and accessories to have beautiful photos at the waterfall. However, the road down to the waterfall is too steep, you should not wear high heels and go early in the morning to avoid the hot afternoon sun.


Environmental sanitation fee: 10,000 VND per person.

Parking ticket: 10,000 VND per car.

Rent: 30,000 VND per person, only photography is 10,000 VND per person.


Photo: Thuong Dinh


Fairy Waterfall


Nang Tien Waterfall consists of 3 floors, each floor has its own unique look. The scenery on the first floor is gentle, with a lake as deep as an adult's hip, guests can go down to bathe. Going to the second level of the waterfall, guests have to go against the water, although it is a little difficult to walk, but the result will be unique photos on the backdrop of the waterfall falling into the emerald blue lake. The depth of the lake on the second and third floors is quite large, the rock surface is also full of moss, easy to slip and fall, so visitors must be extremely careful when moving. The estimated height from the base of the waterfall to the third waterfall is about 150 m.


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 Photo: Nguyen Hoang


Dai Yem Waterfall


The waterfall is located on the Vat stream, which is combined from two water channels in Vat village, a very old Thai village. Before coming to the waterfall, the group passed through Ho Han stream. Dai Yem Waterfall is massive with a height of more than 100 m, divided into 2 parts. The upper part has 9 floors and the lower part is 5 floors, separated in the middle is a flat land, suitable for tourists to have fun and enjoy the scenery.


The special feature here is that there are many shaped rocks, causing the waterfall to burst into many parts before flowing into the lake. Therefore, the water does not flow rumblingly, but is soft like a silk strip. Tickets to visit the waterfall are 100,000 VND per person. There are a lot of restaurants and water shops here.


Photo: Anh Chiem


Primordial Village


The village is a new destination of Moc Chau, so few people know about it. The village is located in Hang Tau valley, Ta No. 2 village, Chieng Hac commune, Moc Chau, with a very wild and primitive landscape as the name suggests. The village has 15 households living and free-raising all kinds of buffaloes, cows, pigs, and chickens in open fields but divided into plots or zones.


Note, to enter the village, you should have a local who knows the directions because the route is very difficult to find and there are no signs. You also need to stiffen the steering wheel and should not ride the scooter because there are many ramps. But no matter how difficult the road is, when you enter the village, you will feel that it is worth the effort.


Photo: Bui Ngoc Cong


Pha Luong Peak


30 km from Moc Chau town, Pha Luong peak is likened to the roof of Moc Chau, located between the Vietnam-Laos border. From the Pha Luong border guard post at the foot to the top of the mountain, it takes 3-4 hours to walk. Pha Luong is more than 2,000 m high. The journey to conquer Pha Luong is quite difficult, requiring the perseverance of those who want to truly explore. At the top of the mountain, you will feel the beauty of the windy clouds.



Eating


Restaurants and eateries are located along the town center of the section of National Highway 6 passing through. In addition to specialties such as plums, tea or milk, Moc Chau is also famous for being a delicious place to eat. Dishes not to be missed when coming here are veal chao, fried stream fish, full dishes of lentils, salmon hotpot, pork soup, buffalo meat in the kitchen, vegetables dipped in fish sauce or five-color rice.


If you want to eat milk veal, you can find Dong Hai restaurants, Xuan Bac 181, Nam Hung 70, or Lan Hong 64, Moc Chau Bequan... A strange dish to try is Moc Chau fresh milk hotpot. The broth is simmered from bones and vegetables, a moderate amount of milk is added so that it has enough milky white color and mild aroma, and corn is added for sweetness. When the hot pot starts to boil, the top layer of milk begins to clump, which tastes fatty and fragrant. This is also the time when hot pot soup is at its best.

 

You can buy tea, milk, cat apples, corn, corn wine... to make gifts from the following locations: junction 73 near the town, sub-zone 32 and Bo Bun, junction 70, peach garden junction, Chieng Bi sub-area.


Some cafes with beautiful views in Moc Chau are Rio Coffee & Tea Skyview; Wind Chil Hill; Moc Coffee; Tom's Garden Coffee & More; Garden Coffee & Chill Hill The average price of drinks is 40,000 - 60,000 VND.


If you want to find a special space to live virtually in Moc Chau, you can refer to Lan Que Phuong Cafe. The restaurant is modeled after a famous noisy and busy street of Hong Kong. The shop is located at 165 sub-zone 6, Moc Chau town. Drinks from 25,000 to 50,000 VND per dish.


Photo: Nick M


Note


Moc Chau usually has warm sunshine during the day, but the night temperature is quite low and foggy. You need to wear enough warm clothes to ensure your health, check the lights before departure.


Do not litter, step on people's vegetable beds or climb trees, break forest peach branches, plum branches, flowers...


According to VnE

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