Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Anh Chiem, 41 years old, and Ms. Do Thi Quynh, 38 years old, living in Hanoi , both share the same hobby of traveling to explore and take photos. They just had a three-day and two-night trip, from September 14 to 16, climbing Ta Chi Nhu, which is known as the "roof of Yen Bai" and watching Chi Pau flowers.
From early September to early October, the flowers bloom brilliantly. The best blooming time is mid-September, around 14 to 25. Because the flowers grow on hilly terrain, at an altitude of 2,500 m or more, it is difficult to take pictures. To get satisfactory photos, Mr. Chiem uses a telephoto lens to take photos of people, and a wide-angle lens to capture the whole scene. "Due to the large scenery and high slope, I have to shoot many vertical and horizontal panels, combining bracketing techniques (taking 3-5 photos and then combining them into one)".
Image: Nguyen Anh Chiem
"The limbs bloom best in two weeks and then fade. But the most beautiful moment of flowers is under the dawn. At that time, Chi Pau was like a princess in the mountains and forests of the Northwest. Therefore, if you want to hunt for chiba at the most beautiful time, you need to choose a beautiful sunny day to be able to capture both sunrise and sunset." Mr. Chiem said. His trip this time only captured the sunrise, and the sunset due to the weather was not supportive, so there were no beautiful photos.
The weather on the mountain is erratic, when it rains and when it is sunny, it is necessary to bring some protective equipment such as raincoats, cold coats, hats, spare medicines such as flu, headache and fever, power banks, and headlights.
Photo: Nguyen Trong Cung
His trip this time had seven people. They departed from 2 a.m. in Hanoi, followed Google Maps to Tram Tau, Yen Bai at 8 a.m. After resting, at 9 a.m., the group started climbing. "This is the hardest day of the journey. For the first three hours, we climbed the mountain smoothly, with little slope. At 12 o'clock, the delegation rested for lunch. The journey after lunch began to be more difficult, the difficulty increased due to the long steep terrain, many vertical sections. The whole delegation was very tired, but everyone encouraged each other to be determined to get to the place. At 4 p.m., we went to the shack to rest." Mr. Chiem said.
Image: Nguyen Anh Chiem
The second day was the most beautiful day, according to the group's assessment. They got up at 4 o'clock, had breakfast and then packed up their belongings so that at 5 o'clock they set off to the top to conquer Ta Chi Nhu. On the way, everyone enthusiastically watched the blooming flower beds on the mountainside, brilliant under the sunrise. "We walked slowly to see the fairytale of the mountains and forests," Mr. Chiem said.
The higher you go, the more purple the flowers bloom. At the top is a whole patch of forest flowers appearing in front of the Hanoi tourist group. This is also the most flowery and beautiful location in Ta Chi Nhu. The whole group took a break for lunch, then took a photo with a milestone of 2,799 m. Then, at 3 p.m., they continued to go around to the goat shack (where people raise goats) to watch the sunset. The flowers on the side of the shack are white with pink, instead of purple like at the top. After that, the group went to a specialized shack to rest and eat overnight. On the last day, the group moved down the mountain to depart for Hanoi, ending the trip.
Image: Nguyen Anh Chiem
Trip Cost:
Porter rental: 500,000 VND per person per day
Meals: 4.7 million VND (3 days 2 nights for a group of 7 people)
Gasoline: 400,000 VND for a 7-seater car
Road fee: 140,000 VND
Total cost: nearly 13 million VND/7 people
According to VnE