Mu Cang Chai terraced fields have been popular among tourists (Photo: VNA)

Yen Bai (VNA) - Having been well-known for its most breathtaking terraced rice fields, Mu Cang Chai in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai has been repeated among travel lovers and photographers, especially in late September and early October - the best time for capturing the most beautiful landscapes of terraced fields in the mountainous district.

Located more than 300km to the northwest of Hanoi and 1,000 metres above sea level, Mu Cang Chai is now a familiar destination for tourists.

Mu Cang Chai features enchanting scenery and gracious people whose way of life is so startlingly different than most in the world; it is endearing and lovely to visit such a beautiful, majestic landscape with kind people.

𝓰 Passing the Khe pass and then the Bo Hon slope, visitors arrive in Tu Le - a popular stopover on the way to Mu Cang Chai.

The local Mong ethnic group has used that word to describe Khau Pha as a horn rising to the blue sky, and also to indicate the degree of danger. The whole pass is more than 20km long, with mostly cloudy all year round.


Along the road to Mu Cang Chai town are terraced fields stretching from the top of the mountain down to streams.

Mu Cang Chai terraced fields have long been well-known and considered a must-visit place for tourists to the northwestern region of Vietnam. These are the terraced fields on mountain slopes, which cover an area of about 2,200 hectares in the three communes of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh in Mu Cang Chai district cultivated by the Mong people for centuries.

Mu Cang Chai district is home to 500 hectares of rice terraces in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes, cultivated by the H’mong people for centuries.
Terraced fields in Mù Cang Chải are beautiful year-round. Visitors in March can see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April to May.

After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September.

During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests. 
Yen Bai province said it will continue to conduct conservation activities and promote the value of relics and heritage in the area.

Besides, the province will also promote tourism development. From now until 2025, Mu Cang Chai District will become a tourist district and Nghia Lo town will become a cultural – tourist town.

Mu Cang Chai terrace fields in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai was included into the list of the 50 most beautiful places in the world in 2020 by Big 7 Travel.

“When you imagine magnificent Asian rice fields swirling on the slopes of velvet green hills, you’re picturing Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam,” wrote the website.

Centuries of careful cultivation have shaped what is easily some of the most beautiful rice terraces in the world, it continued.

Ranking 21st in the list, Mu Cang Chai is also full of hiking trails and vibrant local culture. It is a draw to both domestic and foreign tourists and among places where travellers want to come back.

The ranking was drawn up by Big 7 Travel after it asked its 1.5-million-strong social audience for their opinion, mined data from Pinterest and analysed the most-liked images on its Instagram profile this year.

﷽ Big 7 Travel provides current and curated recommendations, aiming to helping millions of people discover the world./.