Places to see terraced fields are certainly ideal tourist destinations for tourists who love the beauty of nature. The magnificent rice fields are like a masterpiece bestowed by Mother Nature, affectionately called “stairway to heaven”. So where are the beautiful places to see terraced fields in Vietnam? Let’s explore with Vietnam Travel Online in this article!
1- Mu Cang Chai – One of the most beautiful terraced fields in the world
In 2018, Mu Cang Chai was in the top 12 most beautiful terraced fields in the world as announced by the Telegraph – a famous British newspaper. Therefore, this is definitely a place to see terraced fields in Vietnam that you cannot miss. So do you know where Mu Cang Chai terraced fields are?
Mu Cang Chai is a small mountainous town in the west of Yen Bai province, right below Hoang Lien Son range, about 300km from Hanoi, Vietnam. Due to the terrain and climate characteristics, the Mong people here only grow one rice crop every year. In particular, the flooding season in Mu Cang Chai usually falls in May – June, and the ripe rice season takes place in the fall, around September to October.
The terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai consist of small fields, broken up on each mountain with an altitude of 800 – 1700m. Through the labor and creativity of humans, the terraced fields have become a beautiful work of art amidst the majestic mountains. The best time to visit this terraced field viewing spot is the water pouring season and the rice ripening season.
During the water pouring season, Mu Cang Chai has a pure, clear beauty during the day with sparkling water, brown soil, white clouds and blue sky. At night, the whole sky and earth are covered with magical, mysterious light and dark patches with the silver moonlight above. On the contrary, when autumn comes, the fields change to a golden, shimmering color, the scent of new rice also lingers in the air, captivating people’s hearts.
2- Sapa terraced fields
Sapa town is located in the west of Lao Cai province, more than 30km from Lao Cai city center. This place is an ideal destination for many tourists because of its cool climate and captivating natural scenery. This is also a place to admire the magnificent terraced fields that you must visit at least once in your life.
Sapa terraced fields have existed for more than a hundred years, created by ethnic minorities at that time on the mountainside. Similar to Mu Cang Chai, the Mong people in Sapa only cultivate one rice crop a year. Thus, the locals will plow from May to June (during the flooding season) and harvest rice from mid-August to the end of September (the ripe rice season).
From afar, the terraced fields here are likened to a range of Alps with a strong Northwest character. The fields hug the mountainside in layers, stretching to the horizon and embracing the majestic mountains. When walking in the cool weather, you will fully enjoy the peace in the romantic setting created by nature and human hands.
In fact, terraced fields are considered a symbol of the foggy town. You can see fields and rice fields along Highway 4D when traveling from Lao Cai city to Sapa town. However, the most beautiful and interesting places to see Sapa terraced fields are in Muong Hoa valley, Cat Cat village, Lao Chai – Ta Van village, Ta Phin village, …
3- Hoang Su Phi terraced fields (Ha Giang)
Hoang Su Phi is a mountainous border province, located in the West of Ha Giang province, more than 100km from the city center. The terraced field heritage here has a total area of about 3,000 hectares, spread across the hillsides of 6 communes. Because the highlands have rugged terrain, lack of water, and difficulty in irrigation, the people here have designed and utilized terraced field cultivation techniques.
Because the winter in Hoang Su Phi is very harsh, the people here only cultivate one rice crop per year. In which, the time of the water pouring season will fall from April to June. The ripe rice season usually takes place in September and October every year. The reason why this is a famous place to see terraced fields in Vietnam is because of its unique and rare beauty, demonstrating the intelligence and ingenuity of people.
When the new crop season begins, water flows to all the fields. At this time, Hoang Su Phi terraced fields are like a giant, sparkling mirror, reflecting a whole sky of bright sunshine. When autumn comes, the fields here will change into a new color, which is the golden color of ripe rice. Each layer of rice tilts in the wind, creating more vivid and eye-catching rice waves.
In each season of the year, this terraced field viewing spot has different beauties. However, the best time to come here is from April to September. That is when the weather is mild and cool, so you can move more easily. In particular, if you want to hunt clouds and have beautiful pictures, you should come to Hoang Su Phi in September.
4- Y Ty terraced fields (Lao Cai)
Besides Sapa, Y Ty is also a place to see terraced fields in Lao Cai, ranked by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Monument of scenic beauty. Y Ty is located at an altitude of over 2000m above sea level, in commune 135, Bat Xat district, Lao Cai. This is also the only place where Nhi Ha people live.
The flooding season or flooding season in Y Ty falls in May – June. Meanwhile, the ripe rice season takes place from the end of August to the end of September. At each time, the terraced fields of Y Ty show different colors, blending with the natural beauty of the land and sky.
The terraced fields here are built on the basis of taking advantage of the narrow mountain area and steep hills, surrounded by mountains and forests. Therefore, most of the rice field landscape will have the same terrain. The fields will stretch from the valley to the mountain, with overlapping layers and surrounding hills.
During the flooding season, the terraced fields will be filled with water, reflecting many colors, typically the brown color of the soil, the yellow color of the sun and the intertwined blue and white clouds of the sky. When the rice is golden and heavy with grain, the whole land and sky of Y Ty will be covered with the golden color of ripe rice. This, along with the innocent, carefree smiles of children and the hustle and bustle of the harvest season, has created a peaceful, poetic scene.
5- Pu Luong terraced fields (Thanh Hoa)
Thanh Hoa is best known for its beautiful beaches and is visited by many tourists every year. Therefore, few people know that this place also has a beautiful place like Pu Luong – a place to admire peaceful, pristine terraced fields.
Pu Luong is a nature reserve, located in the Northwest of Lam Son land. The terraced fields here are all cultivated by the Thai ethnic people. In particular, this is also a rare place that can grow two rice crops a year with the flooding season in July and February. The ripe rice season also occurs around the end of May – mid-June and the end of September – October.
Pu Luong with its vast terraced fields is likened to the Northwest in the heart of Thanh Hoa. The fields are stacked on top of each other at irregular distances, nestled between majestic mountains. During the flood season, Pu Luong terraced fields are like giant shimmering mirrors, capturing the entire landscape of the land and sky.
Not only is it an ideal place to admire terraced fields, Pu Luong is also endowed by nature with many famous landscapes that captivate people. On your journey to explore Thanh Hoa, don’t forget to visit some other places such as Don village, Kho Muong bat cave, Uoi village – Lan village, Hieu waterfall, Cham stream…
6- Hong Thai terraced fields (Tuyen Quang)
The place to admire Hong Thai terraced fields is located in Hong Thai commune, Tuyen Quang province, about 255km from Hanoi. This is a terraced field relic with a rice growing area of 82 hectares, with a history of nearly 200 years. With this advantage and the strength of ecology, landscape and cultural identity, the terraced fields here are being oriented to develop into a new, unique local tourism product.
The terraced fields here are designed and cultivated by the Dao Tien people, with a single crop per year. Every year, the flooding season usually falls at the end of March, and the ripe rice season will begin in September and October.
Located at an altitude of 1,280m above sea level, Hong Thai terraced fields are surrounded by mountains. The fields have different lengths depending on the terrain, winding through many bends and connecting the hillsides together. The height of each floor is also not fixed, about 1 – 2m. Meanwhile, the width of the field is about 20 – 30cm.
At the end of March, water flows to fill the fields. At that time, the entire terraced field viewing location will become a giant, shimmering mirror, stretching to the horizon. On the contrary, when the rice is ripe, the Hong Thai terraced fields will turn a brilliant yellow, undulating and swaying in the wind like soft golden waves.