Vietnam Travel Guide Backpacking and Individual Travel Blog
Each year, when the autumn comes, the mountainous district Hoang Su Phi attracts many travelers and photographers to enjoy, admire and take pictures of yellow rice fields. Located halfway up the mountain, Hoang Su Phi terraced fields are gorgeous in yellow and shining along the valley.
There are two roads to Hoang Su Phi: from Highway 2 through Tuyen Quang to Ha Giang and Hoang Su Phi or from Bac Ha (Lao Cai) through Xin Man to Hoang Su Phi. Both of two roads are approximately 300km from Hanoi, long, small, tortuous and deserted.
Rice is planted in Hoang Su Phi once a year. May is water pouring season, September is harvest time and they are both stunning. Similar to the fields in Mu Cang Chai, in Hoang Su Phi rice is also grown on the terraced fields. However, rice in Hoang Su Phi has longer body than rice in Mu Cang Chai and the terraced fields in higher also.
The ripen rice season in Hoang Su Phi usually begins in late September, early October. Terraced fields appear in almost communes and towns in the district, but they most concentrate in Ban Luoc, Ban Phung, Thong Nguyen, Ho Thau, Nam Ty, San Sa Ho with a total area of 765 ha. From here, you can also conquer the Tay Con Linh 1 and Tay Con Linh 2 mountain peaks.
Traveling to Hoang Su Phi, visitors will have chances to enjoy spectacular natural scenery, relax in the fresh air with mountains and the murmur of the streams. Hoang Su Phi has four cultural villages: Nam Hong, Giang Thuong, Phin Ho and Lang Giang. Hoang Su Phi is an attractive destination for community tourism, especially in the area of eco-tourism Pan Hour on the bank of Thong Nguyen stream. In addition, tourist coming to Hoang Su Phi can learn about the daily life, culture and customs of Dao people, occupy about 80% of the population here.
On 16th September, 2012, terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi are recognized as “National Heritage”. However, many years ago, Hoang Su Phi has been an attractive destination for tourists on each harvest season.
