Muong Hoa Valley

Muong Hoa valley is one of the most beautiful places in Sapa and is famous for its green rice terraces or golden rice paddies, along with majestic mountains and forests.

Muong Hoa valley is located 4 km from Sapa Center and stretching about 15 km to Ban Ho Village. The valley is the place where Black Hmong Tribe, Day Tribe, Red Dao Tribe, and Tay Tribe people live on the 2 banks of Hoa Stream. There are five main villages in this Valley: Y Linh Ho Village, Lao Chai Village, Ta Van Village, Giang Ta Chai Village, and Ban Ho Village at the end of the Valley.

Muong Hoa Valley

Best time to visit Muong Hoa

The most favorable time to visit Muong Hoa Valley is in September. It is the time when you see the bright yellow color of ripening rice everywhere, the whole valley becomes more beautiful thanks to the combination of green forests and ivory-white clouds.

If you do not have the chance to visit Muong Hoa valley in September, other months such as March to May, September to November, and December to Feb are good to travel. These months have stable weather. It is dry during the daytime, and a little bit cold at night. The weather condition is suitable for trekking to enjoy the beauty of the valley or stay at a homestay in one of the wonderful villages in the valley.

March to May: The warm climate in March makes it a suitable time for tourists to discover the beauty of the valley. This is the time of transplanting rice on terraced fields, and also the flowering season in Muong Hoa. The valley is covered with a cool green color, and taking photos of the valley this time, you will have man beautiful pictures of not only terraced fields but also colorful flowers.

September - October: This is the ideal time for visitors who want to see the image of a valley of Muong Hoa in Sapa changing into brilliant yellow color. Walkling around Muong Hoa this time, you will be impressed by the brightening blue color of the sky, the aroma of rice everywhere in the fresh and pleasant air. Everyone should admire this wonderful scene at least once in a lifetime.

December to February: Winter comes, ice can be found, and sometimes it snows. This is also the peach blossoms season. Traveling to Muong Hoa this time, you will have the opportunity to touch the pristine white snowflakes yourself, feel the coldness through each fingertip. This interesting feeling is definitely found nowhere else in Vietnam.

How to get to there

From Hanoi to Sapa, you can travel by train, motorbike, or bus.

Train: Most tourists choose to travel by train from Hanoi to Sapa. It takes about 8 hours and costs from 6 to 12 USD. The overnight train is the most economical way to get to Sapa and you can save on overnight accommodation. However, you need to take a 1-hour bus to travel 40 km from Lao Cai railway station to Sapa town.

Bus: Bus costs around 12 USD, and you will be transferred straight to Sapa town. Traveling by bus takes only 5 hours, but you need to share the bus with many other passengers.

Motorbike: You can rent a motorbike to drive yourself from Hanoi to Sapa. Renting a motorbike is not difficult, but the road to Sapa is dangerous, and you need to have a driving experience.

The distance from Sapa town to Muong Hoa valley is about 10 kilometers. The road pass is quite narrow with sharp turns, lying in the middle of the mountain where tourists can touch the cloud, one side is high mountains with majestic scenery while the other is the abyss. It is quite dangerous. You can either trek to Muong Hoa valley or rent a motorbike to get there. Renting fee is about 100 000 VND per day. You had better have a riding experience before if you choose to explore Muong Hoa on the bike.

What to see in Muong Hoa Valley

Terrace fields

Sapa is home to many terraced fields, and Muong Hoa valley has the most beautiful and largest terraced field in Sapa. You will understand why the terraced field in Muong Hoa is voted as one of the most beautiful in the world when you visit this valley. Terraced fields in Muong Hoa valley lie curving along the hillsides to form a beautiful tilted pan. In the summer when the rice is growing, the terraced fields here are vitality, gentle like a green silk banding in the middle of nature. In the autumn, the whole valley wears a golden-yellow coat of rice that is in full bloom, ripe, as if inlaid with gold. A scene like stairs to heaven, which is hard to find elsewhere.

Rice terrace in Sapa

 Ancient rock field

Sa Pa Ancient Rock Field has located between the terraced rice fields of ethnic minority groups and covers about 8sq.km area. The rock field has about 200 stones of different sizes concentrated in the area. The 2 most impressive stones are Da Chong and Da Vo which have a romantic story behind them. Moreover, many stones in the field were carved with different characteristics. Remarkably, among the engravings are drawings of humans, stilt houses of the ethnic minorities, and symbols considered to be a primitive form of writing. Many tourists coming here, especially French tourists spent a long time learning more about the stone as well as an ancient civilization in Sapa.

Ancient Rock in Muong Hoa Valley

Flower stream

Muong Hoa valley has a long stream that stretches about 15km along the valley, through the village of Lao Chai, Ta Van, Hau Thao… and ends at Ban Ho. There are 22 small streams that originate from the forests, ravines pour into this stream makes this stream flows lively for 4 seasons. To cross two banks easily, riparian residents made the suspension bridges crossing the stream next to moss ancient trees. These bridges have adorned beauty for the stream and also attract many tourists. This stream is one of the most scenic spots in Sapa. If you want to escape all stress of life, enjoy the beautiful and peaceful scenery, do not miss Flower stream

Things to do in Muong Hoa Valley

Sightseeing on Muong Hoa mountain train

For tourists who want to see Moung Hoa valley from above, the Muong Hoa mountain train will be your best choice. The train helps to shorten the distance and time from Sapa center to Fansipan Cable car to 6 minutes. On decorated like classic European carriages, tourists can have an overview of the majestic beauty of Muong Hoa Valley and the northwest forests and mountains from above. The price ticket is only 200,000 per adult and 150,000 per child (two-way ticket).

Cycling

There are a small number of local companies arranging cycling tours or providing mountain bike rental. These excursions are expensive, as you need a qualified bike to conquer the mountain road in Sapa. However, a cycling trip in Sapa is always exciting, and you will be impressed by the terraced paddy fields, the rich ethnic culture of local people. To join a cycling trip in Sapa, you should have some mountain biking experiences before, check the bike carefully.

Trekking

There is another way to explore Sapa which does not take you any money, it is trekking. You can discover Sapa and Muong Hoa valley at your own pace, you can stop at any place for taking pictures of terrace rice fields and local people. Trekking and staying at the local villages, tourists can also enjoy special dishes, chat with ethnic people and participate in special cultural activities such as singing, dancing.

If you have the opportunity to travel to Sapa, do not forget to miss the destination of Muong Hoa valley, interact with local people as well as discover the beauty that nature has bestowed on this land. And don't forget to book a Sapa tour in advance for the best price of your trip.

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(Image source: Internet)