Moc Chau Highland Trip

Moc Chau is a big plateau in Son La province. It is well-known for poetic landscapes with endless grass fields, huge gardens of plum and apricot trees and various flowers, immense tea plantations and large herds of milk cows.

There are many ways to travel to Moc Chau plateau, however, I think the best way is traveling by motorbike. During the trip, you can observe the poetic but majestic beauty of Moc Chau. If traveling by motorbike is not of your interest, you may get to Moc Chau by bus from Hanoi city, and then, rent a motorbike there. However, personally, I prefer to travel by motorbike from Hanoi because you can take time to observe and explore the beauty of Moc Chau along the road. The following are some of my travel experiences and tips when traveling to Moc Chau.

There are 2 main periods in a year when tourists often visit Moc Chau, including late Oct-Jan – this is the blossom time of flowers of kale and Da Quy, and Feb-Mar, when Moc Chau is covered with pink cherry blossoms and pure white plum flowers.

From Hanoi, take route 6, if you are an adventurous person, you want to take the old route 6. The route is of quite low quality. Though the journey might be rough, you can enjoy stunning view when taking this road. As the route passes Da river, you will have the chance to see some beautiful waterfalls and Hoa Binh hydroelectric dam, a famous place in Vietnam.

Traveling along the Old route 6, you will come across many villages H’Mong ethnic group and witness gorgeous gardens of cherry blossoms and plum flowers (especially in spring).
If you travel to Moc Chau by motorbikes you should spend 3 days there. On the first day, on the way to Moc Chau, stop and spend one night in Mai Chau (Mai Châu, a town in Hoa Binh province). On the second day, travel to Moc Chau and explore its beauty. On the third day, return to Hanoi and spend some time visiting some attractions on the way back.

The following are some famous attractions in Moc Chau:

Ba Phach village: The road leading to Ba Phach village is a bit rough, especially in rainy season. However, in spring, the 2 sides of the road are covered with pink cherry blossom. Heart-shaped tea hill in Moc Chau Vietnam Heart-shaped tea hill – an ideal place for taking photos

Pa Kha and Long Luong villages of H’Mong ethnic group are near route 6. On the way from Hanoi to Moc Chau, you will pass these villages. There are stunning plum gardens in the two villages.

Ngu Dong in On village is a forest with many caves. To explore the forest, you will have to find a place to park your motorbike and trek in the forest for about 3km before arriving at any cave. On the way to Ngu Dong, you should visit the heart-shaped tea hill. This is an ideal place for taking photos.

Dai Yem waterfall is on the way to Song Lap border gate. The waterfall is very beautiful, particularly in rain season.

Camera I used: Sony a7rii, fujifilm X100t, lens sony cz 35mm f2.8