One of the most beautifull scenery in your trip to Northern Vietnam is the golden rice fields during harvesting seasons in Northern Vietnam. During harvesting seasons, our rice fields are covered by mesmerizing yellow color. Tourists will be delighted by the yellow color in harmony with blue sky, white colors, green mountains and rustic ethnic houses. Here are some best places for you to enjoy beautiful rice fields during harvesting seasons in Northern Vietnam.
“Your face to the earth and your back to the sun” is our traditional proverb dedicated to the hard work of our farmers. Wetland rice farming is a prominent farming method in Vietnam. In Vietnam, much of the farm labor is done by water buffalo and seedlings are planted by hand.
Rice needs a lot of water to grow. The flatter the land is, the more rice farmers can grow. With terrace farming, peasants can prevent the water from flowing freely from the hillside. Soil improvement is involved in this farming method and usually done by men. It is crucial to make water flowing constantly in the rice terraces, especially when they transplant rice seedlings. That’s the reason why you see terraced rice fields in mountainous areas and paddy fields in Red River Delta.
1.We will discover Northeastern area of VietNam
Two best destinations to relish harvesting seasons in the Northeastern area are Ha Giang and Lang Son.
Hoang Su Phi (Ha Giang)
When you should go?
Star from September until the end of October
What you can see?
There is only one crop a year in Hoang Su Phi. There is a ‘pour season’ in May and harvest season in September.
There are two best times to Travel to Ha Giang– in May when the peasants start their crop and in October when it is the harvesting season. Besides Dong Van, Meo Vac and Yen Minh in this province, don’t forget to spend time enjoying breathtaking rice terraces in Hoang Su Phi. Hoang Su Phi is the home to many ethnic groups: Hmong, Red Zao, Nung and Tay. With their diligence and hard work, ethnic people here had transformed rocky land and dry cliff stones into fertile rice terraced fields 300 years ago.
The terraced rice fields in Hoang Su Phi were recognized as National Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2012. Coming to Hoang Su Phi, tourists will be mesmerized by staircase-like and vibrant rice fields in yellow bloom.
2.2. Bac Son (Lang Son)
When you shoud go?
Start from The end of July or the end of November
What you can see?
Bac Son Town is located in Bac Son District, Lang Son Province. It is about 70 kilometers from Lang Son City and 160 kilometers from Hanoi. The whole town is nestled in the heart of a large valley, surrounded by charming mountains and beautiful sceneries. The first impression of visitors when coming to this town is a pleasant climate, combined with unspoiled nature and adventurous trails.
Bac Son Valley is the area where ethnic Tay people cultivate their crops. Due to the terrain and weather conditions, people cultivate two crops. The time at the end of July and mid-November were the harvesting seasons here.
The signature feature of Bac Son rice terraces is that the yellow ripen crops are dotted with green ones. The reason is that each crop is grown at different times.
Bac Son attracts a lot of travelers during harvesting seasons.
3. Red River Delta
Different from the mountainous area, rice terraces in Red River Delta has its irresistible and alluring beauty.
Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)
When you should go?
Start from the end of May to the beginning of July
What you can see?
Tam Coc in harvesting season
Tam Coc – Bich Dong is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ninh Binh besides Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, and Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. With its system of caves, limestone mountains, captivating rice paddies, this place is considered as a ‘Ha Long Bay on the land’ and is a famous place for an ecotourism in Vietnam
During harvesting seasons, rice fields in Tam Coc – Bich Dong are filled with the brilliant yellow color of ripening rice, highlighted by the green glimpse of mighty mountains and hills. Sitting on a wooden traditional rowboat is the best way to appreciate the beauty of this place. Along the river’s banks, you can see our hard-working peasants harvesting rice, which is the signature scenery of Red River Delta during the ripening rice season.
2. Discover the beauty of Northwestern area
Northeastern and Northwestern regions are two best places in Vietnam for you to enjoy unforgettable harvesting seasons and take photos of our mesmerizing terraced rice fields. Compared to other famous rice terraces in Southeast Asia such as Tegalalang Rice Terrace in Bali (Indonesia) and Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao (Philippines), rice terraces in Northern Vietnam have a distinctive feature that once you visit, you will never forget.
Consisting of six provinces (Hoa Binh, Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Yen Bai), the Northwestern region is the best place in Vietnam for you to see golden rice fields. Harvesting season at the end of autumn is the favorable time to travel to this region.
Y Ty (Lao Cai province)
When you should go?
Start from the end of August to the beginning of October
What you can see?
Y Ty is 70 kilometers away from Sapa and you can visit this town on your trip to SaPa. It is said that travelers visit Y Ty for two main purposes: hunting the clouds and taking photos of stunning rice terraces. These rice fields are even more grandiose when being put in a background of white clouds, breathtaking mountains and pristine jungles. You can take photos of clouds moving over the fields, which you cannot find anywhere else in Vietnam.
Y Ty is the home to H’Mong and Ha Nhi ethnic people. You can visit Ha Nhi people in their unique ‘mushroom’ house. Unlike any stilted houses of other ethnic groups, this kind of architecture with a 40-centimeter-thick wall helps to protect people from severe weather.
Yellow autumn in Y Ty – Lao Cai
Ta Leng (Lai Chau province)
When you should go?
Start from September to October
What you can see?
If you find Sapa is crowded in harvest season, Lai Chau is the place for you. Ta Leng is beautiful in both harvesting seasons in September to October and ‘pour season’ in March and April. From the distance, the rice terraces look like staircases to the heaven. These jaw-dropping rice fields attract thousands of domestic and international tourists every year. Besides the rice terraces, you can visit ethnic tribes belonging to Mong people.
Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai Province)
When you should go?
Start from Mid-September to mid-October
What you can see?
The rice terraces are the symbol of Hmong people’s diligence.
Visiting Mu Cang Chai in harvesting seasons is a cannot-miss part of your trip in vIET In 2015, the prestigious American magazine, National Geographic, listed the golden rice terraces in Mu Cang Chai to be one of the most magnificent landscapes in the world. Created by the diligence of Hmong people, terraced rice fields have become their cultural heritage and represented their creativity and indomitable spirit over unfavorable nature.
There are many other attractions for you in Yen Bai, for example, Khau Pha Pass, one of the most magnificent passes in Vietnam and Tu Le town which is well-known for its delicious cốm (young sticky rice).
Mai Chau (Hoa Binh Province)
When you should go?
Start from May and June
What you can see?
There is a famous Vietnamese verse about Mai Chau ‘Her season of fragrance of glutinous rice in Mai Chau’ by poet Quang Dung, which perfectly described the beauty of this town during harvesting season. Mai Chau is an alternative to Sapa if you are short of time but still want to see our breathtaking rice fields.
Taking a short cycling tour, tourists will be thrilled by its rice paddies cultivated by Thai and H’Mong ethnic tribes. Lac and Poom Coong villages are the places you can witness the attraction of this town in harvesting seasons. It is tempting to try colorful sticky rice (xôi nếp nương) made by fresh ripen rice and drink can wine with the locals in their stilted houses.
Harvesting season in Mai Chau
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