Mu Cang Chai | The best viewpoints in Northern Vietnam
Forget SaPa – this is where it’s at!!
Mu Cang Chai is by far one of the most scenic places in the world! I (Jen) even started crying at one point it was so beautifully overwhelming! So, although it’s a trek and a half to reach – Mu Cang Chai is our Number One Recommendation in Vietnam!
We jumped in a bus and meandered our way through Northern Vietnam. Our search for the tiny town that’s hidden amongst mountains of rice terraces had begun.
If we knew beforehand that the local bus didn’t have any windows or air-con and that the narrow roads curved and looped in every direction, we would have rather sacrificed our bums and hired a motorbike!!
Literally every second local was vomming into their springroll bag (including me). And yet, we were probably better off then poor Rudolph, sitting in-between this all with his long legs squishing between bags and animals. Ofcourse we could have jumped out the bus, but that would have meant Bear-Grilling it home, and we weren’t really in the mood 😉 .
So in realizing we didn’t have an option, we gave each other a nervous laugh, put our red flushed faces down and manned through it. 9 Hours of unbreathable air while horrendously nauseous can really show you how strong your mind can be, and your relationship! Rudi argued with me the entire way to sit in his seat which had slightly better ventilation – “because he wasn’t actually even that hot”, he insisted with sweat dripping off his chin, elbows and feet.
Anyway, we write this is confidence, because we would honestly take that bus ride 3 times over if it meant we could experience Mu Cang Chai !! And a part of us was thankful for that terrible local bus, because we didn’t bump into one other tourist the entire 3 days we were there!!
After checking into our guesthouse (which was so much more modern and beautiful compared to what you can get for the same price anywhere else in Vietnam), we went for sundowners to the above viewpoint. The next few days were filled with lazy walks along the rice terraces, long motorbike rides around the viewpoints (hired a bike there) and binge watching ‘Shameless’ in bed. The best “retreat” we could ever ask for!
We must have said, “this is the best viewpoint we have ever seen“, at least three times a day!!
The one day we went for a short trek. After researching a few trekking tours and discovering they were outrageously expensive (being in the middle of nowhere), we decided to do it alone. With the Maps.Me App you can’t really get lost? So we parked our scooter and started wandering up a narrow path. Now that we’ve done it, we really wouldn’t recommend wasting money on a guide, it’s very easy to navigate.
The trek starts here at this sign board
Along the path we passed a few very friendly farmers. But this one lady took the cake when she dropped everything in the field and ran frantically towards us. She was like a toddler who just spotted an ice-cream truck. So here we were on the top of this hill, being stripped and styled by a local farmer and her magically appearing dress-up basket.
Of course you can call this a tourist trap, but it was so fun, the clothes were so beautiful and this elderly farmer was beyond excited. She couldn’t speak a word of English and had spent her entire life up in these mountains. Having only encountered the odd Westerner once a week at most (we’re guessing), she read her market so well and came up with the perfect gesture. We had the opportunity to dress in very special traditional clothes from the area and she was able to receive a tip without so much as a smile. What a legend!
*I would just like to note that the female farmers FARM in these outfits everyday. So much respect for their obvious strength.
The views along this short trek were breathtaking! We could not recommend it enough!!
Further along our walk we bumped into a small shop/house. Turns out it’s the place to be for the local farmers in Mu Cang Chai. We were welcomed in by the owners and their children. Despite the substantial language barrier, they somehow figured out that we were starving and started cooking us a homemade meal. Rudi was offered beer while I observed their cooking techniques in the kitchen (I know right 😉 ).
Chilli bamboo shoots
We honestly felt like we couldn’t have had a more authentic Vietnamese experience. It almost felt like we had traveled back in time. We would imagine this is what SaPa must have been like before the tourist buses arrived. For a place this beautiful, we just couldn’t believe how we had it all to ourselves. *Just to note, we were here in 2017.
We would love to give you the exact coordinates of these viewpoints, but honestly it’s pointless. Every road and every corner is equally as beautiful as the next. So our recommendation would be to stay in Mu Cang Chai town, hire a scooter and just drive around within 20kms of each direction! And pack a tripod and lots of snacks.
The only reason we knew Mu Cang Chai existed was because one awesome human posted one amazing photo on instagram and just hashtagged “#mucangchai”. Ever since then we were searching for that exact spot (which also seems to pop up first as soon as you search Mu Cang Chai on Google or Pinterest)! And just as we were about to catch a bus on to SaPa, we found it!
Just drive along the road (as shown in the picture) until you see this river and big hill. Then park your bike and hike up to the top of the hill. Here we realized that this shot wasn’t actually taken with a drone but rather just some leg power.
We took the above picture from the top of the hill. But what we didn’t expect, was a 360 view in every direction. We ran the full circumference of the hill and just laughed in amazement of it all! *Just imagine this spot at sunrise or sunset?!
Watch our GoPro Highlights of Mu Cang Chai:
How to Get to Mu Cang Chai
Dont get despondent if travel agencies tell you that a) tourists don’t go to Mu Cang Chai or b) there aren’t buses or trains to Mu Cang Chai. Although it is not set up for travelers yet, locals do travel to this beautiful town on a regular basis. And after quite abit of research, we found the local bus.
From Hanoi
You can catch the local bus from My Dinh bus station in Hanoi to Mu Cang Chai. A bus leaves every half an hour starting at 7am. We arrived at the ticket desk at 7:30am and told them we want to go on the Lai Chau bus on route QL32, the bus passes through Mu Cang Chai before it reaches Lai Chau. It takes 9 hours and stops once for lunch. The price was 230 000 Dong per person.
From SaPa
It’s a 4 hour bus ride to SaPa from Mu Cang Chai. The bus leaves Mu Cang Chai around 7am and will pick you up anywhere in the main road when it passes by. The cost was 100 000 Dong per person. The bus will have a sign Lao Cai written on the front of it, so just stand ready.
The beautiful (for bikes not buses) road to Mu Cang Chai
Where to Stay in Mu Cang Chai
We stayed at Suoi Mo Guest House. When catching the bus ask the driver to drop you off at this guesthouse, it is along the main road near the end of the town on the left hand side. Unfortunately you cant book online, we just rocked up and they had loads of rooms available. The guest house is relatively new and we booked a room with a private bathroom for 250 000 dong per night. We arranged a motorbike rental through the guesthouse for 200 000 dong per day.
Visit our Vietnam Page for more on what to do and see in this beautiful country.
I would really love to know the coordinates for the route that you took and specifically the location of the place that you found with the view that is seen all over the internet of the valley with the river in the middle surrounded by mountains. Can you pin-point that location on Google maps for me?