Located nearly 200 km from the center of Hanoi and 4 hours by car, Moc Chau has long been considered one of the most attractive destinations in the Northern region, especially during the plum blossom season at the beginning of the year.
Moc Chau is beautiful in which season?
Moc Chau has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter with mild weather, and flowers and fruits all year round . In January, the plateau is green with budding tea hills, peach blossoms, plum blossoms , apricot blossoms, cherry blossoms ...
From mid-May, plums begin to ripen, people harvest plums, and sell them to traders in the lowlands. There are no flowers in the summer, nor is it strawberry season, but this place is very suitable for picnics because of the fresh air and many outdoor activities.
The ripe persimmon season in Moc Chau starts from August to December every year. Of which, the crispy persimmon season usually comes earlier, from August to October, while from October to the end of the year is the season of astringent persimmons.
White mustard season in Moc Chau begins in November. In December, brilliant yellow wild sunflowers decorate the plateau.
Plum trees are grown by local people in Na Ka valley, about 6-7 km from Trai Tim tea hill and 16 km from Nong Truong town.
How to Get to Moc Chau
Moc Chau is nearly 200 km from Hanoi. If you go by motorbike, you should follow the old National Highway 6 because there are many beautiful scenes along the way, but you should pay attention to your driving because the road is quite degraded. The distance takes about 4-5 hours.
On the way, you will pass the S-shaped road in Van Ho district. Most backpackers stop to admire the scenery and check-in at this soft S-shaped curve.
If you take a bus, you can choose routes to Son La from My Dinh or Yen Nghia bus station, then get off at Moc Chau with a high-quality bus ticket price of about 200,000 VND.
If you drive yourself, you don’t need to worry too much because the road is big and easy to drive, although there are many steep passes. Note, drive at the right speed and pay attention to the lane when overtaking. In the summer, the road is less foggy but visibility is limited when it rains. The section that can be foggy is the road from Thung Khe.
Accommodation
Moc Chau has many motels. However, to get quality accommodation during peak season, you should still call in advance to book. There are eco-lodges (with mountains, lakes, stilt houses) or homestay-style community motels. The price of a room is about 200,000 - 300,000 VND per night, but there are also many motels with lower prices.
Some suggested "chill" homestays are MAMA's House, Le Chalet du Lac, Fairy House Moc Chau, House By Lake, The Nordic Village, Moc Chau Retreat... Room rates range from 300,000 to 1,000,000 VND per night.
Top Attractions in Moc Chau
To explore all of Moc Chau, you can go quickly in 2 days. If you have more time, about 3-4 days is best, you will have more time to find beautiful angles to take photos or turn to famous neighboring tourist areas such as Thung Nai, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant...
Ban Ang pine forest
The pine forest is located in the Ang village area of Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province, 2 km from Moc Chau town center along National Highway 43. With a total area of over 43 hectares including a towering green pine forest, stretching over red-brown hillsides and a cool lake, this place has become a new camping spot in the Northern region.
Mu Nau Plum Valley
In early May, Mu Nau plums have borne quite large, evenly ripened fruits, not green like some plum gardens in Na Ka or Phieng Khoang. Because the road to Mu Nau is difficult to travel, you should choose a manual transmission motorbike instead of a scooter. If you rent a weak motorbike, you should only go by yourself. If you are a weak driver, you can hire a motorbike taxi for two ways. In the garden, you can visit, pick plums and take pictures, but you should not pick green plums to play with.
Motorbike taxi: 120,000 VND per person.
Entrance ticket: 20,000 VND per person.
Sunflower Garden
This is a new check-in point in Moc Chau, located deep in the valley, because there are no signs so it is difficult to find. If you go from town, along National Highway 6 towards Son La, through Km 106, you will see a slope going up. That is the way to the flower valley. In early May, the flowers have just begun to bloom, but in just a week, the flowers will be in full bloom and become a very beautiful photo spot. Entrance fee: 30,000 VND per person.
Moc Chau tea hills
The entire town of Moc Chau, Son La, is surrounded by green tea hills. Moc Chau farm (only about 7km from the district center) is home to green tea hills and vast grasslands. Another popular place is the S-shaped tea hill, a heart-shaped tea hill located on the way to Ngu Dong Ban On, about 15km from Moc Chau farm town.
Chieng Khoa Waterfall
To get down to the waterfall, you will follow a dirt road then come to the steep steps of the nearby water pumping station. After about 200 steps, you will see someone standing there collecting environmental sanitation tickets before entering the waterfall to visit and take pictures.
The locals here make rafts for rent so that tourists can take pictures or play instead of just taking pictures on the shore. Girls can choose boho style clothes, maxi dresses combined with accessories to have beautiful pictures at the waterfall. However, the path down to the waterfall is too steep, you should not wear high heels and go early in the morning to avoid the hot noon sun.
Environmental sanitation fee: 10,000 VND per person.
Parking fee: 10,000 VND per vehicle.
Raft rental: 30,000 VND per person, only taking photos is 10,000 VND per person.
Fairy Waterfall
Fairy Waterfall consists of 3 floors, each floor has its own unique features. The scenery of the first floor is gentle, with a lake as deep as an adult's waist, visitors can go down to bathe. To reach the second waterfall floor, visitors have to go upstream, although it is a bit difficult to go, but the result will be unique photos with the background of the waterfall pouring into the jade green lake. The depth of the second and third floors is quite large, the rock surface is also covered with moss, easy to slip, so visitors must be extremely careful when moving. The estimated height from the foot of the waterfall to the third waterfall floor is about 150 m.
From the center of Moc Chau town, visitors follow Highway 43 about 25 km, to the turnoff with the signboard "Fairy Waterfall 2 km", then turn right and continue straight to reach the destination. Also follow this road for another 2 km to reach Chieng Khoa Waterfall.
The best season to visit Nang Tien Waterfall is from March to May, when the weather changes from spring to summer. The entrance fee to Nang Tien Waterfall is 20,000 VND per person. The motorbike parking fee is 5,000 VND per motorbike, and the car ticket is 20,000 VND per motorbike. In addition to sightseeing, visitors can take photos and check-in with the wooden raft on the third floor, the rental price is 10,000 VND per person.
Dai Yem Waterfall
The waterfall is located on Vat stream, which is a combination of two streams in Vat village, a very old Thai village. Before reaching the waterfall, the group passed Ho Hen stream. Dai Yem waterfall is massive with a height of over 100 m, divided into 2 parts. The upper part has 9 floors and the lower part has 5 floors, separated in the middle by flat land, suitable for tourists to have fun and sightsee.
The special thing here is that there are many shaped rocks, causing the waterfall to flow into many parts before flowing into the lake. Therefore, the water does not flow loudly but is soft like a silk strip. The ticket to visit the waterfall is 100,000 VND per person. There are many restaurants and cafes here.
Grassland 68
A new check-in location that is loved by many young people in Moc Chau is the 68 grassland area. This is actually a grass hill planted to serve dairy farming.
To get here, find the Goat Hotpot 68 restaurant, turn left and you will see many grasslands. Note that before taking photos, you should ask the owner for permission.
The best time to take beautiful photos here is from 5pm onwards, when the sun sets. At this time, the sun is not too strong but still enough for you to have an impressive photo album.
From the center of Moc Chau town, you follow the direction to Tan Lap commune about 3km, to the 26/7 sub-area. Turn right onto the small road, go another 1km to reach the grassland. This road is accessible to all types of vehicles.
Primitive Village
The village is a new destination in Moc Chau so few people know about it. The village is located in Hang Tau valley , Ta village number 2, Chieng Hac commune, Moc Chau, with a very wild and primitive landscape as its name suggests. The village has 15 households living, freely raising buffaloes, cows, pigs, and chickens in open land but divided into plots or areas.
Note, to get into the village you should have a local who knows the way to show you the way because the road is very difficult to find and there are no signs. You also need to be a good driver and should not ride a scooter because there are many steep sections. But no matter how difficult the road is, once you get into the village, you will feel it is worth the effort.
Pha Luong Peak
30 km from Moc Chau town, Pha Luong peak is considered the roof of Moc Chau, located between the Vietnam - Laos border. From Pha Luong border post at the foot to the top of the mountain, it takes 3 - 4 hours to walk. Pha Luong is over 2,000 m high. The road to conquer Pha Luong is quite difficult, requiring the perseverance of those who really want to explore. At the precarious top of the mountain, you will feel the beauty of the windy clouds and sky.
What to Eat in Moc Chau – Culinary Delights
Eat
Restaurants and eateries are located along the town center on Highway 6. In addition to specialties such as plums, tea or milk, Moc Chau is also famous for its delicious food. Dishes not to be missed when coming here are fried veal, fried stream fish, various dishes of catfish, salmon hotpot, pork blood pudding, dried buffalo meat, vegetables with fish offal sauce or five-color rice.
If you want to eat veal, you can find restaurants such as Dong Hai, Xuan Bac 181, Nam Hung 70, Lan Hong 64, Be Quan Moc Chau... A unique dish to try is Moc Chau fresh milk hotpot . The broth is simmered from bones and vegetables, adding a moderate amount of milk to create a milky white color and a mild aroma, adding corn for sweetness. When the hotpot starts to boil, the layer of milk on top begins to form a cream, with a fatty and fragrant taste. This is also when the hotpot broth is at its best.
In the past two years, Moc Chau has also become famous for producing strawberries with quality not inferior to those from Japan or Korea thanks to Japanese technology. Winter is the strawberry harvest season at the farms with gardens full of ripe, red strawberries, with a cool, sweet and sour taste, and if eaten with Moc Chau yogurt, it is very "addictive". In the summer, after the plum season, it is the melon season with sweet pineapples.
You can buy tea, milk, hawthorn, corn, corn wine... as gifts from the following locations: 73 intersection near town, sub-areas 32 and Bo Bun, 70 intersection, peach garden intersection, Chieng Bi sub-area.
Coffee
Some cafes with beautiful views in Moc Chau are Rio Coffee & Tea Skyview; Doi Gio Wind Chil; Moc Coffee; Tom's Garden Coffee & More; Doi Garden Coffee & Chill... Average drink prices are 40,000 - 60,000 VND.
If you want to find a special space to take virtual photos in Moc Chau, you can refer to Lan Kwai Fong Cafe. The shop is modeled after a famous noisy and bustling street in Hong Kong. The shop is located at 165 sub-area 6, Moc Chau town. Drinks range from 25,000 to 50,000 VND per dish.
