Hoang Su Phi Travel

The same as the Ha Giang climate, there are two main seasons in Hoang Su Phi : dry & rainy ones.

Dry season – ideal weather for outdoor fun & local festivals.

The dry season is ranging from Novenber to early April, the climate is normally cooler down, sometimes chilly with little rains.It is the time of new year celebration & spring time so if travelling to Hoang Su Phi at this time, you can expect to take part in local ethnics’s festivals and contemplate beautiful scenery of blooming flowers in the region. Thanks to its dry weather, trekking is a good outdoor activity in Hoang Su Phi, but remember to bring warm clothes along your journey.

Rainy season – the one of local’s rice-terraced plantation

The rainy season is from late April to late October- the time for a new rice crop in a year.Local people have long lived in this land and formed their unique rice terraces on mountain slopes down to the valley to earn their living for ages.They make use of the rain water from mountain down to irrigate their stepped rice fields. Thanks to its beautiful rice terraces,Hoang Su Phi rice fields were recognized as the national heritage in 2012 and are the top factor that have attracted domestic & international travellers in recent years.Those are 6 different communes of breathtaking rice terraces that you should hang around while travelling to Hoang Su Phi : Ban Luoc , San Sa Ho, Ban Phung , Ho Thau , Nam Ty and Thong Nguyen- great treks to capture beautiful photos and witness the daily life of La Chi, Dzao, Nung, Hmong ethnics…who have created those heritages in Hoang Su Phi- Ha Giang.

The ideal time to admire the beauty of the rice terraces:

• Late May to early June when the fields are ploughed for the new crops ( falling-water time ).The stepped rice fields are flooded with raining water from the top layers to the bottom ones – the scene is like different mirrors reflecting the blue sky.At the same time, locals are doing their farm works ( ploughing with buffaloes, cultivating the rices, fetilize their fields) in the big group happily .In all, the scene creates a vivid picture  -so nice for photo hunters.
• Then the rice grow slowly – creating the immense layers of green color to the horizon ( from June to September)- so peaceful and pristine beauty that you may exclaim.
• Golden rice fields of breathtaking – that you can expect to admire when the rice changes its green color to its golden one on its fullest beauty (between late September & early October) – the best time for great photos of Hoang Su Phi rice terraces.This is also the time that the fields become full of life as locals in their colorful dresses cut their rices, put the grains into bags and shoulder them home through the valleys & mountains.Also you see children hanging around supporting their parents with the farm work happily.In a nutshell, it is great fun to see this harvesting activity & fullest beauty of rice terraces

Notes: Take a notice that it is beautiful to see the rice terraces but check the weather when you plan the trip to mountainous areas in general and to Hoang Su Phi region in particular in rainy season ( especially from August to October – the typhoon time in Vietnam). It is quite constant with big rains which may sometimes result in landslides – blocking the roads or hidden dangers on your Hoang Su Phi journey

Check the below table for the general idea of Hoang Su Phi weather throughout the year.

Hoang Su Phi’s current weather and 7-day forecast

HOÀNG SU PHÌ WEATHER

The area of terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi extends to nearly 3,000 ha and is scattered in most communes. Among them, the most beautiful is still 760 hectares of fields recognized as a National Heritage. They are in Ban Luoc, Ban Phung, Thong Nguyen, Ho Thau, Nam Ty and San Sa Ho. These places own well-known fields, along with the natural landscape of mountains, forests, poetic rivers and streams, adding more grace to the unbelievable Ha Giang loop tour from Hanoi.

1. Ban Phung Terraced Fields

Ban Phung is a commune located near the border with China. From the centre of Vinh Quang town, you have to follow a small mountain pass long about 30 km to cross the mountain to reach the commune centre.

Without wide valleys such as Cao Pha or Muong Hoa, terraced fields in Ban Phung are crouched on steep slopes. Along with Ban Luoc, this is the place with the highest terraced fields in Vietnam.

2. Ho Thau Terraced Fields

Ho Thau is a commune of Hoang Su Phi, about 16km from Nam Tich intersection. Terraced fields in Ho Thau of the Red Dao ethnic people. The people here have a custom: with a small clearing around each field to keep the land from landslides. Farming is carried out from high to low with simple labour tools such as pickaxes, harrows, shovels and knives. Ho Thau terraced fields are immense, high as the eye with rolling hills with a large width, regularity and little slope.

3. Thong Nguyen Terraced Fields

Located on the left bank, where the flow of three large streams converges: Phin Ho falls down, Nam Ong flows back and Nam Khoa bounces together to form a plateau on the middle of the mountain. Many people commented that Thong Nguyen was the place of “Quan Son – Tu Thuy”. Thong Nguyen is one of the most beautiful places to see terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi. It is the most beautiful part you can stop taking pictures is about km24 road from Bac Quang to Hoang Su Phi.

4. Terraced Fields Ban Luoc – San Sa Ho

Ban Luoc and San Sa Ho communes are mountainous terrains and moderate slope, so there are many terraced fields. Here, everywhere has terraced fields in the wavy shape and bow. Terraced fields here belong to Dao people in Ao Dai and Nung people.

5. Nam Ty Terraced Fields

Located on km 24 of Bac Quang road to Hoang Su Phi. Nam Ty terraced fields are also of the Red Dao and is one of the places recognized as Hoang Su Phi’s National Monument of terraced fields.

Those who love adventure, take a little risk, you can choose to conquer the mountain of West Con Linh to see the whole rice terraced fields from above as well as enjoy the fresh air and the majesty of nature. The journey may be longer and more difficult, but the landscape drew before you will make you remember forever.

The main type of accommodation in Hoang Su Phi are homestays of ethnic minority people. They run their house as homestays for visitors to admire the breathtaking sceneries of their homeland. Therefore, the price is very affordable.

Below are beautiful places for your reference.

Ecolodge Panhou Village

Punahou Village set up houses inspired by the traditional local houses in the Tay garden. Twenty-three rooms including their private showroom are supplied by a solar panel system.

Add: Thong Nguyen, Hoang Su Phi

Tel: 0219 3833 535

Nam Soong Homestay

Owned by a couple of Tay ethnic group, this is a pretty and tiny house located between magnificent mountains. They can welcome 15 guests at once; further, the owner is a great chef who can serve delicious local food that you have never tasted.

Add: Nam Son, Hoang Su Phi

Tel: 0374 995 234

Chan Mui Homestay

This accommodation in Ho Thau commune is home to a Red Dao family who is extremely friendly, keep valuable local cultures and serve nice meals and beds. The view from is homestay to surrounding lush mountains is just incredible.

Add: Ho Thau, Hoang Su Phi

Tel: 0355 891 217

Canh Homestay

The passed-down house of Canh homestay lies romantically in the middle of an imposing landscape. In this place, you have the chance to enjoy pristine sceneries and get to know the life of Black Dao group with interesting customs.

Add: Ban Luoc, Hoang Su Phi

Tel: 0834 844 926

Hoang Su Phi is a district which belongs to Ha Giang province, so these people share the same some kinds of specialties.

Fried Stream Fish

Stream fishes are deep-fried in hot oil is a must-try dish in Hoang Su Phi. A dip made into fish sauce, a little chili, onion and lime juice, the crispy fish with its tasty flesh attracts all who visit. Accompanying the fish are coriander leaves and basil freshly picked from the garden.

Five-Color Sticky Rice

This unique dish in the Northern mountainous areas catches the eyes of visitors not only by its colorful garnish but also the flavor. Five vivid colors made from natural materials create a perfect masterpiece of sticky rice. Those ingredients are Gac to make the red color, local tree leaves to create green, pureed turmeric to generate yellow, and Sau leaves to make purple.

Firstly, glutinous rice is soaked in water for 8 hours. After that, people separate the rice into five parts and each of them is mixed with one color and steam for hours. It is an important dish of almost all ethnic groups in the mountainous regions of Northern Vietnam, especially on festivals or special occasions, women make this special and interesting cuisine.

Shan Tuyet Tea

100-year-old tea trees with moss all over their trunks are grown at a height of more than 2,000 m above the sea level. The tea leaves get wind and fog for four seasons, sprouting valuable leaves used for people’s health. The region itself is full of extremely old tea trees although nobody knows exactly how old the oldest trees are. Green tea is kind of the lifeblood of the Northern region in Vietnam. It will be a cool experience if you have a talk over a cup of hot tea with locals and see how they process raw tea leaves.

Hoang Su Phi is approximately 80 km from Ha Giang city center. You can go to Hoang Su Phi with your own transport, public transport or a combination of both.

Per tour

Hoang Su Phi is very difficult to reach and for that reason it is not touristy either. There are no direct busses going here, so the best and easiest way is by tour. There are a number of tours going to this region. A tour is also the easiest way to explore this area, as you go often go tracking through the most beautiful terraced rice fields and stay overnight in local homestays.

From Hanoi to Ha Giang

From the My Dinh bus station in Hanoi, a number of buses go to Ha Giang every day. The departure time is usually around 8:00 PM, and you will be in Ha Giang around 5:00 AM. From Ha Giang you can arrange transportation to Hoang Su Phi; mostly private car with driver.

An alternative is to ask if the bus will drop you off at Tan Quang en route to Ha Giang City, and ask your accommodation in Hoang Su Phi if they can arrange transport from Tan Quang to Hoang Su Phi.

We recommend you check the latest bus schedule and price via rome2rio.com

From Ha Giang to Hoang Su Phi

You can choose to rent a motorbike in Ha Giang. You then drive via the QL2 to Tan Quang and from here you take the DT177 to Hoang Su Phi. An alternative is hire a private car with driver. You can either arrange this by yourself or via your homestay/resort in Hoang Su Phi.

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