The rice terraces
Golden before the harvest.
Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Orrmaster — CC BY 3.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Muong Hoa valley runs southeast of Sapa below the Hoang Lien range, and its rice terraces, curving round the hillsides along the Muong Hoa stream, are the largest and best known in the whole Sapa area. Villages of Hmong and Giay people line the valley floor, and the classic walk from town follows the valley down through Lao Chai to Ta Van, about 10 to 12 kilometres of dirt paths and village lanes. The terraces change with the farming year: water fills them in May and June, the rice stays green through the summer, and it turns gold before the harvest in September and early October, the season most photographers aim for. In the valley lies the field of ancient carved stones of Sapa, boulders cut with patterns and figures whose age and meaning are still debated, protected as a national monument. The valley can also be seen from above on the Fansipan cable car. To walk it, go with a local guide and proper shoes, as the paths turn to mud after rain, and stay a night with a family in Ta Van if you want the quiet evening after the day groups have left.
Golden before the harvest.
Villages on the walking route.
Ancient carvings on the valley floor.
Southeast of Sapa, on the road to Lao Chai and Ta Van
The rice in the Muong Hoa valley turns gold before the harvest, usually from mid-September to early October. In May and June the terraces are flooded and mirror the sky.