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I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience!

Tripoto
By Divya Shirodkar

It was the end of September, 5 of us friends and one kid , decided to travel through Vietnam. All of us have heard of the famous places to visit like Hanoi, HochiMinh, Halong bay and Hoi An. However, we found this gorgeous district named Mu Cang Cai which fascinated us so much!

Evenings at Mu cang cai

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Mu Cang Chai City Center

Photo of Mu Cang Chai City Center, Mù Cang Chải by Divya Shirodkar
Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Vietnam is known for its vast lush green rice terraces. However, many of these villages have become commercial and crowded. Therefore we chose to see this offbeat location called Mu Cang Cai district, which has such large rice fields, your eyes will cool down watching the greens.

Mu Cang Cai is at an elevation , and hence has a lovely pleasant weather unlike the rest of the country. The harvest season starts end of August - early September, and we hoped we got a view of the thick flora!

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Kids playing at golden hour.

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Father ( rice farmer) reading with his son at golden hour after a heavy days work

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

How to get to MU CANG CAI?

There are sleeper buses from Hanoi that head here, but if you are group of 3-4 persons, highly recommend a taxi service. It is about 300 kms and any time convenient with the taxi driver who will also take you around within the district.

Here are the top 10 points to note while visiting this place- Mu Cang Cai

1. Ensure one of you has a local sim, and has Google translate, as no one can speak English in this district.

2. The villages you cross have limited food options and getting anything vegetarian here will be a challenge.

3. It is always good to have your driver and car, as public transportation from your home stay to the fields will be as good as none. Hence the driver you bring along, can take you places. Also he will know some English and will help in translation.

4. There are no major Hotels here. This village has mostly home stays and basic rooms almost like a dorm, with a common bathroom.

5. Its best to pack some food from the city like junk or fruits and come. This place has very few options and most of them have a strong flavor of MSG and many may not like the taste of it.

6. Its colder than the rest of the country. Do carry your warm wear.

7. The best time to visit is mid September. Post that most of the crops are harvested and the fields look more brown than green.

8. There is local alcohol that is easily available, however only your homestay owner will know how to source it and if you like some experimentation, you must try this. It gives no hang over, but gets you inebriated in a couple of shots. ( personal experience!)

9. Villagers sleep very early here, so all your dinner is cooked by evening and served and cleared by 10 pm.

10. Most of the meat here is cooked with skin on. If you are like me who hates meat skin, then all the best!

Peek a Boo between the rice paddy ribbons

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Collecting wild forage for home

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Concentric lay out of terrace fields of rice!

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Rice storage homes

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Different ages of the rice field ribbons

Photo of I visited offbeat rice paddy fields in Vietnam called Mu Cang Cai- here is my experience! by Divya Shirodkar

Do comment if you need further leads on this offbeat must see location in Vietnam!