Winter in the northern mountainous provinces is the season for cloud hunting with the "specialty" of white clouds that only appear in certain locations.
Lao Cai
Lao Cai is known as one of the provinces with the most beautiful cloud hunting spots in the Northern mountainous region. The most famous cloud hunting spot is Fansipan peak (3147.3 m), the “roof of Indochina” located on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range.
Bat Xat district has two famous cloud hunting spots: “Y Ty Cloud Paradise” located at an altitude of 2,000m above sea level, in Y Ty commune and Ngai Thau, a highland commune bordering the district. Tourists can also trek and camp in Lao Than, “the roof of Y Ty” (2,860m) or Bach Moc Luong Tu peak (3,046m) to hunt clouds and watch stars.
A little-known cloud hunting spot in Lao Cai is Hau Chu Ngai village, located at an altitude of 1,700m in Sa Pa, where you can see the panoramic view of the sea of white clouds in Ta Van valley, according to the Lao Cai Provincial Tourism Information Portal website. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Minh
Son La
Located at an altitude of 1,500 - 1,800m above sea level, Ta Xua in Bac Yen district is known as a "cloud paradise" with vast, endless cloud valleys. January - March is the best time to hunt clouds here, according to the website of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
Hang Dong, a highland commune in Bac Yen district, is one of the roofs of Son La province with an altitude of over 2,000m. The terrain here is like a giant basin, leaning against the pristine Ta Xua range behind, facing Bac Yen district located below the valley. The best time to hunt clouds in Hang Dong is from September to March of the following year. When the weather turns cold with drizzle and high humidity, it is the ideal condition for the sea of clouds to appear every early morning. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Minh
Ha Giang
The famous cloud hunting spot in Ha Giang is Ma Pi Leng Pass, one of the four great mountain passes of Vietnam, the road connecting Dong Van town and Meo Vac district. While hunting clouds on Ma Pi Leng Pass, visitors can also admire the emerald green Nho Que River winding down the Tu San Canyon.
Tourists can also combine trekking, camping and cloud hunting at the end of the year in Ha Giang. The peaks often chosen for trekking to hunt clouds are Tay Con Linh (2,428 m), the highest peak in the Northeast region and Chieu Lau Thi peak (2,402 m), the second highest mountain in Ha Giang, according to the Ha Giang Tourism Promotion Information Center. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Minh
Lai Chau
As one of the four famous mountain passes in Vietnam, O Quy Ho Pass has 2/3 of its route in Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province, the rest in Sa Pa, Lao Cai. Located at an altitude of 2,000 m on Hoang Lien Son mountain range, O Quy Ho Heaven Gate area is a place that tourists should not miss if they want to admire the sea of clouds covering the mountain peaks, winding mountain passes and terraced fields.
Long Ty Phung peak, over 1,100m high, is a cloud hunting spot near the center of Lai Chau city. The sea of clouds usually only appears in the morning. When the sun rises, visitors will see the whole view of Lai Chau city behind the curtain of clouds.
Sin Ho is a mountainous district of Lai Chau province. Although the road is long and difficult to travel, there are few places where the sea of clouds is dyed golden by the sunset like here. Tourists can travel to Mo village to admire the sea of clouds rolling under their feet amidst the mountains and forests, according to the Lai Chau province's electronic information portal and the website of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Minh
Yen Bai
Ta Chi Nhu in Xa Ho village, Tram Tau district ranks 7th in the top 10 highest mountains in Vietnam with an altitude of 2,979m. Ta Chi Nhu is famous as "the cloud paradise on earth". Coming here in October and November, in addition to the ocean of rolling clouds on the mountain top, visitors can also immerse themselves in the immense purple color of chi pau flowers, according to the website of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
The soft, silk-like clouds glide over the mountain passes and roll up to cover the high peaks, spreading out across the vast space, creating an endless sea of white clouds before the eyes, leaving visitors in awe. Photo: Nguyen Trong Cung
Lang Son
Mau Son is located in the high mountains of Cao Loc and Loc Binh districts with about 80 large and small mountains lying next to each other. The highest peaks are Phia Po (Father Mountain) at 1,541m, and Phia Me (Mother Mountain) at 1,520m.
From above, Mau Son appears with overlapping mountain ranges, interspersed with small narrow valleys. The “dinosaur spine” area in Mau Son is a steep mountainside with a trail in the middle, flanked by high cliffs creating a unique shape like a dinosaur’s back, similar to the “dinosaur spine” in Ta Xua.
From December to March of the following year is the ideal time to hunt clouds on Mau Son peak. In winter, clouds wrap around the mountains, descending to the primeval forest area. Walking on Mau Son peak is like walking in a fairyland. Mau Son is one of the few places in Vietnam where ice and snow appear in winter for tourists to explore, according to the Lang Son Tourism Promotion Information website. Photo: Luu Minh Dan
Cao Bang
Cao Bang has many mountain peaks over 1,000m above sea level, of which Phia Oac (Nguyen Binh district) is 1,931m high, the second highest peak in the province (after Phia Da mountain in Son Lap commune, Bao Lac is 1,987m high). The cloud season in Phia Oac lasts from December to March of the following year, especially in February when thick clouds appear over the forest in the early morning or at dusk.
In Bao Lac district, Phan Thanh “heaven’s gate” located at an altitude of over 1,000m is a little-known cloud hunting spot. On the way from Lung Na hamlet, Thuong Ha commune to Co Ba commune (Bao Lac), visitors can also accidentally encounter seas of clouds.
Luc Khu area of Ha Quang district is the “stone plateau” of Cao Bang because of the wild rocky mountains and the people’s lives associated with rocks. This is a wild cloud hunting spot that few people know about in Cao Bang. On early winter mornings, the sea of clouds surrounds the mountain peaks, obscuring the villages in the valley, according to the Cao Bang province electronic information portal. Photo: Nguyen Ngoc Minh
Dien Bien
With high mountainous terrain and cold climate, Dien Bien has many places where beautiful sea of clouds appear in winter. Near the center of Dien Bien Phu city, there are Ke Nhenh village, Na Nghe village, Thanh Minh commune, where many tourists and photographers come to take pictures and watch the sea of clouds. Further away, there is Tang Quai pass with a sea of clouds covering Muong Ang valley; Chop Ly peak in Dien Bien Dong district with white clouds floating on the mountainside; the area of Nam Po and Muong Nhe districts also often has a sea of clouds.
Early morning is the best time to hunt clouds, however the thickness and thinness of the clouds change over time and weather. If lucky, visitors can admire the scenery of clouds and streams rushing up to fill the valley, according to the website of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien province. Photo: Dien Bien Province Tourism Promotion Information Center
Tuyen Quang
Although not as famous for cloud hunting locations as Son La, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang also has some locations where sea of clouds appear such as Pac Ta mountain; Tuyen Quang Hydroelectric Plant; Na Hang - Lam Binh ecological lake; Cao Duong village, Yen Thuan commune; Ga pass in Tan Thinh commune; Thanh Tuong, Khau Tinh, Sinh Long, Thuong Giap, Son Phu, Da Vi communes.
The most impressive sea of clouds is in Hong Thai commune in the early morning. Clouds rise from the valley, spread over the terraced fields, and pile up in layers on the mountain tops, according to the electronic information portal of Tuyen Quang province. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Hai
Peace
Hang Kia - Pa Co Valley (Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh Province) is located between Xa Linh and Luong Xa mountain ranges. At an average altitude of about 900 m above sea level, the climate here is cool and covered in clouds all year round. Coming here, tourists often go to the "heaven's gate" area to hunt for clouds.
The sea of clouds in Hang Kia - Pa Co is lower than the view, giving visitors the feeling of standing on the clouds. The layers of clouds lie halfway up like a white cloth of nature stretched between two mountain ranges, stretching endlessly. At dawn, the scene of sunlight shining down on the sea of clouds creates a soft pink-orange color. After the sun has risen high, the color of the clouds turns to a fluffy white, surrounding the undulating mountain peaks, according to the website of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hoa Binh province. Photo: Pham Tu
According to VNE
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