Son La Travel Guide

Son La has Son La city as its administrative center, about 310 km from Hanoi, bordering Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Dien Bien and Thanh Hoa provinces. The province also has a 250 km long border with Huaphanh province of Laos, with three international border gates: Chieng Khuong, Long Sap and Na Cai.

Located at an average altitude of 600-700m above sea level, with Moc Chau and Son La plateaus, Ma River and Da River, Son La has the characteristics of the Northern climate, with cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers. The dry season is from October to April of the following year, the rainy season is from May to September. Son La is located in an area that is less affected by storms but is adjacent to the medium-high mountain ranges running along the Vietnam - Laos border, so in March and April, Son La is affected by the foehn effect, so there is dry, hot Lao wind, the weather is relatively harsh. The average annual temperature is about 22 degrees Celsius, the highest is about 35 degrees Celsius, the lowest is about 3 degrees Celsius.

Move

From Hanoi and the northern provinces, travel to Son La by road via National Highway 6, National Highway 37 or CT05 (Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway) and then onto National Highway 37. Travel time is about 6 hours and 30 minutes. In addition to private cars, visitors can take sleeper or seated buses and limousines, departing from My Dinh or Yen Nghia stations, with ticket prices ranging from 150,000 VND to 350,000 VND. Son La does not have an airport. The nearest airport is Dien Bien, nearly 170 km from Son La city center. Travel time from Dien Bien airport to Son La is about 3 hours.

Hawthorn flowers bloom in Son La. Photo: Meo Gia

Accommodation

In addition to the large number of rooms in Ta Xua and Moc Chau, hotels in Son La are mainly located in the city center. Tourists can refer to high-end hotels such as Muong Thanh, Hoa Ban Trang with prices ranging from 700,000 VND to 1.2 million VND per night. 2-3 star hotels include Galaxy Grand, Hoang Gia Hotel, Hoang Son, Hoa Hong with prices ranging from 300,000 VND to 500,000 VND per night. There are also motels and homestays with prices around 200,000 VND per room.

Sightseeing

Moc Chau Plateau

Moc Chau is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the North, with fresh natural beauty, each season has its own characteristics. Coming to Moc Chau at the beginning of the year is when apricot, plum, and peach flowers are in full bloom. This highland is also a destination for picking fruits such as persimmons, strawberries, apricots, plums, and peaches. Wild sunflowers will bloom bright yellow around October, before the canola flower season. In addition, Moc Chau also has vast tea hills, Ban Ang pine forests, Dai Yem waterfall, Chieng Khoa, Nang Tien. For tourists who like to exercise, trekking to Nguyen Thuy village, Pha Luong peak will be a suitable choice. Son La Prison Relic

Son La Prison historical relic site. Photo: Son La Newspaper

Son La Prison is located on Khau Ca hill in To Hieu ward, Son La city, and was ranked as a special national historical relic on December 31, 2014. Adults and children over 1m tall pay 30,000 VND for an entrance ticket. The prison was built by the French colonialists in 1908 with an initial area of ​​500 m2. After three expansions, the area increased to 2,170 m2, including a row of underground cells 3m deep, 5 individual cells and 2 collective cells. The structure was solidly built, with stone beds for prisoners, cement floors, and a system of leg shackles along the length of the floor. This place is likened to "an open-lid coffin, just waiting for the prisoner to die and be buried". From 1930 to 1945, the French colonialists exiled 14 groups of political prisoners here, a total of 1,013 prisoners, including famous prisoners such as To Hieu, Le Duan, Truong Chinh, Nguyen Luong Bang, Van Tien Dung, Le Duc Tho, Le Thanh Nghi, Tran Quoc Hoan. Ban Mong mineral spring Ban Mong is one of the eco-tourism, cultural and resort destinations, about 5km from the center of Son La city. The road to Ban Mong winds around the hillsides, is paved widely, convenient for travel. Tourists can admire the beautiful natural scenery, fresh and airy air. The water temperature is always stable from 36 to 38 degrees Celsius, odorless, so visitors can bathe at any time of the year. The mineral spring is open from 8am to 6pm every day. Tickets for bathing in herbal water and hot mineral water cost 120,000 VND per person per turn. Son La hydroelectric reservoir

Son La hydroelectric reservoir. Photo: Son La Newspaper

Son La Hydropower Plant was built on the Da River and inaugurated in 2012. After its construction, the hydropower plant created a large lake with a length of more than 150km and an area of ​​about 16,000 hectares, which is a tourist destination. Taking a boat on the lake, visitors will feel relaxed and admire the wild and mysterious beauty of the river area. On both sides of the lake are stilt houses of resettled people, visit the market along the Da River, admire Pa Uon Bridge, participate in the traditional boat racing festival on the 10th of January every year, and enjoy river fish dishes prepared in the unique way of the Thai people. In Muong La district near the Son La Hydropower Plant, visitors can also visit Ngoc Chien commune, home to three ethnic groups: Thai, Mong and La Ha, with diverse and hospitable cultures. Ta Xua Cloud Paradise

Ta Xua, located at an altitude of more than 2,800 m above sea level, is one of the highest mountain peaks in Vietnam, in Bac Yen district, bordering Tram Tau district (Yen Bai). Ta Xua is 240 km from Hanoi, has a cool climate all year round, and is famous as a beautiful cloud hunting spot from October to April. Ta Xua's terrain is narrow, steep roads, with deep abysses on both sides. In addition to traveling by motorbike or car, you can trek Ta Xua peak, with routes of different lengths from both Son La and Yen Bai. Hawthorn flower forest Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La district, located at an average altitude of 1,800 m above sea level, has set a record as "The commune with the largest hawthorn flower forest in Vietnam". According to the Vietnam Record Organization, by the end of 2023, Ngoc Chien commune will have more than 2,500 hectares of hawthorn trees, of which more than 1,400 hectares have produced flowers and fruits. Every March, hawthorn flowers bloom white, creating a romantic scene, attracting tourists. Ngoc Chien also has a hot mineral spring system with an average temperature of 37 to 40 degrees Celsius, which is a special tourism product.

Phu Yen District Phu Yen is a mountainous district in the east of Son La, with the center being Muong Tac field, considered the third largest field in the Northwest. In Phu Yen, there are a number of places that tourists should visit such as General Vo Nguyen Giap's forest, a historical relic of the resistance war against the French, now planned by the local government as a protective forest with an area of ​​nearly 197 hectares. In addition, this place also has Noong Cop pine forest with an area of ​​1,300 hectares with thousands of pine trees over 30 years old, a green lung, attracting tourists who like to return to nature.

Cuisine

Pa Pinh Top

Pa pinh top (grilled fish) is a specialty of the Northwest region in general and Son La in particular. The main ingredient of the dish is fresh carp, silver carp or grass carp, which is cleaned and then cut open on the back, then stuffed with spices including ginger, lemongrass, herbs, doi seeds, especially mac khen and bamboo shoots of the cardamom plant inside, and rubbed with a layer of galangal powder and rice bran on the outside. Pa pinh top must be grilled over charcoal, when grilled, use bamboo sticks to clamp it to keep the spices absorbed deeply and give off a fragrant smell. The dish was once mentioned by American chef Robert Danhi in the culinary program "Discover Vietnam". Smoked buffalo meat Smoked buffalo meat from Son La is considered a specialty of the Northwest mountainous region in general and Son La in particular. The ingredients to make this dish are mainly buffalo or pork raised on the mountain slopes. When processing, local people filter it into pieces, marinate it with salt, ginger, chili, mac khen, and some other additives, then they will smoke each piece of meat over the smoke of charcoal burning from forest trees. The simplest way to eat buffalo jerky is to steam it until soft and spin it into fibers, dip it with cham cheo or process it into salads, stir-fries, and braised dishes. Chieng Mai duck Ducks in Chieng Mai commune, Mai Son district are famous for being a breed of duck weighing from 1.5 to 1.7 kg. The ducks have small bones, yellow skin, fragrant, sweet meat, and are soft but not mushy. Most Chieng Mai ducks are raised in a semi-free-range manner. Popular ways to prepare Chieng Mai duck include boiled duck, steamed duck, charcoal grilled duck, stewed with star fruit or cooked with bamboo shoots. In addition, many restaurants also prepare dishes suitable for children and the elderly such as sticky rice, duck porridge or stir-fried duck with lemongrass and chili, and roasted with galangal. Buffalo skin salad

Buffalo skin salad. Photo: MIA

Buffalo skin salad is prepared according to the traditional recipe of the Thai people, in which the most elaborate step is the preparation. Buffalo skin is heated over a fire to clean the thick hair and kill bacteria, then the hard shell is scraped off, leaving only the transparent part, boiled and then removed and soaked in cold water to make it crispy. The buffalo skin is cut into large, thin pieces, then soaked in hot water with a little lemon juice to soften and smell good. After preparation, the buffalo skin will be marinated with spices, with typical ingredients of the Northwest mountains and forests such as canarium, garlic, sour bamboo shoot juice and mac khen, then mixed with roasted peanuts, herbs, banana flowers, fern leaves and arranged on a plate. Mac nhung porridge Mac nhung fruit (bitter eggplant) is a green fruit and is related to tomatoes. Mac nhung trees grow naturally on fields or cliffs along the edges of forests, commonly in Son La. Mac nhung fruit has a slightly bitter and spicy taste, with a little sweet aftertaste. To cook velvet antler porridge, first stir-fry some minced meat, then cook with sticky rice and bone broth for several hours, add spices, seasoning powder, fish sauce, ginger, pepper and add velvet antler last. Hawthorn

Hawthorn fruit (sơn tra) is a fruit that many people love not only because of its low price but also because it is a medicinal herb in Oriental medicine with many health benefits. Hawthorn fruit can be used fresh, to make tea, soaked in wine, made into vinegar, helps to regulate the heart, relieve pain and calm the mind. In addition, hawthorn also has the effect of treating abdominal pain and diarrhea, good for digestion, according to the Trade Promotion Center, Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Tam Anh

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