MOC CHAU – tea plantations and ethnicity
MOC CHAU – tea plantations and ethnicity
Moc Chau – tea plantations, hilly valleys, ethnic villages, and flowering trees.
Moc Chau (Mộc Châu) is a district of Son La province and its capital is of the same name. It is a large mountainous and hilly region. It lies about 200 km from Hanoi to the west at an altitude of 1,050 m. It’s a very good stop between Son La city and Mai Chau city. If you come here, I recommend you stay a while in this beautiful area of tea plantations,flowering fruit trees and flowers.
Do you want to see flowering trees and shrubs in perfect contrast? Come in spring.
During the autumn and spring in Moc Chau its a tea tree celebration and the plum and peach trees are also blooming. For example, the plum trees are blooming in early February. Be careful before visiting the fields where these trees are. Due to the inappropriate behavior of some travelers you need to pay an entrance fee in some areas. Moc Chau has a temperate climate. The average temperature in the summer is 20 °C, and it looks as if the area has been painted in green colours. Spring is warm and it is the best time to visit. The autumn is a little bit cold.
You will see the breathtaking scenery of the large valley in the north.
The area is inhabited by the people of different ethnic minorities. A lot of the Thai and Hmong people live here but there are also other minorities are in this area – Dao, Kho Mu, La Ha Tay. The most beautiful places to visit in Moc Chau are the pine forest in the village of Ang, Dai Yem waterfall, Pa Phach village or Doi cave and Tan Lap Tea Hill. And, of course, green tea plantations and beautiful hills around the city. There are also several farms with cattle and flower fields. Moc Chau is a significant producer of high-quality milk and tea.
Accommodation in Moc Chau + Mai Chau
“The market of Love“ – watch the relationship introductions of ethnic people.
In autumn, the Moc Chau also hold their “love market“, which lures into this region many young Hmong people to give traditional gifts which have been exchanged for centuries, confess their love and promise that they would continue courting even into the following year. A few months before the love market, girls aged 15 to 17 prepare their colorful and beautiful costumes and boys play on the musical wind instrument Khen which they dance to. This instrument is created from seven or eight pairs of bamboo tubes. Recently, however, there has been a drop in the number of boys who can do this performance. Watch a nice documentary about the “Love Market“.
There are various festivals of the Hmong and Thai people in Moc Chau.
On Independence Day, September 2nd there is a large festival of Thai people, where you can see many interesting customs and traditions, or you can buy local goods. People from ethnic groups meet here in order to establish relationships and find a partner. The whole city shines with bright colors and music plays everywhere.
Another important festival in Moc Chau is the Het Cha festival. Het Cha takes place from 23 to 26 March every year. It is mainly aimed at a celebration of the new crop and food production in this fertile region. You can meet the residents of the ethnic groups of Hmong and Thai in the town. You can also go to Laos, the border is about 40 km from Moc Chau town.
How to get from Hanoi to Moc Chau:
From Hanoi to Moc Chau by bus – buses from Hanoi go from the Yen Nghia or My Dinh bus station. Mainly in the afternoon and evening hours.
You can also take a bus from Hanoi to Mai Chau (about 60 km from Moc Chau) – My Dinh and Ha Dong bus stations in Hanoi. Mai Chau is very good place for stop. You can reach Moc Chau with local buses from the town of Son La and Ninh Binh. There is no train connection in Moc Chau town.
How to get from Mai Chau to Moc Chau:
There is possible to take a bus/express from Mai Chau to Moc Chau. Some buses (also sleeper) go also from Tong Dau to Moc Chau, Tong Dau is about 4km from Mai Chau. Ask at your hotel/homestay for current timetable and another possibilities. You can also rent a motorbike in Mai Chau and travel on your own, nice and easy route.
Weather in Moc Chau:
You can see hundreds of flowering fruit trees and shrubs in the months of February-March-May. It is the ideal time to visit this area. The weather in Moc Chau can be a little bit cool in December and January.
➜ Current weather in Moc Chau
Accommodation in Moc Chau + Mai Chau:
You will find some cheap and good hostels and small hotels in Moc Chau. Some of them you will find on Agoda. Other possiblity is to accommodate in Mai Chau, it is about 50 km from Moc Chau.
➜ Accommodation in Moc Chau + Mai Chau
Places of Interest in Moc Chau:
• tea plantations, hills and pine forests
• ethnic villages in this area
• Pa Phach and Ang villages (Thai and Hmong people live here)
• Doi Cave
• Tan Lap Tea Hill
• “Love market”
• Dai Yem waterfall + Chiềng Khoa waterfall
• flower gardens
• Pha Luong mountain
• Festival of Thai residents (September 2)
• Moc Chau Happy Land
Moc Chau – tourist map:
Moc Chau – tea plantations, hilly valleys, ethnic villages, and flowering trees.
Moc Chau (Mộc Châu) is a district of Son La province and its capital is of the same name. It is a large mountainous and hilly region. It lies about 200 km from Hanoi to the west at an altitude of 1,050 m. It’s a very good stop between Son La city and Mai Chau city. If you come here, I recommend you stay a while in this beautiful area of tea plantations,flowering fruit trees and flowers.
Do you want to see flowering trees and shrubs in perfect contrast? Come in spring.
During the autumn and spring in Moc Chau its a tea tree celebration and the plum and peach trees are also blooming. For example, the plum trees are blooming in early February. Be careful before visiting the fields where these trees are. Due to the inappropriate behavior of some travelers you need to pay an entrance fee in some areas. Moc Chau has a temperate climate. The average temperature in the summer is 20 °C, and it looks as if the area has been painted in green colours. Spring is warm and it is the best time to visit. The autumn is a little bit cold.
You will see the breathtaking scenery of the large valley in the north.
The area is inhabited by the people of different ethnic minorities. A lot of the Thai and Hmong people live here but there are also other minorities are in this area – Dao, Kho Mu, La Ha Tay. The most beautiful places to visit in Moc Chau are the pine forest in the village of Ang, Dai Yem waterfall, Pa Phach village or Doi cave and Tan Lap Tea Hill. And, of course, green tea plantations and beautiful hills around the city. There are also several farms with cattle and flower fields. Moc Chau is a significant producer of high-quality milk and tea.
Accommodation in Moc Chau + Mai Chau
“The market of Love“ – watch the relationship introductions of ethnic people.
In autumn, the Moc Chau also hold their “love market“, which lures into this region many young Hmong people to give traditional gifts which have been exchanged for centuries, confess their love and promise that they would continue courting even into the following year. A few months before the love market, girls aged 15 to 17 prepare their colorful and beautiful costumes and boys play on the musical wind instrument Khen which they dance to. This instrument is created from seven or eight pairs of bamboo tubes. Recently, however, there has been a drop in the number of boys who can do this performance. Watch a nice documentary about the “Love Market“.
There are various festivals of the Hmong and Thai people in Moc Chau.
On Independence Day, September 2nd there is a large festival of Thai people, where you can see many interesting customs and traditions, or you can buy local goods. People from ethnic groups meet here in order to establish relationships and find a partner. The whole city shines with bright colors and music plays everywhere.
Another important festival in Moc Chau is the Het Cha festival. Het Cha takes place from 23 to 26 March every year. It is mainly aimed at a celebration of the new crop and food production in this fertile region. You can meet the residents of the ethnic groups of Hmong and Thai in the town. You can also go to Laos, the border is about 40 km from Moc Chau town.
How to get from Hanoi to Moc Chau:
From Hanoi to Moc Chau by bus – buses from Hanoi go from the Yen Nghia or My Dinh bus station. Mainly in the afternoon and evening hours.
You can also take a bus from Hanoi to Mai Chau (about 60 km from Moc Chau) – My Dinh and Ha Dong bus stations in Hanoi. Mai Chau is very good place for stop. You can reach Moc Chau with local buses from the town of Son La and Ninh Binh. There is no train connection in Moc Chau town.
How to get from Mai Chau to Moc Chau:
There is possible to take a bus/express from Mai Chau to Moc Chau. Some buses (also sleeper) go also from Tong Dau to Moc Chau, Tong Dau is about 4km from Mai Chau. Ask at your hotel/homestay for current timetable and another possibilities. You can also rent a motorbike in Mai Chau and travel on your own, nice and easy route.
Weather in Moc Chau:
You can see hundreds of flowering fruit trees and shrubs in the months of February-March-May. It is the ideal time to visit this area. The weather in Moc Chau can be a little bit cool in December and January.
➜ Current weather in Moc Chau
Accommodation in Moc Chau + Mai Chau:
You will find some cheap and good hostels and small hotels in Moc Chau. Some of them you will find on Agoda. Other possiblity is to accommodate in Mai Chau, it is about 50 km from Moc Chau.
➜ Accommodation in Moc Chau + Mai Chau
Places of Interest in Moc Chau:
• tea plantations, hills and pine forests
• ethnic villages in this area
• Pa Phach and Ang villages (Thai and Hmong people live here)
• Doi Cave
• Tan Lap Tea Hill
• “Love market”
• Dai Yem waterfall + Chiềng Khoa waterfall
• flower gardens
• Pha Luong mountain
• Festival of Thai residents (September 2)
• Moc Chau Happy Land
Moc Chau – tourist map:
Related news
- HANOI – the capital of Vietnam → What to see?
- NINH BINH – karst sceneries and historical sites
- SAPA – fascinating scenery, Hmongs and tourists
- YEN BAI – the province with great potential
- HA GIANG – the most beautiful place in the north
- LAI CHAU – Nature and ethnic minorities
- MAI CHAU – rice paddies and ethnic cultures
- HA LONG BAY – No. 1 tourist attraction
- BAC HA – Flower Hmongs and ethnic markets
- CAO BANG – an area of historical significance
