All things to do in Ta Xua: an expert guide for your Ta Xua trip

Ta Xua is a small commune in the northern mountainous province of Son La, which is 240km from Hanoi. It is genuinely a new gem on the Vietnam Northwest tourism map. While Sapa, Mai Chau, and Mu Cang Chai are trendy for travelers worldwide. 

Are you looking for a signature Northwest trip with stunning mountain views, forest, terrace rice, and rich culture? Are you looking for a less-touristy place to roam the Northwest mountains? And then, Ta Xua must be on your list. 

Vietnam Mountain Stay is proud to be one of the very first travel companies to take travelers to Ta Xua. As Ta Xua is a rare beauty that amazes us, those who have been to the mountains in most of our travel life. Therefore, we are glad to share with you all the necessary information for a great trip to this new destination.

Interesting things to do in Ta Xua

Hunt the sea of clouds

In Vietnam, Ta Xua is famous for “cloud hunting”. The phrase comes from an unusual weather phenomenon in Ta Xua – the sea of clouds. It only occurs in high-altitude mountainous areas with dramatic temperature and humidity change during the day. Beholding a sea of clouds stretching to the horizon over the mountain summit is a heart-stirring experience for any traveler.

The truth about the sea of clouds

Many travelers wish to experience the sea of clouds. Yet, we call it cloud-hunting for a reason. The weather in the mountainous area constantly changes fast with very rapid cloud movements. To put another word, clouds are not available all the time. Thus, You can only catch the moment of “Cloud heaven” and “Sea of Cloud if you are lucky.

Where to behold clouds

You can witness it in the center of Ta Xua commune. The best place to “hunt” the cloud is “Dinosaur Spine,” which has a height of 1,400m and better vision. It is 12km away from the central area and takes you around 30 minutes of driving. The road has some bad sections. Somewhere are rocky roads, but it is not very uncomfortable if you are going in a car. However, the views on the way are just amazing, with hundreds of mountain ranges interlaced with rice terraces. You will have a chance to watch Hmong women working and children playing around small streams along the way.

Tips to find clouds in Ta Xua

I myself have tried to hunt the cloud at Dinosaur Spine more than ten times. My recommendation is to pursue the cloud in the early morning to have a bigger chance to catch the moments. If you meet heavy rain in Ta Xua on the first day, the early morning of the next day should be the “Cloud Heaven”. This is another tip I’ve learned.

Visit Be village to learn the art of Shan Tuyet tea making

This village is 6,5km away from the central area, nicknamed Village of ‘Green Gold’ on cloud-covered mountains. Its nickname is based on the main products of local H’Mong people living in. They plant the Shan Tuyet Tea for nearly 300 hundred years. The ancient Shan Tuyet tea forest in the village has been considered a Vietnam Heritage since 2019. And the oldest tree is 280 years old.

All Shan Tuyet tree has a rough trunk with its bark is covered with moss and ferns. Yet those trees have been producing fresh bud monthly which is the primary source of income of locals in this village. Because they are growing in cold fog environment all year round, it has an exceptional taste irresistible to drinkers. That’s why Shan Tuyet Tea in Be Village is always at the highest value in the tea industry in Vietnam.

Visiting the village, you will see the Hmong women harvesting and learn how they make buds dried. There are many ways to dry the tea buds nowadays. However, the most authentic is doing with bare hands on their traditional big pans. This way, the savor of tea is more much better with a sweeter aftertaste.

If you have time and budget, check out all parts of this village which is around 2 walking kilometers. You will witness the traditional Hmong house by Po Mu trees and the local daily life.

Admire the magnificence of the terraced rice fields in Xim Vang.

Xim Vang is a spectacular commune next to Ta Xua. It takes you 40 minutes of driving, 20 kilometers from Ta Xua. The road is semi-paved and winding.

If Mu Cang Chai is too touristy for travelers like you, Xim Vang is what you are looking for. You will visit an 82 square kilometers area covered by towering mountains furrowed with rice terraces. Besides, you also see mini versions of the legendary Mam Xoi Hill (Rice Tray Hill). It is a rice terrace with a nice round top just like a rice tray. The scenery is very famous in Mu Cang Chai, attracting thousands of travelers during the peak season.

Xim Vang is home to the Mong ethnic minority, such as in Ta Xua. However, this area is the poorest part of the Northwest because of difficult accessibility and lacking investments from the government. Yet the locals are pretty happy with their simple daily lives and very friendly with strangers. They are always delighted to invite you to visit their home and have lunch with their very essential foods. You also see their daily works such as buffalos herding, landing on fields, chopping wood, and gathering wild fruits. Their life is like what we can only have in the past. It’s such an enriching experience to explore life before modernity.

Besides, you can visit Xim Vang Waterfall and Ngam Hang Nang Waterfall on the way for some natural treats. They are the primary water sources for rice paddy and local here. If you love a picnic lunch by the waterfall, Xim Vang Waterfall will be a perfect place.

Trek to find the tranquil atmosphere of Hmong Villages and the largest rice terrace fields in Ta Xua

If you love trekking for a half-day or a full-day, you cannot miss the route through 4 villages: Ta Xua C, Chung Chinh, Mong Vang, and Be Village. You can start the trail from Chung Chinh, 01 kilometers from Ta Xua center, and finish at Be Village – the Shan Tuyet Tea Village. The trek takes you through many types of trails as semi-paved roads, dirt roads, rocky roads with constant altitude change from 1,000-1,400m. You will have a chance to see the real-life of Hmong on this route. You will also have a chance to visit wooden huts, traditional houses in each village. This route requires a good level of health and a local H’Mong porter not to get lost. 

Enjoy the best sunset moment in Ta Xua A Village.

You are in one of the best places for sunset in the Northwest. If you are poetic and romantic sunset lovers, you must visit Ta Xua A village. From the Ta Xua Center, you walk around 500 meters on the main road to find a semi-paved road to hike up to Ta Xua A Village. It takes you approximately 40 minutes to do 3km hiking up to the broadcast station – the highest point in the village. You will feel impressed with a fascinating landscape, the wild and tranquil scene of the town nearby while the sun is going down slowly.

Best time to visit Ta Xua

There are several periods of time you should consider traveling to Ta Xua

In my opinion, the best time to visit Ta Xua is the harvest season from the last week of August to the first week of October.

The second best time is from May to June. During the early summertime, people flooded water to their terrace rice fields. The rice terraces become huge mirrors reflecting the sky and the beautiful green nature.

If you expect to see “Cloud Heaven” at Dinosaur Spine with a bigger chance, October to April should be considered. What’s more? During this period, you can expect to watch many blooming wildflowers as peach blossom, Hmong apple, etc. Moreover, in November of Lunar Calendar (December or January in Solar Calendar), the Hmong people celebrate their TET in one month. It’s time to experience many unique customs as traditional games, making rice/ corn wines, Deo & Day rice cakes, etc.

It would be best to avoid July as it is the thunderstorm month in Ta Xua with heavy rain in 2-3 weeks, causing landslide erosion.

What to eat in Ta Xua

Ta Xua is the home of the Hmong people nowadays. A long time ago, they were nomads who loved to inhabit mountaintops. That’s why the foods mostly are the poultry they herd in a short time or wild animals. These make their cuisine quite simple, and the method ways mostly are boiling and grilling. However, there are a few things you must try in Ta Xua. They are

• Hmong black chicken (grilled or hot pot)
• grilled pork with herbs
• bamboo shoot pickles (gathering at a mountain over 1,800 meters).

Besides, you can try sturgeon and salmon at a farm on the way to Xim Vang. But they are not available at all times.

It’s like many other Northwest destinations in Vietnam. When it comes to Northwest travel, what to expect should be local touches, adventures, and breath-taking scenes rather than refined cuisine experiences.

Where to stay in Ta Xua

As a new gem in the Northwest, Ta Xua has very limited options for accommodation for foreign travelers. There are many homestays in the center. But they are focused on Vietnamese tourists or adventure lovers with a tight budget. All of them are standard, of average quality, and quite low in price.

However, recently, there are some new tourist lodges with nice decorations such as

• Nha Cua Tao
• Ta Xua Hills
• Lu Tre Ta Xua

However, as travel consultants, I have to say that their services are very limited. What you can expect is cleanness, a private bathroom, a lovely setup bungalow. Please note that all of the lodges are located on the hills. Thus, they are not quite convenient if you like to discover the surrounding area. 

Are you thrilled to discover Ta Xua – a hidden gem of Northwest Vietnam? I hope that this article will provide you helpful tips and interesting information about this new destination.