Lai Chau is a mountainous province located to the utmost North West of Vietnam, 450km from Hanoi. Lai Chau has a dry and temperate climate influenced by dry winds from Laos. Due to the remote location and lack of good infrastructure in the past, Lai Chau was not visited much by most travelers. Even most Vietnamese tourists do not normally make trips to Lai Chau.
Lai Chau Travel Guide Overview
But Lai Chau is home to quite a few tourist attractions ranging from idyllic ethnic villages and ethnic cultures to sublime mountain peaks. The land is home some highest mountain peaks of Vietnam: Pu Ta Leng (3,096m), Pu Si Lung (3,076m), Bach Moc Luong Tu (3,046m), Ngu Chi Son (2,800m). Sin Ho Plateau (1,500m) with cool climate could be a hot-spot for ecotourism, trekking tours and relaxing holidays.
Rice fields at Tam Duong
Lai Chau Travel Guide, Tourist Attractions, What to See in Lai Chau
1/ O Quy Ho Pass (2,000m)
This is the highest mountain pass in Vietnam between Sapa and Lai Chau. The landscape is sublime and a motorbike adventure or mountain bike trip on this pass is just thrilling and memorable. Do not forget your camera as the scenery is more sublime than you could expect!
The O Quy Ho Pass between Sapa and Lai Chau
2/ Pu Ta Leng Mountain (3,096m)
A trip to Pu Lang Leng is certainly a serious challenge to your physical endurance and your will power. You’ll be more likely to give up most of the time on the way to the summit. Those who get there feel wow! They’ll be awarded with unbelievable landscape. Should your trip here in March, you’ll be lost amid an ancient rhododendron forest in full bloom. The adventure requires at least 2 nights in the mountain.
3/ Bach Moc Luong Tu Mountain (3,046m)
This mountain spans between Lai Chau and Lao Cai. The scenery is no doubt great and so is the difficult. Staying at least 2 nights in the mountain if you want to get to the summit. Lots of difficulties await those adventurous travelers!
Ky Quan San (Bach Moc Luong Tu) between Lai Chau and Lao Cai
4/ Ngu Chi Son Mountain (2,800m)
The mountain is right on the border between Tam Duong (Lai Chau) and Ta Giang Phing, Sapa (Lao Cai). While the Ngu Chi Son Mountain is not as high as other peaks nearby, but getting to the top of the mountain is extremely difficult due to the steep mountain slope for the last few hundred meters. The adventure can start from either Tam Duong or at Ta Giang Phinh. It is recommended to stay a night in the mountain as clambering the few hundred meters on the top is quite a danger and should not be done in the darkness.
The Ngu Chi Son Mountain between Sapa and Lai Chau
5/ Muong Than Rice Valley at Than Uyen
The Muong Than Valley (Than Uyen District) is the third biggest valley in the Northwest of Vietnam. Than Uyen is great for cycling tours on which you’ll pedal amid splendid rice fields and imposing mountains in the background. Roads at Than Uyen offer great landscapes around.
Muong Than Valley, Than Uyen, Lai Chau Vietnam
6/ Green tea plantations at Tan Uyen
Tan Uyen is 40km north of Than Uyen (Route 32) and 30km south of Tam Duong (via Route 4D and Route 32). The tea plantations are on low hills against the backdrop of towering mountains which make it a great spot for cycling and photography.
Tea plantations at Tan Uyen, Than Uyen
7/Sin Ho Plateau
With averaged altitude of 1,500m above sea level, the Sin Ho Plateau has cool climate all year. The plateau is home to 15 ethnic groups. Sin Ho has a lovely ethnic market at weekend (Saturday and Sunday). There are trekking paths through wild mountains and peaceful villages for those who love to explore new lands.
Lai Chau is not often visited by most tourists and Sin Ho is rarely visited even to Vietnamese tourists. The plateau is 60km from Lai Chau City and can be accessed either from Lai Chau or from Dien Bien Phu.
The Da River at Sin Ho
8/Phong Tho
The little deserted township has lovely mountains with Vang Po Hotspring (near Route 4D) and ethnic scenic villages. Phong Tho offers day-treks and cultural experiences at ethnic families.
9/ Ethnic villages
- Ban Hon (Tam Duong), 12km from Tam Duong Town, is home to the Lu ethnic group, the village is easily accessible. The villagers offer homestay and easy hiking, cycling trails around.
Scenic mountains at the Gia Khau Village, near Lai Chau City
- Si Chau Thai (Ho Thau, Tam Duong) is home to the Dao People, 6km from Tam Duong Town. The village is is located at 1,400m above sea level, at the base of the Pu Ta Leng Mountain. Expect scenic roads amid sublime mountains if you plan a trip to this village. There are families offering homestays here.
- Lao Chai (Khun Ha, Tam Duong) is 20km from Lai Chau City. The village is home to the Hmong perched on an elevation of 2,000m of the Khun Ha Mountain.
- Gia Khau Village (Hmong) is right on the outskirt of the provincial capital. The landscape is scenic and it is a relaxing experience to cycle or to have a leisurely walk on the village road in late afternoon.
- Sin Suoi Ho Village (Sin Suoi Ho, Phong Tho) is a Hmong community on 1,500mm above sea level. The village is at the base of Mount Ky Quan San (Bach Moc Luong Tu) with lots of untouched forests. The scenery is breathtaking and not many travelers make trips here. The village is 30km from Lai Chau City.
- Vang Pheo Village is a White Thai community in Sin Ho District (30km north of Lai Chau City). The village is at the confluence of 2 rivers: Nam So and Nam Lum with houses on stilts and lovely natural settings.
A scenic village road at Lai Chau
11/ Ta Lien Son Mountain
The Ta Lien Son Mountain is 2,996m above sea level on the border between Lai Chau Province and Lao Cai Province. AdventureGreen offers trekking tours to the summit of Ta Lien Son for 2 days, 1 night.
Adventure Tours, Trekking Trips, Things To Do in Lai Chau
1/ Adventure Travel
AdventureGreen.com offers adventure travel in Lai Chau with a full range of adventure activities: mountain-biking tours, motorbike tours, trekking holidays, mountain climbing tours in Lai Chau Province. On AdventureGreen's adventure tours through Lai Chau we can travel by car or bicycle or on foot. We stay overnight at local mini hotels or with local ethnic families in villages with idyllic nature around.
2/ Trekking Tours, Hiking Trips
There several opportunities for trekking adventure tours and moderate hiking holidays in Lai Chau. For moderating hiking, AdventureGreen offer leisurely hiking holidays to visit ethnic villages in Phong Tho, Tam Duong Districts.
For hard trekking adventure tours, AdventureGreen operates:
- Trekking tours to the Bach Moc Luong Tu Mountain (between Lai Chau and Lao Cai) for 3 days and 2 nights each from the mountain base.
- Hiking adventure Trips to Mount Ta Lien Son Mountain (in Ta Leng, Tam Duong District) for 2 days, 1 night from the mountain base.
- Trekking tours to Mount Pu Ta Leng in Tam Duong for 3 days, 2 nights from the mountain base.
If you travel from Hanoi or other places, please allow for extra time. The length of a trekking tour above is from the mountain base only.
3/ Mountain Biking Tours, Bicycle Trips
Lai Chau City
Lai Chau along with the Northwest of Vietnam offers great biking routes that are ideal for mountain biking. The landscape on ouor journey is stunning and we are far away from the crowds. AdventureGreen offers 6-day to 9-day hard adventure bike tours to the Northwest of Vietnam including Lai Chau.
4/ Ecotourism, Nature Tours
For those who love getting lost amid pristine nature and environment without exerting physical, mental endurance, AdventureGreen has a wide range of sightseeing tours, nature tours, eco tours for you to discovery the less-known land of Lai Chau.
How to get there
For travelers, the only way to travel to and from Lai Chau nowadays is by road. For local communities, there is an alternative by the Da River. There are several commuter buses between Lai Chau and Lao Cai and Lai Chau – Mu Cang Chai and Hanoi.
Road system in Lai Chau Province has been quite good recently, except for small provincial roads in far-flung mountainous villages.
Route 4D links Lai Chau with Lao Cai (via Sapa).
Route 32 connects Lai Chau with Yen Bai (via Mu Cang Chai)
Route 12 links Lai Chau and Dien Bien Province (via Muong Lay)
Route 279 links Lai Chau with Son La Province (via Quynh Nhai) and Lao Cai Province (via Van Ban District)
How to get around
To get around Lai Chau we can travel by local bus or by our own means of transport, the latter is better as local buses do not travel to far-flung villages.
Lai Chau Average Monthly Rainfalls and Temperatures
