When the Lunar New Year festival comes, Moc Chau plateau in Son La province is covered with plum blossoms, white rapeseed flower, stretching along from the hill sides into H'mong villages.
Along the national road No. 6 through Mai Chau – Moc Chau, you can see white plum blossom in villages of Pa Kha, Loong Luong and Phieng Luong, even through the window of a passenger car. Embellishing in the blue sky, green mountain and forests is the pink of peach blossoms. In addition, there are wild sunflowers or violet wildflowers blooming under the plum and peach trees, painting the plateau with the beautiful colours of spring.
In Ang village, nearly 5km from Moc Chau town, it is easy for tourist to ask any H'mong families to watch plum blossom or take photo free of charge. Tourist can rent a motorbike with price of VND100,000 per day and then cross over high and dangerous slopes to contemplate the overview painting of Moc Chau town in plum blossom season.
The roads to the pristine villages of H'mong ethnic minority in Ba Phach, Thung Cuong, Suoi Lin in Van Ho commune, about 10km from Moc Chau town, are very steep and dangerous, suitable only for adventurous travellers, but natural scenery is extremely majestic and poetic.
White rapeseed flower fields bloom under hills with immense white plum blossom. Tile houses with gray mud walls with architectural style of Hmong ethnic minority are scattered among white plum flowers forest. Visitors can easily join meals of Hmong families to enjoy cup of spicy corn alcohol and pork raised by local people.
Going to Moc Chau in this season, you also have the chance to enjoy many special dishes there. In addition, fresh milk, milk cake, Shan Tuyet tea and wild honey are local specialities of the plateau tourists can purchase as a gift.
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Two H’mong girls fetch firewood in the white plum blossom forest
(Photo: Tien Thanh) |
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Plum blossoms in the hill side in Loong Luong, Moc Chau (Photo: Tien Thanh) |
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A horse is wandering in a plum garden of H’mong in Ang village
(Photo: Tien Thanh) |
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White plum blossom in close-up (Photo: Tien Thanh) |
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Young girl enjoys white plum blossom (Photo: Tien Thanh) |
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A corner of white plum blossom forest in Ba Phach (Photo: Tien Thanh) |
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Charming scenery in Moc Chau farm (Photo: Tien Thanh) |