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Nestled in the far northwestern mountains, A Pa Chai is the westernmost point of Vietnam.
Being a small, remote village among the rugged mountains, the trip to A Pa Chai requires utmost resilience and a lot of effort. However, it will also reward you with the most pristine and majestic scenery of a tripoint where “a chicken’s cluck can be heard over 3 countries”.
Let us Asia King Travel guide you through the journey to explore the charm of this rather untouched land.
The view from Milestone No. 0 – A Pa Chai Milestone (Source: Nguyen Thuy Moc Nhien via Traveloka)
A Pa Chai is a village in the mountainous Sin Thau Commune of Muong Nhe District, Dien Bien Province. It’s located near the tripoint of Vietnam, Laos, and China, with a distance of about 60 kilometers from the district’s capital Muong Nhe Town. The name “A Pa Chai” came from the local Ha Nhi people’s language, meaning “a large flatland".
In fact, in the early 2010s, the village of A Pa Chai was divided into 2 smaller villages – Ta Mieu and A Pa Chai (new), with Ta Mieu then the actual westernmost point of Vietnam. However, A Pa Chai remains a collective term to refer to the area.
Another view from Milestone No. 0 – A Pa Chai Milestone (Source: VOV)
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If you travel from Hanoi, the way to A Pa Chai can be divided into 3 sections:
The road to A Pa Chai (Source: Nguyen Thuy Moc Nhien via Traveloka)
A Pa Chai is cold and dry in the winter (November – March) while being hot and humid with a lot of rainfall in the summer (April – October). Particularly, the mid-summer months of June to August have significantly more and heavier rain, posing a threat to traveling through the jungle. Therefore, it’s best to avoid coming to A Pa Chai during this time.
For the rest of the year, on the other side, A Pa Chai awaits you with charming mountain ebony blooms in March, stunning fields during the harvesting season in September, and beautiful golden tree marigolds during December.
Fluffy clouds blanket the evergreen valleys around A Pa Chai, with the mountains from afar (Source: Nguyen Thuy Moc Nhien via Traveloka)
The Milestone No.0 marks the westernmost point of Vietnam. It sits atop Mount Khoang La San at over 1,800 meters above sea level. The milestone was established in 2005 and has the shape of a triangular prism, with the 3 sides facing Vietnam, Laos, and China respectively.
The jungle road to Milestone No. 0 – A Pa Chai Milestone, now paved with asphalt (Source: VOV)
Milestone No. 0 is the most difficult extreme point to conquer. Imagine traveling over 1,000 kilometers from Hanoi to one of the most remote, untouched parts of the country. That’s the reason why not many people can make it to this place, making it even more of a proud achievement to finally reach the milestone on your own.
Standing at the milestone, you will see fluffy clouds blanket the evergreen valley, highlighted by small houses glimmering at the bottom of the mountains. On sunny days, the crystal blue sky and the radiant sunlight complement the scenery even more, putting a golden, sparkling glaze over the whole area.
The Milestone No. 0 – A Pa Chai Milestone (Source: VOV)
A Pa Chai Market, also known as Sin Thau Market, is a market held on the 3rd, 13th, and 23rd of each month. It’s located about 4 kilometers northwest of the A Pa Chai Border Guard Station.
The market is a hub for people living around the triple border to socialize and exchange their goods, including self-produced household appliances, food, livestock, etc. Here, you can find not only people from local ethnic groups like the Ha Nhi or Hmong people, but also the Chinese and Laotians from the other side of the border.
Yet, these people don't seem to have any trouble communicating at all. You will see them use gestures to communicate and trade very “professionally”, making a rare, lively sight in the area.
Vegetables for sale at the A Pa Chai Market (Source: Lu Hanh Viet Nam)
One of the specialties in A Pa Chai is the “pa pinh top”. Pa pinh top means “grilled stream fish folded in half” in Thai people’s language. The fish will be cut open by the spine, seasoned with Indian prickly ash, ginger, and lemongrass, etc, before being folded in half and grilled over charcoal. The finished dish will satisfy you with the tender, juicy meat wrapped in the fragrance of herbs and spices.
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Pa pinh top at A Pa Chai (Source: Lu Hanh Viet Nam)
For accommodation, you can consider small homestays in A Pa Chai and Muong Nhe District, with the price ranging from VND 300,000/room/day. Another choice is staying right at the A Pa Chai Border Guard Station. The station now has a separate section for visitors who want to stay a night, with the price of VND 250,000/person/day. However, if you travel in groups, it’s better to contact the station in advance so that they can arrange the room for you.
A Pa Chai Border Guard Station (Source: Tin Tuc Newspaper)
There’s not really an entrance fee to A Pa Chai. However, at the A Pa Chai Border Guard Station, you will need to pay a VND 400,000 fee to register for military personnel who guide you through the visit to Milestone No. 0.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the 10-kilometer road from the border guard station to the foot of the milestone is very steep, yet narrow and crooked. Thus, renting a motorbike is needed. You can ask the military personnel for the best place to rent, and each motorbike will cost you around VND 300,000.
That’s the end of our journey to A Pa Chai – the westernmost point of Vietnam. Very laborious, isn’t it? But is it worthwhile? Absolutely! And we would be really happy if this article helped you in planning your trip to this beautiful destination of the majestic northwestern mountains in Vietnam.
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