Tu Le Valley

Located in Van Chan District, Yen Bai Province, Vietnam, Tu Le is a mountainous small village nestled among three large hills Khau Song, Khau Than, and Khau Pha. This is an ideal place to escape from the rustic modern life and immerse in the natural world and pristine landscapes.

Tu Le Valley - A hidden gem in the Northwest (Source: Trang thong tin dien tu Xa Tu Le)

Best time to visit Tu Le Valley

There are two suggested occasions. The first one is the water-pouring season around May and June. During this time, terraced paddy fields are filled with water and look like a magic mirror reflecting the beautiful sky in the middle of the Northwest mountains and forests. 

Otherwise, tourists can visit Tu Le Valley in September and October, when the harvest time comes. Yellow ripe paddy fields create a picturesque landscape that lures every eyesight.  

Fertile paddy fields in Tu Le Valley (Source: Trang thong tin dien tu Xa Tu Le)

How to get there

Tu Le Valley is about 250 km from Hanoi, 6 hours by car. You should set off early in the morning to save time and have lunch when you arrive.

Tourists using private cars can follow the Hanoi - Lao Cai Highway, enter Yen Bai City, and continue in the direction of Nghia Lo Commune. However, this route is considered farther, and some roads are bad. Another more popular route that motorbikes can also go is the Lang Hoa Lac - Son Tay - Ba Vi - Trung Ha Bridge Highway in the direction of National Highway 32 through Thanh Son, Van Chan to Nghia Lo.

From Nghia Lo to Tu Le Valley is about 50 km. Tourists can use a car/motorbike/taxi to explore Tu Le. Or you can go trekking to see the scenery along the way.

There are several options for tourists to go to Tu Le Valley (Source: Trang thong tin dien tu Xa Tu Le)

You may like: Vietnam Short Trips

What to do in Tu Le Valley

Watch the sunrise

Early in the morning, visitors can wake up very early to watch the sunrise. The sun from the hillside spreads its golden light down the valley, blending with the misty clouds that gradually disappear to give way to the pristine sunlight. During the flood season or the harvest time, the dawn will adorn the landscape of Tu Le.

The sunrise adds to the sparkle and clarity of Tu Le Valley (Source: Shutterstock)

Enjoy the ripe rice scene

If arriving on the ripe rice season, tourists can try this interesting activity. Standing in the middle of the field, glowy golden rice shined by the sunlight, along with the faint scent of ripe rice will bring a sense of comfort and peace to the soul.

Ripe rice season in Tu Le (Source: Shutterstock)

Visit Tien Nu Cave

According to a famous tale of Thai ethnic people, 300 years ago, fairies from the Khau Pha Heaven Gate went to the mortal world to admire the beautiful scenery and stopped to bathe in Nam Lung and Nam Hon streams on the Tu Le fields. The cave where the fairies changed their clothes is called Tien Nu Cave (Fairy Cave). 

Stalactites in various shapes (Source: Du lich Tay Bac)

It is said that a cloud of white smoke will come out of the cave on the lunar December 30 every year, and that is when the fairies descend to Earth. Tien Nu Cave is near the Tu Le commune center. Tourists can go there to see stalactites in various shapes. The ticket price is VND 50,000 for adults, and free for kids under 12 years old. 

Do sightseeing from Khau Pha Pass

Khau Pha is a winding pass and one of the four great mountain passes. Compared to the three other ones, Khau Pha is the easiest to travel. According to the Thai ethnic language, Khau Pha means “Horn of Heaven” because the pass is often covered in mist and the mountain peak seems to rise above the sea of ​​clouds.

Standing at Khau Pha Pass feels like being lost in a vast of clouds (Source: Shutterstock)

Khau Pha Pass is an ideal place to ‘hunt clouds’. It is about 30km long and passes through many famous places such as Tu Le Valley, La Pan Tan, Mu Cang Chai, etc. For many years, it has been chosen as the venue for the paragliding festival ‘Flying over the golden season of Mu Cang Chai’.

Visit ethnic villages

Tourists can also visit Lim Thai and Lim Mong villages, 3 km from Tu Le, to learn more about the life and culture of the highland people. These two villages are considered to have the most beautiful scenery in Yen Bai. During flooding season, the red dirt road to Lim Mong village will be slippery, but in return is the impressive scenery of terraced fields on both sides.

Picturesque villages (Source: MIA.vn)

Try thrilling activities

Nuoc Nong village, Tu Le commune has an adventure playground for visitors to conquer thrilling games such as zipline, mountain climbing, and high rope swinging. In particular, the more than 1 km long zipline allows visitors to enjoy the scenery along the Van Chan - Mu Cang Chai route.

Zipline is an interesting way to do sightseeing (Source: tinh te)

Enjoy Northwestern Specialties

The aroma of sticky rice and green rice under the skillful hands of the people has created specialties that you will remember forever. There are some suggested dishes: Tu Le sticky rice, Grilled meat, Buffalo jerky, Stream fish, Black chicken, and especially young rice. 

Young rice - A specialty in Tu Le Valley (Source: Shutterstock)

Conclusion

With many interesting activities, Tu Le Valley promises to bring extremely new feelings and experiences to visitors. Are you ready to explore this beautiful land? Let Asia King Travel help plan your wonderful trip right now! 

You may like: Vietnam Tour 5 Days