Beyond Vietnam’s tourist hubs: A luxury escape to Mu Cang Chai’s rice terrace country

MU CANG CHAI – With Vietnam becoming one of the hottest holiday destinations in South-east Asia, many Singapore travellers have been to the bustling hubs of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, as well as tourist hot spots like Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An.

However, the mountainous north of the country near the border with China remains largely unexplored, other than the town of Sapa, known for its rice terraces.

An emerging spot is a rural district called Mu Cang Chai (pronounced “moo kang chai”) located about 300km north-west of Hanoi and about 1,000m above sea level, thanks to a one-year-old resort called Garrya Mu Cang Chai.

I visit the five-star property in April, which is operated by the Singapore-based Banyan Group. Arriving in the evening, I do not see much of the surroundings. But when I throw open the curtains the next morning, the view is worth the five-hour drive from the airport in Hanoi through winding mountain roads.

The slopes are covered in a spectrum of verdant hues, with some carved into terraces. While that is a sight worth getting out of bed for, the views that greet me in the following days are even more stunning.

Day tours and cultural experiences

Most of the best lookout points are accessible only on motorbike, on roads that are too narrow for two cars to pass each other. And sometimes the route veers off into dirt tracks. While it is possible to rent a motorbike to explore on your own, it is safer to go with a guide if you are not used to steep, winding mountain roads.

Another advantage of hiring a local guide is learning about local culture and practices first-hand. The population in Mu Cang Chai is almost entirely Hmong, a hill tribe that has lived in the area for generations. They are related to ethnic minority groups such as the Miao in Yunnan, southern China.

Our guide is 32-year-old Khang A Tua, a Mu Cang Chai native who started his own business six years ago after finishing his studies as a co-design student at Fulbright University in Ho Chi Minh City.

As the first Hmong in the area to enter university, Mr Tua stood out among his peers. He started giving tours to showcase his culture to visiting friends from the city. They insisted on paying him and he eventually obtained his tour guide licence in 2025.

He offers experiences such as a cultural workshop with local crafts – like beeswax painting and musical performances on traditional Hmong instruments – a hiking tour and a motorcycle tour.

I go on a half-day motorcycle tour (1,800,000 dong or S$87 a person) with stops to explore the countryside, visit a Hmong home and try my hand at beeswax painting, a traditional art form of cloth painting and dyeing that reminds me of batik.

Each of us in the group is assigned a motorcycle rider and given instructions on what to do as a pillion rider – hold on to the rider in front when ascending a steep slope, and grab the bars behind when going down to remain stable in our seats.

While the slopes appear harrowing in the beginning, I soon relax into the ride. It feels safe and my rider is careful not to go too fast or swerve unnecessarily.

Our first stop is Mam Xoi Hill lookout point in La Pan Tan, part of a national heritage landscape area famous for its beautiful terraced rice fields. Mam Xoi means a round tray of sticky rice.

Unlike most rice terraces I have seen in places like Bali and Japan that are carved into part of the slopes, the ones here wrap around the girth of the mountain like a stack of trays, ending with a flat top that resembles a helipad.

We are there before planting season and most of the terraces are dry, which allows us to climb down to the fields for a closer look. The terraces vary in depth, with most parts cut just a few metres into the mountainside.

As one of the more accessible photo spots in Mu Cang Chai, it is the only place other than the hotel where we see other tourists. It is also where we see the most local vendors selling handicrafts such as colourful hand-dyed scarves and braided bracelets. Some sellers are so persistent that they follow us onto the terraces, refusing to give up even as we trudge down the slopes to take photos.

From there, our motorbike convoy ascends to Dinosaur Spine Ridge. There, we walk up a long, steep footpath to reach the vantage point on a rocky peak, with a panoramic view of the rolling mountain ranges, terraced fields and deep valleys.

Home-cooked Hmong food

Instead of a restaurant, our guide Tua takes us to a place called Na Na Cooperative for lunch, which is included in the price of the tour.

It is a private-dining experience of Hmong home-cooking, accompanied by a home-brewed rice wine that is so strong, everyone demurs after a sip.

There is no menu, with lunch comprising rice and four dishes – a grilled river fish, fried Hmong sausage that resembles a ngoh hiang roll without the spices, pork slices fried with a local vegetable and fried beancurd cooked with tomatoes.

The cooking is simple, using neither strong seasoning nor the herbs generally associated with Vietnamese cooking, such as mint or basil. The focus is on the natural flavours of the ingredients, and I particularly enjoy the piquant tomatoes.

After lunch, we ease into a slower pace on a bamboo forest walk nearby. Perhaps it is our full bellies, but the bamboo grove proves so peaceful that after a short walk, most of us decide to rest in the cool grove, lying on the ground with eyes closed to listen to the soothing rustle of leaves.

Our last stop is to see a Hmong house, which we are told is typically built with its back against the mountain and its sides flanked by the morning and afternoon sun to avoid its rays coming in through the front door.

The interiors are divided into three main areas – the hearth where women gather to cook, a central room where births and funerals take place, and an area where men discuss the clan’s important affairs.

There is also a bed in the corner that Mr Tua tells us is reserved for guests. Any Hmong from another clan can stay with a family for free for as long as he wants, as long as he can provide his name and that of his clan.

He is, however, expected to chip in with the workload on the farms. Besides planting rice, the Hmong also raise livestock like chickens, pigs and buffalo.

Outside, two Hmong women instruct us on beeswax painting, which involves drawing designs on a piece of white cloth using a pen dipped in hot wax. After the wax cools, the fabric is soaked in indigo dye. The areas covered in wax are protected from the dye and form a white pattern.

It is harder than it sounds, but I eventually manage a simple butterfly design and get to keep my work as a souvenir.

Where to stay

The biggest reward is returning to Garrya Mu Cang Chai after the day out. There are eco-lodges and homestays in the area for under US$50 (S$64) a night, but Garrya is the only five-star accommodation in the area.

Rates start at US$220 a night for a villa, each with its own pool and views of the rice terraces, but the pampering and extra perks are worth it.

The resort has a comprehensive wellness programme, and room rates include activities such as yoga and meditation sessions with singing bowls and tongue drums. You can spend a few hours on hydrotherapy at the spa, which includes a rain mist walk and showers with a tropical storm setting.

My favourite part is resting on a warm ergonomic lounge chair at the end.

I also have a session with the in-house nutritionist and get tips on making my own isotonic drink using coconut water, honey, sea salt and various fruit and herbs, and take this along on a village trek conducted by the resort staff.

The three on-site restaurants offer healthy options including an egg white omelette and vegetable smoothies. There are lots of other options too, including an excellent beef or chicken pho from the breakfast buffet, BBQ meats from grill restaurant Charcoal and a range of Western and Vietnamese dishes at BZen Pool Bar.

Expect to pay between 400,000 dong and 550,000 dong for mains at the grill, with an American beef ribeye as the most expensive item at 909,000 dong.

Mu Cang Chai is not on many people’s radar yet, but that is a good reason to visit now, before the tranquil surroundings become more crowded and prices rise.

Travel tips

Airlines such as Scoot and Vietnam Airlines fly from Singapore to Hanoi in 3½ hours. Round-trip flights in September start at around $300, based on checks by The Straits Times.

Garrya Mu Cang Chai is a five-hour drive from Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport. The resort provides transfers by car at 1,100,000 dong a person for a one-way journey.

The property will also launch a helicopter transfer from the airport in September that will cut the journey down to 90 minutes. It is expected to cost from 37,000,000 dong a person and requires a minimum of eight guests.

To book a local tour, WhatsApp Mr Khang A Tua at +84-98170-5594 or e-mail nana.hmongvietnam@gmail.com. Rates depend on group size, ranging from 1,400,000 dong for two guests to 2,000,000 dong for a group of 10 guests.

The peak season for Mu Cang Chai is September and October, when the rice fields are golden with the grain ready for harvest. The temperature ranges from 18 deg C at night to 28 deg C in the day. The rest of the year is considered off-season, either because the rice fields are barren or the rainy weather from June to August makes it more difficult to get around on the mountain roads.

A former food journalist with The Straits Times, Wong Ah Yoke now spends his time eating and travelling. His trip was sponsored by Garrya Mu Cang Chai.