Moc Chau

Springtime beauty in Moc Chau

After a stretch of cold winter days, when the weather starts to warm up again, the plum gardens of Moc Chau begin to bloom. Then, on a sunny day in early spring, the whole Moc Chau plateau will suddenly be transformed with a thick covering of pristine white colored plum blossoms.

It’s a poetic and charming springtime scene that will amaze first time visitors. The plum flowers always bloom in thick clusters, the fragile petals embracing yellow pistil. The petals are so fragile that even a strong wind can blow them into the air. Traditionally, the beauty of plum blossoms has been compared to the beauty of a young woman - pure, virginal, and difficult to touch.

When a morning fog descends and covers the plateau, the white plum blossoms bring a wild but radiant beauty to the entire landscape. By the time the first golden rays of sunshine begin to stretch across the plateau, the pristine white plum blossoms’s beauty and vitality burst out, complimenting the blue sky above, and the northwestern mountains and forests all around.

At this magical time of year, soon the whole valley of Na Ka in Moc Chau will be changing into its "spring clothes". Na Ka is definitely home to the largest concentration of plum blossoms in Moc Chau but you will also find beautiful plum blossoms in Phieng Canh village in Tan Lap commune, Pa Khen in Nong Truong town and Mu Nau valley by Moc Chau town.

About 5km from the center of Moc Chau town, Mu Nau valley is also a destination you should not miss as there are hundreds of perennial plum trees whose petals here seem even thicker and more beautiful than plum trees in other places. Mu Nau plum valley feels like the spiritual heart of Moc Chau with 200ha of primeval forest. There you will find 25-year-old plum trees, 40-year-old apricot trees, and many other ancient trees, all of which combine to create a deeply poetic atmosphere.

Visiting Moc Chau on a beautiful spring day, riding away from the village, and through the fields, you will see both sides of the national highway run down into deep gorges. Wherever you are, you will be immersed not just in the poetic colors all around you but also the fragrant scents that waft out of the plum and apricot blossoms! Coming to Moc Chau during the plum blossom season, besides admiring the lyrical and poetic scenery, you will also have a wonderful opportunity to experience the springtime and Tet traditions of Mong people.

Mong people celebrate their own New Year following the H'Mong calendar, rather than the Lunar New Year calendar of the Kinh people. You can participate in traditional games and activities, such as trying your hand at spinning tops, playing ném pao (a kind of ball sport), watching the "umbrella dance" and hearing people play the khèn (pan-pipes).

I promise that you will be smitten in this charming land with its abundance of white colored plum blossoms and pink coloured peach blossoms, which are also the vibrant colors of the flattened dresses worn by H'Mong women, who also adorn their dresses with silver coins that tinkle as they walk around on spring days.

If you are a fan of photography, you will want to glue your feet to the ground of the plum forest. In the midst of a forest of white flowers, whatever color clothes you wear, you will stand out! However, if you do want to get "into character" and match your surroundings, there is also an ethnic clothing rental service, from which you (or your travelling companion) can rent an ethnic costume. Entrance to the plum gardens costs just VND20,000 dong/person. With its enchanting beauty in springtime, plum blossoms attract a huge number of tourists. In 2018, in the Mu Nau valley, there was a “check-in fever” as many young travellers came here to capture the scenes on their cameras and phones.

So if you want to see the plum and apricot blossoms of Moc Chau with your own eyes, now is the time to pack your bags and go! The plum trees will blossom for two to three weeks, which gives you a good window of opportunity.

In  addition  to  the  plum  blossoms, considered to be the symbols of Moc Chau, there are also brilliant mustard gardens and green tea hills, which are also great places for visitors to take photos. It can be said that Moc Chau is the easiest place to take beautiful portraits or selfies as you can literally stand anywhere and you will most certainly have a beautiful background. To capture the perfect photo, all you and your friends have to do is smile!

By: Bich Nguyen - Photo: Thuy Ho