Moc Chau is a green plateau of tea terraces, waterfalls, dairy farms and seasonal flower valleys, four to five hours west of Hanoi. These are the places worth the journey, and the times of day to see them.
Moc Chau is a highland plateau about 180km (110 miles) west of Hanoi, sitting at roughly 1,050m (3,450ft) and staying cool while the lowlands swelter. Most of the things to do in Moc Chau are outdoors, spread widely across farmland, and best in the first two hours of daylight. It rewards a slow morning far more than a packed schedule, so this is a shortlist rather than a catalogue, with a note on when each place is at its best.
Walk the tea hills at first light
The tea terraces are the signature of the plateau, planted in curving rows that follow the contours to the horizon. The most photographed of them is the heart-shaped hill, cut into the shape of a heart and best appreciated from the slope above it. Entry to the tea areas is a token amount, an estimated 10,000-20,000d, and stalls at the gate rent dresses, umbrellas and bicycles for photographs. Come between about 6am and 8am, when mist still hangs between the rows and the light is soft. By mid-morning the sun is hard and the parking area is full.
Na Ka plum valley and the seasonal flower fields
Na Ka is a valley of plum orchards that turns white with blossom in late January and February, and heavy with fruit in May and June, when the growers will sell you a basket and let you pick. Beyond it, the plateau grows a rotating cast of flowers on a scale that is genuinely strange to walk into.
- Plum and apricot blossom: white across the valleys, late January to mid-February
- Canola and white mustard fields: November into early December, on the slopes around Ba Phach and Ban Ang
- Wild sunflower, a tall yellow daisy: along the highway and village lanes, October and November
- Rose gardens, buckwheat and sunflower plots: planted seasonally, usually with a small entry fee
Dai Yem waterfall and the glass walkway
Dai Yem drops about 100m in a series of tiers, and it is a different sight depending on when you come: full and loud from April to September when the rains feed it, reduced to a thin white ribbon in the dry months. Entry is a small ticket, an estimated 20,000-50,000d (well under US$2). A glass walkway near the falls has been built for people who want the vertigo, priced separately at a few hundred thousand dong, roughly US$8-20.
Ban Ang pine forest
A stand of pines around a small lake on the edge of a Thai village, and the plateau's default picnic and camping spot. It takes an hour to wander and costs almost nothing, and it is the place to go when you want to sit down rather than photograph something. Weekends bring local families and their barbecues, which is part of the appeal.
Caves, and a hard walk for those who want one
The Bat Cave, also called Son Moc Huong, sits right by the town and is a short, well-lit walk past stalactites, worth thirty minutes rather than a morning. The five caves at Ban On are a quieter alternative. For anyone who wants to earn the view, Pha Luong is a demanding climb up toward the Lao border, rewarded on a clear morning with cloud filling the valleys below. It needs an early start, a reasonable level of fitness and a local guide.
Dairy farms, which is not a sentence you write about most of Vietnam
Moc Chau is Vietnam's best-known dairy region, and the farms on the plateau are open to visitors. You can see the herds, follow how the milk is handled and drink it fresh at the source, which is the point rather than the process. Children tend to find this the highlight of the trip.
Villages and highland markets
Pa Phach is a Hmong village on the slopes above town, reached by a steep track, where households grow flowers among the houses and the everyday rhythm continues around visitors. Thai villages sit lower down. If your dates coincide with a highland market day, go: it is where people from the surrounding hills actually come to trade, and it is the least staged thing on the plateau.
Nothing here is within walking distance of anything else. The tea hills, the waterfall, the villages and the farms are spread across a wide plateau with no bus between them, so sort out transport before you plan a day. Rent a motorbike for an estimated 120,000-200,000d a day if you ride confidently, and hire a car with a driver if you do not.
Eat while you are here
- Bê chao, the local specialty: milk-fed veal cut into pieces and flash-fried with ginger and lemongrass, served with a ginger dipping sauce
- Fresh milk and yogurt straight from the dairy region, sold everywhere and taken home by the boxful
- Salmon and sturgeon raised in the cold streams, usually served as hotpot or grilled
- Smoked buffalo meat, dried over a kitchen fire, chewy and smoky and sold as a gift to take away
Practical notes on the things to do in Moc Chau
- Start early, because the plateau is at its best before 8am and dull under midday sun
- Bring a warm layer in any month, and something waterproof between May and September
- Carry cash in small notes, since farms, orchards and parking attendants take nothing else
- Treat the orchards and flower fields as working farmland, keeping to the paths and asking before you pick
- Fill your fuel tank in town before heading out to the villages, where stations are sparse