Bac Ha, a district in Lao Cai Province, attracts tourists with its untouched natural landscape, majestic mountains, friendly people, and intact cultural values. Let’s learn some things before you travel to Bac Ha with Handspan Travel Indochina!

The best time to travel to Bac Ha

Bac Ha has its own charming characteristics and spots to explore each season. However, spring is the best time to travel to Bac Ha due to the mild weather climate and poetic natural scenery. From January to April, you can admire different kinds of blossom flowers. They are the cherry blossoms in Na Co Lake and Bac Ha town area, peach blossoms in Na Hoi - Ban Pho area, and Tam Hoa plum flowers in Ta Chai, Na Hoi, and Ban Pho area. Bac Ha also has Ta van plum flower blooming later in the Lung Phinh - Ta Van Chu - Lung Cai - Simacai travel route. 

Peach blossom in Bac Ha

Plum blossom in Bac Ha

Besides brilliant flowers, spring is also the time for colorful festivals of local ethnic minorities in Bac Ha. If you travel to Bac Ha during the Tet holiday of Vietnam, you will have a chance to join the Say San festival of Hmong people, fire dance festival of Dao people, Xoe festival of Tay people, etc. These festivals are held to wish for luck and abundant crops. Joining these festivals, you will have a chance to enjoy cultural activities, sports, folk games of ethnic minorities. 

Let’s visit and explore Bac Ha in spring with exciting activities and beautiful scenery!

How to travel to Bac Ha from Hanoi

Bac Ha is about 300 kilometers from Hanoi. You can choose to hire a private car or public transport to reach Bac Ha. Let’s see detailed information on each way!

Travel to Bac Ha from Hanoi by private means of transport

Thanks to the Hanoi - Lao Cai highway, it takes just about five hours to get to Bac Ha from Hanoi by private car. After running about 200 kilometers on the road, you will exit at the IC17 intersection (Xuan Giao) and then follow Highway 4E to the Bac Ngam junction before turning onto TL153 (about 50km in total) to reach Bac Ha. 

If you choose to travel by motorbike, it will take you about eight hours to follow the 2A highway, 37 highway, and 70 highway to the Bac Ngam junction. Then, you will continue running on TL 153 to Bac Ha. 

Transfer to Bac Ha from Hanoi by public transportation

If you are not familiar with Vietnam’s transportation system, it will be better to use public transportation to travel to Bac Ha. You can choose Ha Son - Hai Van or Sao Mai coach to get directly to Bac Ha bus station from My Dinh bus station.

Ha Son Hai Van Coach

For coach or private car service booking, please do not hesitate to contact the Handspan team through the Email address: info@handspan.com. 

Attractions to visit in Bac Ha

Bac Ha attracts tourists with its magnificent landscape and attractive spots. Let’s explore some attractions you should not miss when you travel to Bac Ha!

Bac Ha Temple

Bac Ha Temple, located in the center of Bac Ha town, is Bac Ha's essential spiritual tourist destination. The temple was built in the late 19th century to worship Vu Van Uyen and Vu Van Mat. They had made significant contributions to building military bases and stabilizing people's lives in a border area. 

Hoang A Tuong Palace

• Address: 257 Ngoc Uyen, Bac Ha Town, Bac Ha, Lao Cai Province
• Opening hours: 08.00 a.m. - 05.00 p.m.
• Entrance fee: VND 20,000

Built from 1914, until now, Hoang A Tuong Palace is still an attractive spot in Bac Ha. In the past, it was the home of Hoang Yen Chao, Hoang A Tuong, and a working place with a guarded fortress. 

Hoang A Tuong Palace

The palace is 4000 square meters, located on a wide hill in Bac Ha town’s center. Being designed and constructed by French and Chinese architects, Hoang A Tuong Palace has harmonious Asian and European styles. It is designed in a closed rectangular style with elaborately carved dome-shaped doors on the walls, round stairs, tiled corridors, etc. 

Bac Ha Flower Valley

• Address: San Bay Village, Thai Giang Pho Commune, Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province
• Entrance fee: VND 30,000

Bac Ha Flower Valley, or Giang Thai Pho Flower Valley, is also a spot you should visit when you travel to Bac Ha. Coming here, you can immerse yourself in the pleasant atmosphere of a Hmong village with cornfields, green rice fields, and colorful flowers. Bac Ha Flower Valley is the place to preserve and provide many beautiful flowers blooming throughout all four seasons, such as hydrangea, rose, tulip, azalea, etc. 

Bac Ha Flower Valley

Ngai Thau Grass Hill

Ngai Thau grass hill is located in Na Hoi Commune, three kilometers from Bac Ha town’s center. Although it is not the highest peak in Bac Ha, it is convenient to admire the sunset and sunrise here. 

Ngai Thau Grass Hill

From Bac Ha town’s center to Ngai Thau, you can catch up with green terraced fields stretching across the mountainside and wildflowers growing everywhere in the valley. When you reach Ngai Thau Peak, you will not feel disappointed with the scenery here. Thanks to the airy space with a wide view, you can immerse yourself in the stunning landscape with clouds, immense meadows, houses on stilts nestled along the valley, etc.

Song Lam Waterfall

Song Lam Waterfall is also one of the spots you should not miss when you travel to Bac Ha. It is located in Song Lam Village, Ta Cu Ty Commune, 30 kilometers from Bac Ha town. Coming here, you can admire a magnificent waterfall pouring down and flowing through the forest. Besides, you can experience the daily life of the Nung people in Song Lam Village. They live mainly in agriculture, growing maize and rice, raising cattle and poultry, gathering cardamom, and growing tea. 

Song Lam Waterfall

Besides these above spots, Bac Ha also has many other exciting places, such as Hoang Thu Pho, Ban Pho, Ta Van Chu Cave, Co Tien Mountain, etc. Let’s travel to Bac Ha and explore these spots yourself!

Accommodations in Bac Ha

Bac Ha has many accommodation choices from the town center to further villages. Let’s refer to the list of homestays below for a relaxed holiday in Bac Ha.

Huy Trung Homestay

• Address: Na Quang 3, Bac Ha town 
• Room price: from VND 450,000
• Contact: 097 977 6288

Huy Trung Homestay is one of the accommodations in the town center you should stay in when you travel to Bac Ha. The homestay has four private rooms with a total capacity of 11 guests. Thanks to the expansive space and services the homestay provides, you will have a wonderful holiday in Bac Ha.

Huy Trung Homestay

Huy Trung Homestay's Lovely Room

Huy Trung Homestay's Happy Room

Huy Trung Homestay's Lucky Room

Bac Ha Boutique Homestay

• Address: Na Co, Bac Ha town
• Room price: from VND 120,000
• Contact: 096 842 89 68

Bac Ha Boutique Homestay is also an ideal accommodation with a stunning view and complete facilities. Coming here, you will have a chance to try delicious local dishes, and join traditional cultural activities with local people. 

Bac Ha Boutique Homestay

Bac Ha Boutique Homestay's Deluxe Room

Delicious dishes in Bac Ha Boutique Homestay

So H’mong Homestay

• Address: Ban Pho 2, Ban Pho Commune, Bac Ha
• Room price: from VND 100,000
• Contact: 096 323 65 64

So Hmong Homestay’s design has the characteristics of the Mong ethnic group. Staying here, you can experience and learn about H’mong people’s daily lives. Besides large and quiet rooms, you can also try food service and on-site tour guides, giving you a meaningful, safe, and convenient vacation.

So H'mong Homestay

Cho Family Homestay

• Address: Phec Bung Village, Ban Pho Commune, Bac Ha
• Room price: from VND 100,000
• Contact: 0949 423 221

If you want to stay in a traditional stilt house, Cho Family Homestay is also ideal. The homestay has seven private rooms, suitable for both couples and families with children. 

Let’s contact the Handspan team for more information and choices of accommodation!

Bac Ha’s local dishes and specialties

Coming to Bac Ha, besides admiring the majestic scenery, you should also try delicious local dishes and specialties here. Let’s find some dishes you should not miss when you travel to Bac Ha!

“Thang co” Bac Ha

“Thang Co” is the special food of Hmong people and other ethnic minorities in the Northwest area of Vietnam. It includes horse meat, beef, pork meat, and buffalo meat. Besides the tasty flavor of the meat, the broth is also a particular characteristic of this food. It is mixed from 12 different spices, such as pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, etc. 

Thang co hotpot

Black Chung Cake

Black Chung Cake is the traditional food of the Tay, Nung people in Bac Ha. The flavor of glutinous rice combined with the “nuc nac” tree’s ash creates a typical taste of Black Chung Cake.

Bac Ha’s corn wine

Corn wine is one of the specialties of Hmong people in Ban Pho, Bac Ha. It is made from water from the Hang De stream and corn grown on rocky mountains, especially the yellow corn in the Lung Phinh commune of Bac Ha. 

In conclusion, you have just known some pieces of information before you travel to Bac Ha. Hope that they will be helpful to you. Let’s prepare your luggage and travel to Bac Ha!