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Huong Quynh
Find fresh inspiration in the beauty of the Moc Chau Plateau
I’ve set foot in the Central Highlands – the land of enthralling ethnic minority legends. I’ve wandered through the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark to experience the sacred grandeur of Vietnam’s mountains and rivers. And I’ve fallen in love with Moc Chau – Son La, the lush rural plateau with its charming flower seasons. The Moc Chau Plateau is picturesque year-round, yet I often choose winter or spring to enjoy the successive blooming seasons. These are unforgettable trips of a glorious youth in pursuit of happiness!
When the honeyed sun of autumn still dabbles the plains, the Moc Chau Plateau has already turned cold. Its fields of white and yellow mustard flowers are in full bloom to mark the arrival of winter. Snuggled in a wool cardigan and a warm scarf, I looked for a narrow footpath in the middle of a flower field on the edge of the pine forest beside Áng Village.
Keen to lure more tourists, the villagers have invested in huge fields of mustard flowers that run for acres, blanketing whole hills. The fields serve as a picturesque destination for tourists, while the flowers’ seeds are harvested for replanting or pressed to make oil. The business model has proved effective, prompting more and more fields to emerge in other areas: Ba Phach and Bua villages, the Na Ka Valley, and even in Moc Chau Farm Town. Entrance tickets to these fields are affordable, only VND 10,000 – 20,000 per visit.
In the same season, wild sunflowers, poinsettias, and lantanas also bloom. The vibrant blossoms instantly warm travelers’ hearts in the cold. On the way to a village of Thai and H’Mong people, bright red poinsettias cheerfully greet passerby. Their scarlet petals reminded me of the coming festive season. There are also wild sunflowers – the lively blossoms of the highlands that make our hearts sing with joy. The path leading to the Tan Lap tea plantation and the red dirt roads around Moc Chau suddenly grow busier with waves of visitors looking for blooming “suns”.
In December through January, when the wild flower season has passed and traces of winter still linger, Moc Chau welcomes early spring with gorgeous peach blossoms. The plateau is home to many species of peach trees. The French species, though grown primarily for fruit, amazed me with their blossoms, which seem like early heralds of spring. Their single, blush-pink petals bloom before the local species, coloring the land in romance. Visitors will find the first traces of spring in Long Luong village, or in the border of Tan Lap commune and Moc Chau Farm Town.
After the freezing winter days, Moc Chau comes alive with thousands of pure white apricot and plum blossoms as spring comes knocking. Fresh blossoms cover the entire land and its villages for around two weeks at the end of January or beginning of February. As a young vagabond, I rely on local friends to update me on the flower season. Every year, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. The landscape is poetic with vast white blossoms hiding in thin veils of mist. Graceful spring creates a fresh, wholesome feeling.
Right after the apricot and plum flower seasons, spring changes her outfit to an elegant gown covered in peach blossoms. Near Highway 6, visitors can discover lively colors of roadside peach farms. Going further into the villages, travelers will find local children having tremendous fun in the peach orchards. They can pose for photos beside crooked old peach trees in the front yards of wooden H’Mong houses. Here, nature and people live in harmony. The spring peach blossom season lights bright hopes for a prosperous and peaceful new year.
