Tam Duong has become a popular destination. Favorite of domestic and foreign tourists. Let’s join Origin Vietnam in naming the places you shouldn’t miss when you come to Tam Duong!
1. Where is Tam Duong?
Tam Duong is a highland district in Lai Chau province, Vietnam. About 30 km southeast of Lai Chau city and about 360 km northwest of Hanoi capital. With geographical location:
- The North borders Phong Tho district and Bat Xat district (Lao Cai province).
- The West borders Sin Ho district and Lai Chau city.
- The East borders Sa Pa district (Lao Cai province).
- The South borders Sin Ho district and Tan Uyen district.
2. How is Tam Duong unique?
This place is blessed by nature with a cool climate, majestic mountains and many beautiful landscapes. Therefore, Tam Duong is a place that cannot be ignored when you choose Lai Chau as a stopover for your travel journey.
In addition, Tam Duong is also home to ethnic minorities such as: H’Mong, Thai, Dao, Kinh, Lao, Lu, Giay, etc. Ethnic people here keep and preserve and promote traditional cultural beauty through unique festivals, beautiful customs and highland markets of the Northwest.
3. When is the best time to travel to Tam Duong?
Characterized by the climate and culture of Northwest Vietnam, the appropriate time to travel to Tam Duong is similar to the appropriate time to go to the Northwest.
- Around September-October, visitors have the opportunity to watch the ripe rice season with terraced fields covered in a shiny golden color, stretching seemingly endlessly.
- O Quy Ho Pass connects Lai Chau and Sa Pa. You can combine your trip to Lai Chau to explore Sa Pa.
- The period from February to March is the time when plum blossoms and ban flowers bloom to whiten the mountains and forests. It would be great if you choose this place as a stopover for your upcoming vacation.
- If you travel to Tam Duong in March-April, if you are lucky, you will be able to admire the sea of clouds
In particular, spring is the most beautiful season of the year, the season of skin changes for heaven and earth, Tam Duong also wears the most beautiful and radiant shirt. Spring is the best time for your trip to Tam Duong.
Note: You should avoid going during the rainy season in the Northwest, especially when there are storms or tropical depressions causing rain. Because at this time, Northwest roads often fall into landslides, and flood waters on rivers and streams also rise dangerously high.
4. How to get to Tam Duong from Hanoi
4.1. By personal vehicle
From Hanoi, you have 2 options to go to Lai Chau city.
- The first option goes through Road 32 to Nghia Lo, Mu Cang Chai, Than Uyen and then to Lai Chau. Choose this option if you plan to explore Nghia Lo or watch the ripe rice season in Mu Cang Chai. If you choose this option, the distance will be longer (about 390 km) and the time will be longer.
- The second option is to use the Hanoi – Lao Cai highway, then go to Sa Pa and cross O Quy Ho pass to get to Lai Chau. This second option will reduce the travel distance by about 40-50 km, time by about 4 hours because the Hanoi – Lao Cai route is completely on the highway.
4.2. By public transportation
Lai Chau is about 400 km from Hanoi, currently there are many bus companies operating on the Hanoi – Lai Chau route. Buses usually depart from My Dinh bus station, there are also some companies with buses departing from Giap Bat bus station.
5. Sightseeing in Tam Duong
5.1. Na Luong village
Na Luong attracts tourists thanks to its wild, poetic beauty with immense mountain clouds and immense rice fields. The air here is fresh, cool and quiet, so it is very suitable for those who want to temporarily get away from the noise and dust of the city. In addition, when coming to Na Luong, visitors will discover the traditional cultural beauty of the Lao ethnic people living here.
5.2. O Quy Ho Pass
Located at an altitude of nearly 2000m above sea level, O Quy Ho Pass is one of the highest passes in our country. When you come here, you will be overwhelmed by the stunning, majestic and poetic beauty with vast forests and mountains reaching to the cloud level, and winding mountain passes.
5.3. Tac Tinh Waterfall
The experience of riding a motorbike to Tac Tinh waterfall will be a wonderful experience that you should try because the scenery here is gentle and a bit mysterious. From afar, Tac Tinh waterfall falls from above like a white silk cloth floating between the vast sky and earth.
When approaching, the sound of rushing water makes the natural picture become extraordinarily majestic. Besides, this waterfall is also associated with a legend that resonates with the love song of a couple who love each other but encounter many difficulties.
5.4. Tien Son Cave
Tien Son Cave brings visitors satisfaction with unique and strange shapes of stalactites and stalagmites. Nature has painted a spontaneous picture with rocks of unique and attractive shapes.
The atmosphere in the cave is very cool and quiet, which will definitely bring a feeling of comfort and relaxation to visitors when visiting.
5.5. Hon village
Hon village makes a mark in the hearts of tourists because of its rustic beauty. In the village, there are more than 100 traditional houses preserved intact, bearing a traditional and idyllic mark.
Walking around Hon village, you will enjoy a beautiful natural picture with green rice fields and looming houses next to the rows of trees. Besides, you will have the opportunity to see local people with unique traditional costumes.
5.6. Na Khuong water wheels
The waterwheel that provides water for the fields of the Thai ethnic people in Na Khuong has now become an attractive tourist destination. Seen from a distance, the water wheels look like giant wheels slowly rotating in the green rice fields.
Besides, you can also observe the daily life of Thai people with unique traditional costumes. Nature and people here blend like a beautiful picture that will leave an unforgettable impression in the hearts of visitors.
5.7. Si Thau Chai
Located about more than 5km from the center of Tam Duong district, Si Thau Chai is known as one of the unique tourist destinations that attracts many tourists! Located at an altitude of more than 1400 meters above sea level, 100% of Dao ethnic people live.
Coming to Si Thau Chai, you will be able to see the panoramic view of nature as far as your eyes can see. In addition, you can also experience the extremely unique and attractive customs and traditions of the people here!
5.8. Nung Nang
Nung Nang – the name sounds strange, doesn’t it. It’s known as a quite pristine commune of Tam Duong Lai Chau district. This place is in complete contrast to the bustling life outside the city, Nung Nang only has simple houses, H’Mong ethnic people in brocade dresses can be seen in mustard gardens and corn fields. If you want to explore the wildness of the Northwest mountains and forests, Nung Nang is the perfect destination!
5.9. Pu Ta Leng
Pu Ta Leng is the second highest mountain peak in Vietnam after Fansipan located in Tam Duong Lai Chau district. With a height of 3049 meters above sea level, Pu Ta Leng challenges travelers who are passionate about exploring and challenging themselves. Perhaps that is why this mountain peak is known as “the second roof of Indochina”!
6. Specialties when traveling to Tam Duong
When traveling to Tam Duong, visitors can not only admire the wild and majestic natural scenery, but also enjoy the specialties of ethnic minorities here:
6.1. Smoked pork
Smoked pork is a traditional dish of some highland ethnic groups in general and the Pu Na people in particular. You can’t make smoked pork all the time, you can make it in every season, but there is a season to make smoked meat and you have to make it in the right season, because if you make it out of season, the meat will go rancid. The best and tastiest season for making smoked meat is winter.
6.2. Ban flower shoot salad
If anyone has had the opportunity to visit Thai villages in Lai Chau, they will not only know a touching legend about Hoa Ban – Bitter Bamboo Shoots but also enjoy a dish containing all flavors: bitter, sour, spicy. , salty, sweet, and fleshy of Hoa Ban bamboo shoot salad.
6.3. Khau nhuc
If you have the opportunity to visit the Nung ethnic village in Tam Duong and enjoy a meal with traditional dishes of the Nung ethnic group, there will certainly be “khau nhuc”, one of the most attractive dishes that makes people happy and you cannot forget.
Although it originates from China, with time and especially the “variation” to suit the culinary culture of the Nung people, the dish “Khanh Hum” has acquired its own unique character. Basically, making pork belly is stewing pork belly in water for a long time, but the processing method is quite complicated and has many steps.
6.4. Black banh chung (black sticky rice cake)
Black Chung Cake (Rua Chia). Dao people’s banh chung is wrapped in round shapes, about 30cm long. You can use white or black sticky rice to wrap it. When wrapping banh chung, people often mix crushed mandarin tree charcoal to have a unique delicious taste.
The filling for the cake is long strips of sliced fatty meat stuck with cardamom powder, so that when the cake is cooked, the fat will absorb evenly into the cake and have a very delicious greasy taste.
6.5. Ant eggs
Coming to the villages in Tam Duong during the rainy season, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy all kinds of dishes made from ant eggs such as: Ant eggs marinated in dong leaves, banana leaves and grilled on charcoal stoves, or ant egg dishes.
With upland sticky rice, making salad with sour leaves, cooking sweet soup… along with other dishes, ant eggs have become an indispensable dish in highland cultural villages.
7. Accommodation when traveling to Tam Duong
When traveling to Tam Duong, you should refer to some of the accommodation facilities below. Most accommodation establishments here are often concentrated in the town area, making it convenient for tourists to move between tourist destinations.
7.1. Hotels:
- Commercial Hotel. Address: Phong Chau 2 Street, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
- Phuong Thanh Hotel. Address: Phong Chau 2 Street, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
- Putaleng Hotel. Address: Tam Duong Town, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
7.2. Guesthouses
- Golden Dragon Guesthouse. Address: Ban Bo, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
- Quoc Hoan Guest House. Address: Tam Duong Town, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
- Tan Sinh Guest House. Address: Tam Duong Town, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
- Xuan Quynh Guesthouse. Address: Tam Duong Town, Tam Duong, Lai Chau.
Possessing the wild and majestic beauty of nature. Tam Duong is an ideal destination for tourists who love adventure travel. Especially exploring the cultural identities of ethnic groups, as well as enjoying a peaceful life in the mountains.
If you are planning your Lai Chau tour to Tam Duong, please immediately contact Origin travel team – a professional local tour operator. With a team of consultants and tour guides who are experienced, dedicated and deeply knowledgeable about this land. We will take you on a tour Vietnam to discover Tam Duong with exciting experiences and unforgettable memories.
