1. Where is Sop Cop?
Sop Cop is a border mountainous district in Son La province, located in the northwest of Vietnam. About 150 km southwest of Son La city and about 400 km west of Hanoi capital. With geographical location:
- The North borders Song Ma district.
- The South and East border Hua Phan province and Luang Prabang province of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
- The West borders Dien Bien Dong district, Dien Bien province.
2. How is Sop Cop unique?
With magnificent natural landscapes, diverse landscapes and unique culture. Sop Cop attracts many tourists to visit and enjoy a wonderful vacation. In addition to admiring the beautiful landscape, visitors can also experience interesting activities. Such as mountain climbing, hiking, sightseeing, boating on the river or bathing in streams.
Beside that it’s home to ethnic minorities, with traditional stilt roofs, ancient houses, water wheels and national costumes. So this place always attracts tourists from all over. come back to explore. In particular, Sop Cop also has a unique cuisine with traditional Thai dishes, giving visitors wonderful experiences about local culture and cuisine.
With all of this, Sop Cop is one of the ideal destinations for those who want to enjoy nature and explore Vietnamese national culture.
3. When is the best time to travel to Sop Cop?
Influenced by the tropical monsoon climate, the climate here is often divided into two distinct seasons:
- The hot summer coincides with the rainy season from April to October. The amount of rain in these months accounts for 85 – 90% of the yearly rainfall, most concentrated in June, July, August. High intensity often causes flash floods and erosion. erode, wash away the soil.
- Winter is cold and dry from November to March of the following year, often with little rain.
According to Son La travel experience, the ideal time to travel to Sop Cop is from September to April next year. This is a period of time with a fresh, pleasant climate, not too hot or too cold, suitable for types of tourism such as eco-tourism, resort tourism and discovery tourism.
- When traveling to Sop Cop around this time, visitors will admire the ripe golden rice fields around September-October.
- January-February is spring, flowers bloom, trees sprout, the whole space seems to be wearing a “new shirt”.
- February-March is the time when folk festivals and traditional culture take place. You have the opportunity to participate in and experience interesting activities during the festivals to understand more about the local culture.
4. How to get to Sop Cop?
4.1. By public transport
From Hanoi, you can travel to Son La by sleeper bus. Bus routes depart daily at My Dinh Bus Station or the bus station behind Son La guest house (378 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan). Sleeper buses depart from My Dinh at around 7-8pm every day, arriving at Son La around 7-8am the next morning. It depends on weather conditions and speed of each bus company.
After arriving in Son La city, you can rent a taxi, catch an intra-province bus or rent a motorbike to travel to Sop Cop.
4.2. By personal vehicle
From Hanoi, you can follow Thang Long Avenue and then take the new highway to Hoa Binh City. Then continue following Highway 6 for about 120 km to reach Moc Chau town. From Moc Chau town, you continue to move along Highway 6 until Co Noi intersection, Mai Son district. Then join Road 118 and travel about 35 km to Na Ot village, Mai Son district, turn left onto Highway 4G. And keep going about 100 km further southwest to reach Sop Cop territory.
With a personal vehicle such as a motorbike or car, you can be completely proactive about travel time and schedule. Furthermore, you also have the opportunity to admire the poetic natural beauty on both sides of the road.
5. Sightseeings & things to do in Sop Cop
5.1. Muong Va Tower
Muong Va Tower is a famous tourist destination of Sop Cop district, Son La province, Vietnam. This location has an ancient stone tower, a cultural relic of the Thai people, built from the 15th to the 18th century.
Muong Va Tower is about 12m high, built of high quality limestone, with 4 floors and 8 doors. The tower is a place to store the community and also a place to preserve and protect the cultural values of the Thai people.
Muong Va Tower tourist destination is an attractive destination for those who want to explore and experience the country’s culture, history and nature.
5.2. Sop Cop Nature Reserve
Sop Cop Nature Reserve is one of the most important conservation areas, located in Son La province, in the Northwest of Vietnam. The reserve was established in 2002, with an area of about 31,818 hectares, including many different types of terrain and ecosystems.
Sop Cop is famous for its diverse and pristine landscape, with forests, mountains, waterfalls, caves and abysses. This is one of Vietnam’s important natural reserves, contributing to protecting the country’s biodiversity. The reserve has a rich and diverse ecosystem, with many rare animals such as pandas, gorillas, tigers, leopards and many rare birds.
In addition to preserving ecological values, Sop Cop reserve also offers many other tourist activities. Such as hiking, climbing, camping, fishing and enjoying local specialties. The reserve is also an ideal destination for those who love wilderness. Especially want to escape the city and return to nature.
5.3. Dray Sap Cave
Dray Sap is a unique tourist attraction of Son La, located in Dong Van commune, Sop Cop district. Made up of natural limestone blocks millions of years ago. Dray Sap Cave has a very unique shape and color, making visitors feel like they are entering a wild and strange world.
During the journey to explore Dray Sap cave, you will visit many different rooms with interesting names. Such as Dai Tong Phong, Dark Alley, Bat Cave, Mausoleum,… Here, you can see the wax strips white stretches everywhere, unique shaped rocks and enjoy the fresh air of a tropical forest. This attraction is a great choice for those who love adventure and exploring Vietnam’s wildlife.
6. Specialties when traveling to Sop Cop
The land of Sop Cop, Son La has a fresh, airy climate along with rich forest resources, from which many rich and diverse specialties are produced.
Sop Cop’s culinary specialties are imbued with the cultural identity of the Thai people and the wealth of the Northwest region, bringing a special culinary experience to tourists when visiting Sop Cop town.
6.1. Five-color sticky rice
Five-color sticky rice of Thai people in Son La is a unique culinary culture. The sticky rice chosen is usually Muong Chanh tan sticky rice or Muong Tac fragrant sticky rice, choose to remove broken, small seeds… then soak in “Khau Cam” leaf water to create different sticky colors: white, purple, red, yellow, blue, symbolizing yin, yang, five, elements,…symbolizing the solidarity of ethnic groups in the region.
The five-color sticky rice dish attracts tourists because of its special flavor that is both fragrant and sticky, along with an attractive blend of colors. Five-color sticky rice is used during holidays or when there are distinguished guests at home.
6.2. Smoked buffalo meat
Drying is a very popular way of preserving food among Thai people. Dried buffalo meat is one of those ways to preserve it, but its special flavor makes it famous and attractive. It is not always possible for Thai people in Son La to prepare dried buffalo meat, but during Tet or major worship ceremonies, when the family slaughters the buffalo, people leave a little to make this dish.
When eating, dried buffalo meat can be grilled over charcoal or grilled until the meat is soft and easy to eat. This dish is attractive because of its special flavor, with the spicy taste of chili, the strong taste of garlic, the sweetness of meat and especially the strong smell of kitchen smoke, the unmixed aroma and the tingling taste on the tip of the tongue when eating this dish. Mac Khen seeds.
6.3. Com Lam (Bamboo tube rice)
Lam rice is a typical dish of the Northwest region, especially the Thai people. Lam rice is prepared very simply from sticky rice. According to ancient Thai customs, Lam rice is only made after the new rice crop is harvested.
People especially like to cook with upland sticky rice. The sticky rice is soaked overnight and put into each bamboo tube, which people call may sew (Lam Pa Nga), add enough water and knot with banana leaves or dong leaves. Then put it on the wood stove and burn until the bamboo tube shell is scorched and spreads the aroma from the rice. The bamboo tube has no water left and it’s cooked.
6.4. Pa Pinh Top
Thai people call grilled fish Pa Pinh Top. This is a traditional dish. To prepare Pich Top fish, you must have all the typical spices such as: Mac Khen, ginger, lemongrass, fresh chili, coriander, herbs, fresh onions, basil…
The grilled fish is golden, spreading the aroma from the spices, the spicy smell of the mother complimenting the aroma of the fish. Enjoying the golden, fragrant piece of fish meat with sticky rice, we can fully see the sweet, fatty taste of the fish, the spicy taste of the fish. chili of spices, sticky rice eaten with Pa Pinh Top of the Thai people is likened to rice cooked in a clay pot eaten with braised fish of the lowland people.
7. Accommodation when traveling to Sop Cop
When traveling to Sop Cop, visitors can refer to some of the accommodation facilities below:
7.1. Hotels:
- Phuong Hoa Hotel. Address: Sop Cop, Son La.
- Hai Ha Hotel 2. Address: Sop Cop Commune, Sop Cop, Son La.
7.2. Guesthouses:
- Phong Chau Guesthouse. Address: Sop Cop, Son La.
- Ngan Phuong Guesthouse. Address: Hua Muong Village, Sop Cop Town, Sop Cop, Son La.
- Hoang Duong Guesthouse. Address: Sop Nam village, Sop Cop commune, Sop Cop, Son La.
With beautiful scenery, notably rolling mountains, beautiful villages, romantic valleys,… many tourists from all over come here to visit and explore. Especially during the seasons when plum blossoms, peach blossoms, and mustard flowers bloom. All the villages here become bustling, crowded and surprisingly beautiful like a fairyland.
Origin Vietnam, a dedicated local tour operator, promises to provide you with captivating experiences and indelible memories during your tour Vietnam to Son La. Our team of consultants, and local tour guides will not only ensure that you marvel at the breathtaking natural landscapes but will also offer attentive care and companionship at every stage of your Son La tour here. That you will get a great experiences.
