Son La

Son La is a mountainous province in the Northwest. The province, whose natural area is 14,055 sq. km, has a 250 sq. km borderline with Laos. Here is home to more than 960,000 persons of 12 nationalities, including Thai, Kinh, Mong, Muong, Xinh Mun, Kho Mu, Khang, La Ha, Dao and etc.and there are many beautiful places.

The Moc Chau Plateau
The Moc Chau Plateau is 1,050 meters above sea level and nearly 200 km north-west of Hanoi. The plateau is 80 km long and 25 km wide and possesses 1,600 hectares of prairie.
Moc Chau possesses most tourism resources of Son La and the northwest mountainous part of Northern Vietnam. In the middle of the plateau locates a climatic sub-region with the summer’s average temperature of 200C and a drier winter than other sub-regions.
The best tourism products of the Moc Chau Tourism Zone are relaxing and entertainment tourism, sightseeing tourism, cultural and festive tourism and river tours.

Coming to Moc Chau, you will have opportunities to visit historic relics, the Son Moc Huong Cave, pine forest, the Chien Vien pagoda, the Dai Yem Waterfall, the Phieng Luong Peak, and cultural mountain villages of the H’ Mong, Dao people in Van Ho where you will be witnessed Mua Khen, eat ethnic dishes and specialties, and watch and purchase traditional handicrafts of Vietnam.
The Son Moc Huong Cave is situated next to the center of the district. Standing at the entrance of the cave, you can view the whole landscape of Moc Chau in your eyes. The inside of the cave is decorated with stalactite architecture, which makes you feel like that you are living in an immortal world.

On the Moc Chau plateau, there is a dairy farm and a state-run factory producing black tea for exports. The Moc Chau farm was established in 1958. It is one of the biggest farms supplying fresh milk and tea of Vietnam. Visiting the plateau, you will watch immense material fields and gardens covered with white-blossom plum-trees. Besides, you can enjoy river tours on yachts. During the Da River tour arriving at Son La town or rowing to the Hoa Binh Hydro-electricity, you will be attracted by imposing mountain scenery.
In the area of Long Luong, Van Ho - Moc Chau where most of the H’ Mong people reside, transportation is very convenient, which is favorable for the development of some cultural villages, the organization of ethnic festivals and distinctive cultural activities of the H’ Mong ethnic group.
In the area of Ang Village where most of the Thai people reside, there is a race course. From the village, you can be boated to two forests locating at km 45 and Chieng Sai, where the Thai people of Moc Chau and the Laotians communicate in a common language.
40 km south of Moc Chau locates the Xuan Nha – Sop Cop natural preservation zone, where exists many primeval forests and rare and precious animals such as tigers, bears, etc.
It is expected that Moc Chau will be an interesting destination for you.

Son La Prison and Son La Museum
The prison was built by French colonialism in 1908. In 1930-1945, it was expanded and became the place where detained revolutionary soldiers. It was considered a steel prison and a hell on earth to stamp out strong struggle of prisoners. However, in the eyes of Vietnamese prisoners and revolutionary soldiers, the prison was regarded as a school providing the Vietnamese Revolution with excellent communists like Truong Chinh, Le Duan, Nguyen Luong Bang, Van Tien Dung, Nguyen Co Thach, Xuan Thuy, Tran Huy Lieu, etc.
By watching historic evidences in the relic area of Son La prison and museum, you will feel the savageness of the French Colonialism and admire the sufferance and bravery of political prisoners. Reaching the relic area, you will also be told touching stories about in-prison activities of Vietnamese prisoners, for example, mutual help and solidarity, revolutionary propagation, struggles for prisoners’ rights, etc.
Visiting this relic area, you will gain useful knowledge about cultures of 12 ethic minority groups exhibited at the Son La Museum.

Dai Yem Waterfall
Vat village - a long-standing residence of the people of the Thai ethnic group in Moc Chau is granted a marvelous ecological landscapes by the nature. The village has a waterfall called Thac Nang (Girl Waterfall) or Thac Dai Yem (Pink Blouse Waterfall). People name them like that because the waterfall is like the pink blouse or the beauty of a 15-year girl. Reaching the village, you will be told the establishment of the village. You will have opportunities to watch the magic beauty which the nature grants this area, live in a primeval scene of the early days of the life on the earth.
In Vat village exists a number of relics relating to the Vat Pagoda like the lake of the pagoda, which is called “Noong Buong” (Lotus Lake). Visiting Vat village, You will be told the history of the village and the pagoda by village patriarchs or attend the Xe Cha festival held in Tet festival, listen to songs, witness traditional dances and enjoy special dishes on the Noong Buong Lak.