Y Ty: Terraces Above the Clouds

Y Ty sits high in the mountains near the Chinese border. The rice terraces are as good as the ones near Sa Pa, but almost nobody comes here. In the early morning the village often sits above a sea of cloud.

What you can do

• Watch the cloud sea Early morning, usually September to April. Get up before sunrise.
• See the terraces The best months are September, when the rice turns gold, and May, when the fields are flooded.
• Visit the Saturday market Ha Nhi and Hmong families come down from the villages.
• Ride the border road The road along the Red River towards Lung Po.

Good to know

• Very basic. A few homestays, not much else.
• The road from Sa Pa is slow and winding.
• Cold in winter. Bring warm clothes.
• It is a border area, so bring your passport.

Where it is

• Region: Lao Cai province
• From Sa Pa: about 3 hours
• From Lao Cai city: about 2.5 hours
• From Hanoi: about 8 hours
• Coordinates: 22.65800, 103.61280
• Map: Open in Google Maps

How to fit it into your trip

One or two nights, combined with Sa Pa. Go here if you have already seen Sa Pa and want it quieter.

Travelling around North Vietnam is easiest with your own driver. We arrange cars and drivers for trips like this.

Getting there: see Hanoi to Sa Pa, or let us plan your whole trip, airport to airport.

Photo: Kiếm Anh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.