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Located 250km from provincial capital of
Dien Bien Phu, A Pa Chai is the first
point to put the pen when drawing map of Vietnam country with rolling green
beauties of northwestern mountains, with villages of Ha Nhi ethnic located in
the jungle canopy,… or the cultural unique space of the highland expressed
through costumes, cuisine, lifestyle… Visiting A Pa Chai will be an interesting
experience for those who love to explore, conquer and want to try to overcome
their own fears by the journey full of difficulties, but also full of
interesting things.
To make your trip to conquer your A Pa Chai favorable and nice, the best time
you should go to A Pa Chai is from November to April. At this time, it is the
dry season, so the roads are easier to move, not eroded or slippery
In addition, you should avoid going to A Pa Chai on the holidays of 30/4 or 2/9,
because at this point, there are many people coming here, so it will not
facilitate the accommodation or your lodging.
Transportation to A Pa Chai
You can choose for yourselves the suitable transport among many different ways
of moving, depending on the preferences and your financial ability:
By road: You can take a bus or motorcycle from Hanoi to Dien Bien. With the road
of about 500 km long, it will take you a whole day to travel from
Hanoi to Dien
Bien.
By air: Currently, Vietnam Airlines provides the direct flights from Hanoi to
Dien Bien, so you will save travel time compared to other ways.
Arriving to Dien Bien city, along Highway 12 approximately 280km by car or
motorcycle, you will reach the center of Sin Thau Commune, the starting point
for the journey to conquer A Pa Chai.
Conquering A Pa Chai
A Pa Chai is a place associated with the 0 marker, which coordinates 22 ° 23’53
“N – 102 ° 8’51” E, located on the top of Khoang La San mountain, from Dien Bien;
there are many ways to reach A Pa Chai, but the road which are chosen by many
backpackers is to pass Muong Cha – Muong Nhe – Chung Chai – Leng Su Sin 405
Frontier Station – Ta Kho Nhu – A Pa Chai 317A Frontier Station.
From 317 Frontier Station, you can travel by your vehicles to the foot of Khoang
La San mountain, leave your motorbikes at the foot of the mountain and begin
your conquering journey.
Passing roads of rocks and dirt, through grassy hills with nearly vertical
slope, going through the green jungles with damp forest canopy, vast thorns the
fatigue beginning to spread, the cold of the mountains in the northwest
gradually appearing, or the fall and stumble truth hurts will make you
disappointed if you do not have a standard resilience and powerful determination
to conquer.
And then, the will to conquer flares up again, just need to pass a little more
difficult, you get to the extreme western part of the country, get to the sacred
and heroic A Pa Chai
A few sips of sweet spring water on the way, or the funny stories and witty
storytellers will make you forget about fatigues. Obviously, after the period
climbing over the mountain passes, you have to be the landmark of A Pa Chai. The
joy bursts, the pride bursts when you can hold the national flag of Vietnam
flying in the wind, or touch on the milestones of the country, … there will be
memorable moments which will live forever in the heart of each people arriving
here.
Houses of local people in Sin Thau Commune or 317 Frontier Station will be
places where you can eat and rest when you come to this place. Or, you can
choose Muong Nhe to be a stop to rest and eat.
The people here are very hospitable, so you can rest without worrying about
anything.
Procedures to ask for permission when visiting A Pa Chai
To be able to visit A Pa Chai, you need a referral from the local residence or
your work to ask for permission from Dien Bien Border Command. Then, Dien Bien
Border Guard Command will give you a referral to the Frontier Station and the
local government where you go (they are compulsory procedures). |
