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Lai Chau province, especially between
Muong Lay and
Lai Chau town is some of the
most spectacular scenery you can see in the far
northwest of Vietnam.
The limestone mountains are striking, making it yet another 'Halong Bay on the
Land', with abrupt peaks reaching into the distance in misty shades of green and
grey, and on a clear day you can spy some of the larger peaks rising from the
Chinese side of the border. As it is off-limits to casual travel, the area
around Lai Chau town is as close as you're likely to get to the Chinese frontier
in this part of the country. The border crossing is not open to foreigners.
Renamed from the original
Tam Duong, the new Lai Chau town is a good place to
break up the trip between Sapa and Muong Lay, but few would choose to overnight
here otherwise. It's a functional hub for both the local Montagnards, who come
to buy and sell, and for those involved in all the various construction projects
going on in the area.
The surrounding vistas are characterised as much by brown dirt as they are green
hills, as mountain slopes are scooped away to create flat land for future
development.
The contrast with nearby Sapa is stark in terms of the natural beauty of the
place, though, of course, wandering a couple of kilometres in any direction
improves the situation dramatically, and there are still plenty of mysterious
limestone cliffs to gaze at on the horizon.
A more welcome difference between here and Sapa is that the locals don't attempt
to sell everything they have to every tourist they spy.
You can skip right past Lai Chau without regret on a non-stop bus ride between
Sapa and Muong Lay, but cyclists and most motorbikers will want to make it their
home for the night. There's a cave nearby, Dong Thieu Duong, accessible by a one
hour hike, that's a good day-trek if you happen to stay longer.
The area has a large number of ethnic minorities, and new roads have made the
mountain-top village of Sin Ho a good destination for a day trip, or a a
stop-off on the way through. The region is particularly popular with cyclists,
which is starting to make the unassuming town of
Phong Tho, 30 km east of Lai Chau town, a place to park for the night. The new Lai Chau town doesn't have a
whole lot to offer, and is the site of a lot of development which is impinging
on the scenic views, but it's perfectly-positioned for an overnight between Sapa
and Muong Lay.
As a result of the massive dam construction, the landscape of Lai Chau is set to
change substantially when a number of towns and their surrounds are submerged.
As a result of this, the Vietnamese government has changed a lot of the names of
towns in Lai Chau province, or rather has switched a lot of the names around,
leading to confusion. Many people still show up to the old Lai Chau expecting to
arrive in the old one, and vice versa. Most of the maps we've seen, even some
very good ones, are outdated on this score and yours is likely to be as well.
For those traveling between
Dien Bien Phu and Sapa, this is a beautiful place to
rest for an hour or two. Situated on high mountainous region in the north west
of Vietnam, Lai Chau is blessed with views of the Da River, China to the north
and Laos to the west.
Surrounded by natural beauty, Lai Chau is a good place for hiking and trekking.
As you explore you will discover caves, springs and friendly villagers from
Myanmar's ethnic groups. Although this is a good place to take a break,
accommodation is scarce and it is better to continue traveling after taking an
hour or two to explore. |
