Notes on safe travel to Ta Xua

On the morning of August 10, more than 50,000 cubic meters of mountain soil collapsed and buried 20 bungalows in Ta Xua, Bac Yen district, killing one person and injuring two others. Ms. Hoa Quynh, a tour guide specializing in providing travel combos in Ta Xua, said that she currently has to cancel and refund deposits of pre-booked reservations from tourists in Ta Xua until August 30.

According to the weather forecast, Son La is expected to continue to rain in the coming days and there is a risk of landslides. Ms. Hoa shares some notes for tourists to proactively ensure safety when coming to Ta Xua.

Moving to Ta Xua

Ta Xua is a mountainous commune in Bac Yen district, Son La, located at an altitude of more than 2,800 m above sea level. The climate here is cool all year round, a famous cloud hunting spot, attracting many tourists.

The road from Hanoi to Bac Yen town is paved and easy to travel, only one section of the road from Bac Yen to Ta Xua is a winding mountain road, with a cliff on one side. The road is about 13 km long, just wide enough for two cars under 16 seats to pass.

If it rains, the road becomes more difficult because of the mud and gravel flowing down from the mountainside, making it slippery. Many tourists riding motorbikes have to get off their bikes and walk through the muddy roads.

Visitors should not drive straight to Ta Xua on bad weather days. Instead, they can park their cars in the center of Bac Yen and then rent a motorbike to continue the journey to Ta Xua.

If you are not a steady driver, you should hire a local motorbike taxi because the road is steep, narrow and has many curves.

Suitable tourist season

Summer coincides with the rainy season, starting from April to September, with the most rainfall in July, August, and September. The best time to come here is from October to March, when there is little rain and it is easy to hunt for the sea of ​​clouds.

Accommodation

Ta Xua does not have large hotels or comfortable resorts. There are homestays and motels in the area, with prices ranging from 200,000 VND to one million VND per night.

Accommodations are mainly concentrated in the central or nearby areas, with communal houses (stilt houses) and some private rooms. Some accommodations are located on high hillsides, an easy location for cloud hunting.

Rooms are designed in the form of bungalows (one or two floors), detached houses, and stilt houses. However, if it rains heavily, you should avoid accommodation near streams or high places in the forest, which are prone to landslides.

Currently, many homestays in Ta Xua are built spontaneously and have not been registered for business. Tourists should carefully research the accommodation before booking to avoid risks.