The village of Ta Phin
Ta Phin Village is one of the most famous ecotourism spots in Sapa, home to ethnic minority groups such as the Red Dao and H’Mong. The village is located in the valley, surrounded by spectacular mountains and rice terraces. The way from Sapa town to the village full of peach trees, plum trees, always welcome you to visit this beautiful place. Before you have the chance to go there, find more information about the village in this article.
Ta Phin village is located about 1500 m above sea level in a remote valley covered with rice paddies and corn fields. The village is about 17 km northeast of downtown Sapa, 375 km from Hanoi. There are only a few roads leading to the village from Sapa town, which helps protect locals from mass tourism unlike Lao Chai, Cat Cat or Ta Van villages.
The road to Ta Phin village is extremely beautiful. With the sloping mountain side of green terraced fields. And both sides of the road are full of blooming flowers. The village is home to ethnic minorities, including two ethnic groups Red Dao and H’mong.
When to visit Ta Phin village
The best time to visit Ta Phin is March and May or mid-September to early December. At this time of year, the rice terraces are beautiful, the weather is dry and pleasant. It’s sunny during the day and gets colder at night.
How to get to Ta Phin village
To get to Ta Phin village, you have to cross a rather arduous, dangerous and dangerous road. Therefore, you need to choose the right vehicle with your ability to have a safe trip and experience a lot.
1. Motorcycles
Ta Phin is the closest village to the Red Dao ethnic group in the Sapa district area. From Sapa, it will take about 30 minutes to get here by motorbike. The mountainous road can make it difficult for cars to move around, so the best solution is to hire a “xe om”, or motorcycle taxi, and the experienced driver will take you to the right place at a very reasonable price with lots of useful tips and advice.
2. Rent a car
In addition to going by motorbike, you can also choose to go on an excursion or by car, departing from Sapa.
3. Hiking
Many tourists choose to go to Ta Phin village via hiking to enjoy the beautiful view of the rice fields, beautiful scenery and a few other villages on the way.
The hiking routes to the village start from Sapa and are approximately 12-14 km long depending on where you stop in the village.
The easiest path to take is the one that starts in Sapa: a small rocky path that crosses the village of Ma Tra and its rice fields. Then you enter the concrete road, pass through picturesque hills and a small bamboo forest, you will arrive at Ta Phin village
Explore Ta Phin Village
1. Ta Phin Ancient Monastery
This ancient monastery was built in 1942, by 12 nuns belonging to the Christian ascetic lineage, however, when the monastery was still under construction, the political situation here became unstable, so the nuns returned to Hanoi and left the convent unfinished .
To date, the monastery has become one of the places attracting many tourists to visit and experience its unique semi-classical beauty. Although the monastery is no longer as new and intact as it once was, the gray moss-covered walls create an incredible attraction for tourists who come to check out this ancient architecture.
2. Ta Phin Cave
The cave is located a little far from the center of Ta Phin village, about 3 km walk from the village.
Ta Phin Cave is located at the foot of a mountain, people here say that it is the residence of the first ancestors of the Dao ethnic group, so for them it is an extremely sacred place.
In the cave, everywhere are stalactites formed from the process of water interference over thousands of years that condensed and formed with many different shapes and sizes.
To experience a safe and enjoyable tour of Ta Phin Cave, you can hire a nearby Dao ethnic person to guide you and tell you many interesting stories about Ta Phin Village.
3. Ta Phin terraced fields
Terraced fields are not only the agricultural cultivation method of the northern mountainous provinces, but also a landscape that “fascinates” many tourists.
Standing from above and looking down at the landscape painting created by resilient hands, you will forget all your worries when you are completely immersed in this peaceful land.
4. Bath with Dao herbs
Ta Phin is home to 90% of the Red Dao people in Vietnam, famous for its natural Dao herbal bath. The Dao use more than 10 kinds of leaves, sometimes even up to 120 different types to create water for bathing. Bathing in the leaves is believed to be good for health, helps relieve pain and quickly restore health.
For each bath, visitors need to pay 80,000 to 150,000 VND. The baths last from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on demand.
