A paragliding festival is to take place from May 18 to 20 on Khau Pha Mountain Pass in Mu Cang Chai district in northwestern Yen Bai province, co-organized by the Vietwings Hanoi Club and the Yen Bai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Local and international paragliders to flock to northern province from May 18 to 20 and fly over terrace rice fields. Photo: Vietwings Hanoi Club

Themed “Flying over rising water on terraced paddies”, organizers expect some 70 domestic and foreign pilots to take part in 100 flights for visitors who wish to see the landscapes from above.

This is the second time a paragliding festival has been held in the splendid Mu Cang Chai terraced fields during the “pouring water season”, when farmers flood their terraced rice fields before planting a new crop. Last year’s event took place in mid-May, with 100 pilots and a large number of visitors heading skywards.

About 1,200 meters above sea level, Khau Pha provides breathtaking views of stunning natural scenery and is considered one of the four most beautiful paragliding sites in Vietnam and among the Top 5 in the world.

About 1,000 meters above sea level, Mu Cang Chai has 500 ha of beautiful terraced rice fields all year round in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha, and De Xu Phinh communes, which have been cultivated by the H’mong people for centuries.

Visitors in March can take in the sights of glittering ponds before local people transplant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripened rice in early September. 

During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amid a background of lush green forests. The terraced rice fields are among the 2,500 ha recognized as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The event will also showcase and introduce local products such as khen (a musical instrument), honey, La Pan Tan rice wine, and Pung Luong tea. Ecological tours are also on offer.

An art exhibition entitled “Crystal Cloud” will also be open from May 18 to September 30 at Mam Xoi Hill in La Pan Tan commune, Mu Cang Chai district. 

The work is a “special cloud” made of steel wire and crystal beads imported from the world’s most famous crystal companies. The first “crystal cloud” appeared in Austria, by the Cao Perrot Group, about three or four years ago. 

Artist Andy Cao, a Vietnamese-American member of the group who left Vietnam 40 years ago, wanted to make the same work somewhere in his homeland of Vietnam. 

In 2016, in an exchange program with young architects, he arrived in La Pan Tan commune and saw it as an ideal place to create his own crystal cloud.

The festival is part of activities held this year in Yen Bai province to promote cooperation in tourism development in eight northwestern provinces, boosting cooperation with national localities and regional countries and enhancing competitive capacity to create new tourism products that are unique and attractive.

VN Economic Times