Discovering The Maze Dirt Roads In Y Ty, Lao Cai

Vietnam Motorbike Tours would like to introduce Y Ty village which is also called "foggy land" where elegant earth-walled houses and golden rice fields can fascinateany traveler.

How To Get There

There are many ways to get to Y Ty, and I chose the more thrilling andchallenging way so that I couldreally discover Northern mountainous roads of Vietnam.The total distance I traveled is almost 340 km from Hanoi to Y Ty.

From Lao Cai, I went along Trinh Tuong - Lung Po (border mark No.92) – A Mu Sung to get to Y Ty. If you travel the whole route by motorbike, it is better that you should carefully prepare enough stuff such as gasoline, pump, etc.

Or you can choose an easier and time-saving means of transport. Vehicles, like train or night bus, are great because you only need to go to the station, buy a ticket, go to Lao Cai, and you can drive the rest on your own to Y Ty village.

It was lucky that I traveled on sunny days. The roads were dry, making it easier for me to pass through the maze of zig zag dirt roads and enjoy the amazing sights of Lao Cai. In contrast, the roads are quite slippery or even dangerous with sharp bends, sometimes landslide in rainy time. 

The Gorgeous Land

After a long ride, I was delighted with the beauty of nature when setting foot on Y Ty village. Located at the height of 2000 meters above the sea level, this small village just like a paradise surrounded by dense white clouds, majestic mountains, and endless fields. The humble brown houses of ethnic people are scattered on a green carpet of nature. The sun seems seldom shines in here, creating a mysterious layer of the village.

I was also amazed at the cultural diversity of ethnic groups in here. Every one of those has highly distinctive features such as H’mong girls with colorful skirts, Ha Nhi women who are wearing big top buns on their head, or peacock scarf on the head of Dzao women. This makes Y Ty quite a peaceful but vivid valley at the same time.

A Little Unlucky

It is regrettable that I missed the weekend market here because I arrived Y Ty on Monday. I was told that it was extremely bustling market selling numerous specialties, farm products made, handmade brocades and I could have taken many awesome photos of the village market. However, the warm welcome of the host here was making it up to me. Mrs. Si is truly a thoughtful, professional homestay host as well as an excellent cook. She even made Thang Co Ngua – one of most famous dishes of Lao Cai (soup made from horses) for me. Otherwise, if you are a picky eater, bringing food along is also a wise choice. There are only basic accommodations in Northern mountainous areas, and so is Y Ty.

It was a time and effort-consumed trip, but the experiences I got are incomparable. It required a lot of strength and best health condition of drivers. Besides, if you just want to travel on motorbike smoothly without worries, you can try special tours such as Vietnam Motorcycle Tours to experience this amazing village.

Other Tips:

• Gloves and socks are highly recommended to keep warm as well as avoid injuries in case you fall off the bike due to rugged slippery roads.

• Warm clothes, sleeping bags, hats, blankets, etc. are really useful if the temperature reduces at night.

• You should bring extra fuel, foods, drinks and a boiler for cooking along the way.

• Contacting the host in prior so that they can prepare the stay or food for you.