“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Muong Lay - the princess of the North West, Vietnam

Location

Muong Lay is the famous town in Dien Bien Province. It is well known with Da River that flows through and the place where settled the Thai Trang (White Thai) Ethnic Group. Muong Lay is called the princess of the North West of Vietnam with her charming beauty that captivates everyone.
Muong Lay Town is located in the north of the province. It is bordered with Lai Chau Province to the north.





Commune: There are two wards in Muong Lay and one commune. They are Na Lay Ward, Song Da Ward and Lay Nua Commune.
Tourist places: Muong Lay Town center and Lay Nua Commune.  
Climate: Muong Lay has it’s the tropical monsoon climate with the typical feature by the location. It is hot and dry in the summer and cold in the winter. The average temperature is 25 C degree. The strong rain month is July. The nice time for travelling here is from October to April. And the town is like other places in the North West, the amazing time is the spring from December to March.
Transportation: Travel conveniently by land to the town and from it to other places.

The distance is for reference as below:
From Muong Lay to Ha Noi Capital: 450 km
From Muong Lay to Dien Bien Phu City: 94 km
From Muong Lay to Lai Chau Province:  105 km
From Muong Lay to Lao Cai Province:  208 km
From Muong Lay to Yen Bai Province:  356 km
From Muong Lay to Son La Province:  169 km
From Muong Lay to Moc Chau Town:  288 km

Landscapes

Da River: Da River in Vietnam is called Nam Te. It has the upstream that is from Van Nam Province in China. The river is 910 km long in which is more than 500 km long in Vietnam. The eco system along the river is so rich with the impressive landscapes for viewing incredibly.  
The new Hang Tom Bridge: This is the new bridge that replaces the old one that connects Son La Province and Son La Province in Da River. The old bridge had ever been the longest cable stayed bridge in Indochina. The new bridge now is considered the place where keeps the memory of the old bridge for a time.
Son La Hydroelectric Reservoirs: the lake belongs to Son La Hydroelectric Power Plant. It is about 100ha in wide. The lake is called Ha Long Bay in the mountain in the North West by its amazing view.   
Van Long Pass:  the famous pass in Muong Lay Town. You can conquer this place to enjoy the landscape along the road and also have the chance to take the fascinated pictures from here about the mountain sceneries of the town.

Festivals

Boating Race Festival: it is organized in December each year in Da River.
Then Kin Pang Festival: belongs to White Thai Ethnic Group in the town. The festival is happened in the beginning of the year.
The Tet Time: the ethnic groups in Muong Lay Town welcome the Tet time from the end of November to the beginning of December in lunar year. There are different activities in this period.
And there are many other unique festivals in the town.

Local specialties


There are many specialties in Muong Lay with different local dishes cooked from măng riềng (the buds of arrowroot plants), local pork wrapped arrowroot leafs, spring fishes, etc.