Visitors to Mu Cang Chai district in the northern Yen Bai province this May will be offered the chance to paraglide over the terraced rice fields to enjoy panoramic views of Mu Cang Chai’s well-known landscapes.

The “pouring water” season offers a great chance to paraglide over the Mu Cang Chai terraced fields. (Photo: VOV)

According to the Vietwings Hanoi Paragliding Club, from May 18^th to 20^th, it will work with the local authorities to organise a paragliding festival themed “Flying over ‘pouring water’ season”.

This is the second time a paragliding festival has been held in the splendid Mu Cang Chai terraced fields during pouring water season, when farmers make the water run into their fields to start a new rice crop. Last year’s event took place in mid-May, with the participation of 100 pilots and a large number of visitors.

The second annual paragliding event will take place in Khau Pha pass, one of the top four famous mountain passes in the northwestern region for their stunning beauty. (Photo: Vietwings Hanoi)

This year’s festival will take place in Khau Pha mountain pass of Cao Pha commune in Mu Cang Chai district, at a height of about 1,270m ASL (480m AGL). Each paraglide session will cover a distance of about 2.3km (skyway) from the Khau Pha pass to the landing ground. The area has seen a lot of investment in construction works, including for the take-off and landing points, parking lots and viewing areas.

Visitors can make registration online for paragliding via the club’s website at http://vietwingshanoi.com.

Wishing to share the passion of flying through the sky with adventurous youngsters, Vietwings Hanoi provides a double glider service to provide the new experience for visitors who want to enjoy an aerial view of Mu Cang Chai’s beautiful landscapes. The event is expected to offer 100 flights by 70 domestic and foreign pilots.

Hoang Mong Long, Chairman of Vietwings Hanoi Club, said that the festival is especially dedicated to promote Mu Cang Chai and Yen Bai’s tourist attractions to both domestic and international tourists. The double flight experience will also target sharing with tourists their images and feelings about the local scenery and culture.

The falling water season in the Mu Cang Chai terraced fields lasts from May till the end of June. (Photo: VOV)

The paragliding festival attracts 70 domestic and foreign pilots offering 100 flights for visitors to enjoy an aerial view of the Mu Cang Chai terraced rice fields. (Photo: Vietwings Hanoi)

Khau Pha pass is one of the longest mountain passes in Vietnam at more than 1,200 metres above sea level. Mu Cang Chai has 500 hectares of rice terraces in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes, cultivated by the H'mong people for centuries. The local terraces are among the 2,500 hectares recognised as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The locality is about 1,000 metres above sea level, making it impossible to adopt rice farming method from the deltas. Local residents grow rice in terraced fields to prevent water flowing downhill. Visitors in March can see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September. During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests.

In 2017, Yen Bai province welcomed more than 500.000 visitors, a year-on-year surge of 3,4 per cent, of the total, there were over 23.500 foreigners, according to Yen Bai Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism./.

VNF/NDO