A buckwheat flower field

There are many ways to travel to the North mountainous region but riding a motorbike is highly recommended as it helps tourists easily get through winding and sloping roads, and stop anywhere along the way. Motorcycles can be rented in Ha Noi or North mountainous region's cities and towns.

If the border province of Ha Giang is chosen as their destination, tourists will see the stunning beauty of buckwheat flowers grown on mountain sides by Mong ethnic people, the striking terraced paddy fields, and the magnificent Dong Van Karst Plateau acknowledged in 2010 as the global geo-park by UNESCO.

Yen Bai Province is another option in the North mountainous region. During the trip from Yen Bai City to Tu Le and Mu Cang Chai districts, tourists can explore the unique culture of ethnic communities in the upland or try parachuting from Khau Pha Pass. Mu Cang Chai is well known for its vast terraced paddy fields, especially those on the mountain and hill sides in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes.

Those wanting to get a feel of cold weather should drop by Sa Pa Town in Lao Cai Province where they climb the peak of Ham Rong Mountain in the early morning. In Sa Pa, tourists should not miss market sessions where typical products of ethnic minorities are sold.

Autumn is also the blooming season of yellow cabbage flowers and the harvest season of docynia indica, a kind of fruit which grows only in the region.

Touring the North mountainous region, one should not worry about accommodation as they can find a place to stay overnight in every village, either a local host family or a boarding house, or a lot of newly built hotels in the region.

For food, there are a variety of North mountainous region's specialties, including dishes from young pigs, buffalos, stream fish, horse meat, chicken and corn wine.