Double room with 1 bed
Couples, solo travellers and small families
| Beds | 1 × 1.6 m |
|---|---|
| Maximum guests | Up to 3 guests |
| Size | 15–25 m² |
| Rooms of this type | 5 |
Quang Minh HotellMù Cang ChảiBook
A small hotel among the rice fields of Mù Cang Chải
Mù Cang Chải · Lào Cai · Vietnam
Wake up to the rice fields of Mù Cang Chải
Quang Minh Hotell is a small, simple hotel with 12 rooms on road QL32, just west of Mù Cang Chải town. Every room looks out over the fields.
Photo: Quang Minh Hotell
Welcome
A simple base among the rice terraces
Quang Minh Hotell is a 12-room hotel in Khim Nọi village on road QL32, just west of Mù Cang Chải town (Mu Cang Chai) in Lào Cai province, northern Vietnam. Khim Nọi is a Thái village on the edge of town, about 0.9 km from the town market.
We keep things simple: modest rooms with private bathrooms, a front desk that is open 24 hours, and a view over the fields from every room. The landscape is the real reason to come. The terraced rice fields of Mù Cang Chải are a Special National Relic of Vietnam, and they start right around the hotel.
Book on Booking.com or Agoda, or message us directly on WhatsApp or Zalo. Both ways are equally welcome.
The sitting area upstairs, with a view of the hills The front of the hotel. The sign reads QUANG MINH HOTEL. The upstairs hall, with rooms on both sides An upstairs corridor
Our rooms
Four room types, all with a view of the fields
From a double room with one bed to family rooms for up to 9 guests. Every room has a private bathroom with a walk-in shower.
Large room with 2 beds
Friends, families and small groups
| Beds | 2 × 1.6 m |
|---|---|
| Maximum guests | Up to 6 guests |
| Size | 24–40 m² |
| Rooms of this type | 5 |
Family room with 3 beds
Larger families and groups
| Beds | 3 × 1.6 m |
|---|---|
| Maximum guests | Up to 9 guests |
| Size | 35 m² |
| Rooms of this type | 1 |
We do not have photos of this room yet. Message us on WhatsApp or Zalo and we will send you some.
Family room with 4 beds
Groups of friends and families who prefer separate beds
| Beds | 4 × 1.2 m |
|---|---|
| Maximum guests | Up to 8 guests |
| Size | 35 m² |
| Rooms of this type | 1 |
Explore
Around Mù Cang Chải
Terraced valleys, the Khau Phạ pass, waterfalls, markets and Hmong and Thái villages. Most of the famous terraces are within about an hour by road.
Flooded terraces at dusk, Mù Cang ChảiPhoto: An Bui (Vietnam Photo Tours), CC BY 2.0 A field path around the hotelPhoto: Quang Minh Hotell Ripening rice below the Khau Phạ passPhoto: Doan Tuan, CC0 Rice and pines around the hotelPhoto: Quang Minh Hotell Cloud over the terraces of La Pán TẩnPhoto: Văn Ngọc Tăng, CC0
The seasons at a glance
Flooded mirrors from late May to early June, bright green in summer, gold from mid-September to mid-October, and blossom in winter.
Timing shifts with the weather each year. Message us for a current photo of the fields.
Best time to visit| Season | When (approx.) | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Winter and blossom season | December to February | Cold, dry, clear weather, with pink tớ dày blossom from mid-December to January and peach and plum blossom after it. The paddies lie fallow. |
| Spring and ploughing season | March to April | Warmer, mostly dry weather. Farmers repair the terrace walls and plough, and there are few tourists. |
| Water-pouring season | Mid-May to mid-June (usually at its best in late May and early June) | The first rains are led into the terraces, turning whole hillsides into mirrors while the rice is planted. |
| Green season | Late June to August | Lush green terraces and full waterfalls in the wettest months. The Tú Lệ valley starts to turn gold in mid-August. |
| Golden harvest season | Mid-September to mid-October (Tú Lệ: mid-August to early September) | The rice ripens from the valleys up to the high terraces. The colour usually peaks in the last week of September and the first week of October, and then the harvest begins. |
| Post-harvest and cloud season | Late October to November | Harvested terraces and drying rice straw in cool, dry weather, with seas of cloud at dawn and far fewer visitors. |
Six places to start with
Rice terraces
Mù Cang Chải rice terraces
Terraces built by generations of Hmong farmers across whole mountainsides, a Special National Relic of Vietnam since 2019.
Best time: Late May to mid-June for flooded terraces, July and August for green, mid-September to mid-October for gold.
Viewpoint
Kim Nọi viewpoint
A quiet rock outcrop above the Kim Nọi terraces, the closest well-known viewpoint to the hotel and lovely at sunrise.
Best time: Late September to mid-October for golden rice; June for flooded terraces.
Rice terraces
Mâm Xôi hill (La Pán Tẩn)
about 26 km from the hotel · about 50 min by road
The most famous terraced hill in Mù Cang Chải: rings of paddies climb to a flat top shaped like a tray of sticky rice.
Best time: Mid-September to mid-October for golden rice; late May to June for water, if the rains have come.
Rice terraces
La Pán Tẩn
about 24 km from the hotel · about 40 min by road
A high Hmong area on the slopes of Khau Phạ mountain, at the heart of the protected terrace zone and home to Mâm Xôi hill.
Best time: Mid-September to mid-October for golden rice; late May to June for flooded terraces.
Mountain pass
Khau Phạ pass
about 28 km from the hotel · about 35 min by road
The 'horn of the sky': the longest and most rugged pass on road QL32, with seas of cloud over the Tú Lệ valley.
Best time: September and October for the golden valley below; October to March for seas of cloud.
Market
Mù Cang Chải town market
about 0.9 km from the hotel · about 5 min by road
The market in the town centre, about 0.9 km from the hotel, where Hmong and Thái families from the villages come to trade.
Best time: All year, early in the morning.
Road distances and travel times from the hotel are approximate.
Travel respectfully
The terraces are a protected relic and a living farm. A few simple habits help keep them that way.
- Stay off the terrace walls. Walk on the paths and never walk or sit on the terrace walls. They are fragile, and they are the farmers' livelihood. At harvest time, keep to the edges of the fields.
- Pay the small fees. Some viewpoints charge a small entrance fee. Please pay it: the fees help to pay for the viewpoints.
- Stay behind the railings. Do not climb the railings of makeshift photo platforms. Local authorities warned against this in 2025.
Location
Getting here
Mù Cang Chải is about 280 km from Hanoi by sleeper bus, limousine van, car or motorbike, and about 140 km from Sa Pa. The bus station is about 0.8 km from the hotel.
- From Hanoi (Hà Nội)About 280 km by road, roughly 6 to 8.5 hours, mostly on QL32 via Nghĩa Lộ, Tú Lệ and the Khau Phạ pass.
- From Sa PaAbout 140 km, roughly 4 hours by car, via the Ô Quy Hồ pass, Tân Uyên and Than Uyên, then QL32.
- From Nghĩa Lộ and Tú LệNghĩa Lộ is about 100 km away (about 2 to 2.5 hours) and Tú Lệ about 48 km (a little over an hour), both on QL32 on the Hanoi side of the Khau Phạ pass.
Mù Cang Chải bus station is on QL32, about 0.8 km from the hotel. Message us your arrival time if you need directions.
How to get hereGood to know
Facilities and services
Quang Minh Hotell offers free Wi-Fi, a 24-hour front desk, parking, motorbike rental, laundry service, daily housekeeping and karaoke. It is a simple hotel, so here is exactly what we have and what we don't.
Included in your stay
In every room and at the front desk, at no extra cost:
- View over the fields
- Private bathroom
- Walk-in shower
- Free toiletries
- Towels
- 2 free bottles of water
- Electric kettle
- Free Wi-Fi
- 24-hour front desk
- Daily housekeeping
Also at the hotel: parking, motorbike rental, laundry service and karaoke.
Please note
Small things that are good to know before you arrive.
- No elevator. The hotel has three floors and no elevator, so you will use the stairs.
- No restaurant. The hotel has no restaurant. Breakfast is available for an extra charge, and Mù Cang Chải town centre is about 1 km away for other meals.
- No card terminal. At the hotel you pay in cash or by bank transfer. Cards are not accepted, and ATMs in the area are few, so bring enough Vietnamese dong.
- Breakfast at extra charge. Breakfast is not included in the room rate. Ask us about it when you book.
- No pool, spa or gym. The hotel has no swimming pool, spa or fitness room, and the rooms have no balcony.
- No airport shuttle. The hotel has no airport shuttle. See Getting here for buses and cars from Hanoi and Sa Pa.
- No pets. Pets are not allowed.
Booking
Three ways to book
Choose what suits you. All three are equally welcome.
Pick your dates first and we fill them in for you:
Check availabilityBooking.com
Prices, availability and cancellation terms are shown on Booking.com.
Book on Booking.com(opens in a new tab)Agoda
Prices, availability and cancellation terms are shown on Agoda.
Book on Agoda(opens in a new tab)Directly with the hotel
Send us your dates on WhatsApp, Zalo or email, or call +84 912 501 627. We reply with availability.
Payment
At the hotel you pay in cash or by bank transfer. There is no card terminal.
- Cash
- Bank transfer
- No card terminal
Bookings on Booking.com or Agoda may be prepaid through those sites, following their terms.
Where is Quang Minh Hotell?
Quang Minh Hotell is a 12-room hotel in Khim Nọi village on road QL32, just west of Mù Cang Chải town in Lào Cai province, northern Vietnam. The address is Khim Nọi village, Mù Cang Chải commune, Lào Cai province, Vietnam, and the Google plus code is V33J+3XP. Mù Cang Chải bus station is about 0.8 km away.
Can I pay by credit card at Quang Minh Hotell?
No. At the hotel you can pay in cash or by bank transfer; there is no card terminal. Bookings made on Booking.com or Agoda can be prepaid through those sites.
Is breakfast included?
No. Breakfast is not included in the room rate, but it is available for an extra charge. Ask us about it when you book.
Do all rooms have a view?
Yes. Every one of the 12 rooms at Quang Minh Hotell looks out over the fields.
When is the best time to see the Mù Cang Chải rice terraces?
Mid-September to mid-October, when the rice turns gold; the colour usually peaks in the last week of September and the first week of October. For flooded, mirror-like terraces, come from late May to early June. For blossom, come from December to February.
How do I get from Hanoi to Mù Cang Chải?
Take a sleeper bus or limousine van from Mỹ Đình bus station in Hanoi; the trip of about 280 km takes about 6 to 8.5 hours, mostly overnight, via Nghĩa Lộ, Tú Lệ and the Khau Phạ pass. By private car it takes about 6 hours. Mù Cang Chải bus station is about 0.8 km from the hotel.