Ngan Nguyen (Ngan Mario Maurer, Hai Duong), is a freelancer currently living and working in Hanoi. Ta Chi Nhu is the 4th mountain peak she has conquered this year. Before that, she climbed Nam Kang Ho Tao, Bach Moc Luong Tu, Putaleng. Her trip to Ta Chi Nhu this time took place in 2 days and 1 night.
Ta Chi Nhu is located in Xa Ho commune, Tram Tau district, known as the "roof of Yen Bai", "heaven on earth" with a height of 2,979 m. This is also the 7th highest mountain peak in Vietnam and was conquered by tourists for the first time in 2013.
Ngan Nguyen just had a two-day trip to conquer Ta Chi Nhu peak, Yen Bai last September.
Ta Chi Nhu is mainly steep hills, winding roads, even some sections are vertical hills. The climate here is often very cold and the wind is strong, making the journey to the top even more difficult and dangerous. However, thanks to its beautiful and extremely romantic scenery, Ta Chi Nhu is always chosen by many people to go trekking.
Ngan Nguyen spent the first night resting at the hut (moving more than 10 trees from the foot of the mountain to the hut) and the next day moved from the hut to the top starting at 5am. It took her about 2 hours to climb from the hut to the top, because she stopped to admire the scenery and take pictures along the way.
“In my opinion, Ta Chi Nhu is not a very difficult climbing route. The most special thing about this route is that the climbing route is all long slopes, from the foot of the mountain to the top. There are very few flat roads. The terrain from the foot of the mountain to the hut is not too diverse, but from the hut to the top, the scenery is much more beautiful. September and October are the chi pau flower seasons, so you will get lost in this purple flower forest on the way to the top,” said Ngan Nguyen.
Mid-September to early October is the best time to see chi pau flowers.
In addition to the ideal cloud hunting location, Ta Chi Nhu also attracts many mountain climbers because of the beauty of the wild purple flowers that grow all over the hillsides of the chi pau flower. It is so named because when asked about the wild purple flowers, the locals say "chi pau" (in the H'mong language, it means "don't know", "don't understand"). Because no one knows where this flower comes from and what its name is. Every year from September to October, the entire hill range in Ta Chi Nhu lights up with the brilliant purple color of this wild flower.
During Ngan Nguyen's trip to conquer the roof of Yen Bai, the first day was quite difficult because it rained heavily and frequently. The second day was luckier because the sun was shining and the weather was nice, so she had the opportunity to hunt clouds and capture many beautiful moments. But when she reached the top, the wind was strong and there was a lot of fog, so taking pictures was quite difficult.
For those who have no experience in climbing, this journey should not be done on your own. Tourists can join a group or go on a tour with a guide.
“After a few months of stopping climbing, I have just started climbing again, so my leg muscles are more tired than usual. However, I really love climbing and am extremely excited for this trip, so I do not consider this a difficulty,” said Ngan Nguyen.
The terrain of Ta Chi Nhu is not too complicated, it is mainly steep, requiring high endurance and perseverance, so I still advise everyone to practice sports diligently every day, so that when climbing, it will ensure the best health.
Ngan Nguyen also gave some notes when trekking on the top of Ta Chi Nhu. When climbing mountains, the legs are the most important part. If your legs hurt, climbing will be extremely difficult and tiring, so you need to equip your legs well.
Ta Chi Nhu is known as "the roof of Yen Bai", "the cloud paradise on earth"
She added: “In recent trips, I switched from wearing specialized shoes to wearing boots. Wearing boots makes me feel more confident and secure, and is also very suitable for the unpredictable weather conditions on the mountain, and is also easy to wash and clean. So I encourage you to wear boots and choose a size 2 sizes larger than your feet and wear 2 pairs of socks to make your feet more comfortable. So I often bring a lot of socks to change. I also don't need to bring a lot of clothes, to avoid weighing down my backpack and to move more easily."
“Just go while your legs are still strong and your pockets are still full. You will receive more wonderful things than you think,” Ngan Nguyen shared.
For those who conquer Ta Chi Nhu, they always move continuously in the forest with limited food and drink, and their health is easily eroded. Therefore, tourists should prepare their health carefully before the trip and practice sports. In addition, tourists should join a group, go on a tour with a tour guide; equip themselves with skills to handle unexpected situations such as encountering snakes, heatstroke, hypoglycemia...
Although the route to conquer Ta Chi Nhu peak is not simple, visitors will find the effort completely worth it when admiring the poetic European-like scenery of the chi pau flower field on the roof of Yen Bai.
