Vietnam – The country of “golden forests and silver seas” with a terrain of 3/4 mountains and hills, the S-shaped land boasts stunning mountain pass roads. Not only famous for their wild beauty, the reputation of these mountain pass roads is also built on their ruggedness, danger, and they are always a favorite destination for thousands of domestic and international tourists who love exploration, adventure, and conquest every year. If you are still young and haven’t checked in at these most wonderful mountain pass roads in Vietnam, it seems you are wasting a part of your youth!
The top 10 most beautiful mountain pass roads in Vietnam below will be ideal destinations for trekking enthusiasts, adventurers, or those who love experiences and adventures. Let’s explore with VietNamHiddenCharm to see what those places are!
1. Ma Pi Leng Pass Road:
Ma Pi Leng Pass
Ma Pi Leng Pass is considered one of the “Four Great Passes” in Vietnam. The pass is about 1,200m high, stretching 20 km, connecting Dong Van with Meo Vac (Ha Giang province). Currently, Ma Pi Leng Pass has become a legendary route for adventurers due to its majestic natural scenery and the danger that always challenges thrill-seekers.
Ma Pi Leng means “Horse’s Nose.” The top of the pass is one of the best panoramic viewpoints in Vietnam, favored not only for the ruggedness of its winding roads that attract explorers, conquerors, and adventurers but also for the pristine yet poetic beauty of the landscape here.
The best time to visit is from October to December. This is the season of buckwheat flowers and terraced fields. Don’t forget that the top of the pass is the best place to admire the scenery as you can see the entire panorama of clouds, mountains, and water in the most comprehensive and detailed way.
2. Pha Din Pass Road
Pha Din Pass
Stretching 32km and located on National Highway 6, Pha Din Pass always challenges adventurers with its winding and extremely rugged sections. From the top of the pass, looking down, you can see cars following each other, appearing as small as ants.
Even from its name, Pha Din Pass evokes a sense of mystery, grandeur, but also a bit of eeriness. In Thai, Pha Din means “heaven” and “earth,” indicating that this is the junction of heaven and earth. Pha Din is a mountain pass road associated with heroic feats in history.
Although it has existed since wartime, this mountain pass road still offers a wonderful and majestic natural scenery. The undulating mountains interspersed with floating blue clouds. Some sections of the road are covered with fog, but you can only see this in the early morning. On another aspect, on the way through Pha Din, you will witness the vibrant colors of flowers like peaches and plums mixed with the lush green of the grass. A perfectly harmonious natural painting.
The best time to adventure on Pha Din Pass is in March, August, September, November, and December because these are the times when plum blossoms, marigolds, ripe rice fields, and beautiful canola flowers bloom.
3. Ta Xua Pass Road
Ta Xua Pass
Ta Xua is located in Bac Yen district, Son La province, on the border between Yen Bai and Son La provinces. The highest peak here is 2,865m, ranking 10th among the highest mountains in Vietnam. Ta Xua is a challenging conquest for anyone who wants to overcome it.
Ta Xua has three main peaks, forming a magnificent natural wonder, resembling the spine of a giant prehistoric dinosaur, jutting out, winding, rugged, and dangerous. The road to Ta Xua is steep, winding through Hmong villages faintly visible on both sides of the slope in the mist, creating a magical Northwest painting.
Standing on the top of Ta Xua, if you’re lucky, you’ll witness the sea of clouds floating, feeling like you’re lost in a forgotten fairy land on earth. This place attracts many young people passionate about conquering adventurous heights. However, not everyone is lucky enough to capture the moment when clouds cover under their feet like this.
The suitable time to hunt for clouds in Ta Xua is during the winter months, from December to March each year, when the probability of encountering the cloud valley is higher.
4. Khau Pha Pass Road
Khau Pha Pass
Khau Pha Pass in Yen Bai is the most rugged and longest pass on National Highway 32. Dubbed one of the “Four Great Passes” with a length of over 30 km. Khau Pha Pass is one of the most winding and steep mountain pass roads in Vietnam.
Khau Pha Pass is not only a choice for tourists from all directions but also a soul-capturing destination for adventurers who love to challenge themselves. A road full of sweetness with majestic natural scenery but thorny. With dangerous roads, sudden turns, and extremely harsh cliffs and abysses. This is also why Khau Pha Pass is included in the “Four Great Peaks” of Vietnam and is the soul of the famous North.
The best time to adventure on Khau Pha Pass is around May - June (for the lush green of the grass, the golden sunshine, the brown of the earth) and September - October (to admire the ripe rice season on the terraced fields, the misty morning fog, and the radiant beauty of the sky and earth).
5. Thung Khe Pass Road
Thung Khe Pass
Thung Khe Pass, also known as White Stone Pass, is a must-visit sightseeing spot when going on Mai Chau Tours. The Northern European hill, the snow-white hill, a day with four seasons in a year. These are the words describing the impressive and wondrous beauty of Thung Khe Pass in Mai Chau.
Here, you will be impressed by the majestic natural scenery of the Northwest mountains and forests. The pass road winds gently and softly, and the space is blurred with mist and “snow” covering white. It makes you feel like you’re lost in a Northern European land.
Not as rugged and winding as the four great passes, but Thung Khe Pass attracts tourists with its gently winding sections. From the top of the pass, you can look out in all directions to admire the Mai Chau valley and the vast Northwest mountains and forests.
The limestone layer sliding down, whitening an entire mountainside, with clouds and mist covering year-round, makes this place as beautiful as a fairyland. Anyone passing through the pass wants to stop to check in and admire the natural scenery from above.
6. O Quy Ho Pass Road
O Quy Ho Pass
O Quy Ho Pass is located on National Highway 14, connecting Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces. It is the final route in the “Four Great Passes” and holds the record for “the longest pass in Vietnam.” The name O Quy Ho is a long story about an unfulfilled love between a couple. Therefore, this place is always a dream for young people to conquer once.
O Quy Ho Pass is about 2,000m high, 50 km long with rugged terrain and sudden turns. It’s even more dangerous with one side being steep rock cliffs and the other side being deep abysses. The majestic scenery appears magical and floating when the temperature drops below 0 degrees. A natural painting with clouds, trees, white snow, and the wind blowing is truly heartwarming.
Standing from the top, you can see the entire pass road with bustling traffic conquering the roof. In summer, you will be greeted with warm golden sunshine. In winter, you will encounter snow flying white through the forest, giving you the feeling of traveling abroad.
It’s recommended to combine adventuring on O Quy Ho Pass with Sapa. Since it’s at an altitude of 2,000m, the climate here is very cool, with an average temperature of 15-18 degrees Celsius. Avoid going from May to August because there is a lot of rain during this time. And it’s best to go in mid-December, when you can see snowfall as the temperature drops below 0 degrees Celsius.
7. Hai Van Pass Road
Hai Van Pass Road
If Ha Giang attracts adventurers with the winding and rugged Ma Pi Leng mountain, steep cliffs, then Hue also captivates tourists with a painting of overlapping mountains in white clouds. When you set foot on the top of Hai Van Pass – an adventurous destination for those who want to conquer novelty and their own limits.
Hai Van Pass also has two other names: Ai Van Pass or Cloud Pass. It is 500m above sea level and is often covered with clouds, creating a stunning landscape like a fairyland. The winding pass road is narrow and famous for being the most dangerous in the country. But if you conquer it, it will bring you a unique value that few natural landscapes can offer. Conquering Hai Van Pass is definitely an unforgettable experience for you. When you see the steep slopes leaning out towards the vast East Sea, winding and then crossing midway through the clouds.
8. Ngoan Muc Pass Road
Ngoan Muc Pass
Located on National Highway 27, connecting Ninh Thuan and Lam Dong provinces, Ngoan Muc Pass, also known as Song Pha Pass, is the vital transportation route, the gateway between the Central Highlands and the South Central Coast. With a length of 18.5 km from the lowest point at 200m to the peak at 980m. With an average slope of over 9 degrees, Ngoan Muc is the pass with the steepest slope in the southern provinces.
From the pass, looking down, you see the steep cliff, deep abyss. Peeking through the pine forests is the winding, rugged road with cars looking like slow-moving toys going up or down. Further away is the Phan Rang plain with the winding Cai River. Two high mountain ranges embrace the Phan Rang valley extending to the sea. On beautiful days, from the pass, you can see the white sandy shore and the rippling waves. From Ngoan Muc Pass, visitors can take in the entire surrounding scenery created by nature into a harmonious painting, with streams and waterfalls cutting across the mountains, mountain ranges with quite rich and diverse flora.
9. Cu Mong Pass Road
Cu Mong Pass
Cu Mong Pass is the main pass between Phu Yen and Binh Dinh. The 7 km long road, with a peak of 245 m, has many steep slopes, sharp turns, and high mountains on both sides. The rugged terrain, but thanks to its pristine, majestic, and cool beauty, this place is always an unmissable destination for many tourists near and far.
10. Me Pia Pass Road
Me Pia Pass
Me Pia Pass is located on National Highway 4A, connecting from Xuan Truong commune to the center of Bao Lac border district, Cao Bang province. With a length of up to 2.5 km, the 14 levels of the pass are 14 sharp turns, standing upright and descending quickly, with high overlapping mountains on both sides.
In addition, there are many other spectacular beautiful roads waiting for you to conquer.
Have you conquered all these pass roads yet?
