- Location: Hoang Su Phi and Vi Xuyen Districts District, Ha Giang Province
- Ideal for: Hiking
- Height: 2,427 meters
- Time to summit: 3 to 4 days
- Difficulty level: Difficult
In this series of articles, we would want to introduce you all tips to conquer Tay Con Linh Mountain
- Tay Con Linh Mountain - rooftop of northeastern Vietnam
- How to get Tay Con Linh Mountain
- Accommodation & Porter & Food
- Best time to visit
- Tour pricing
- Conquer Tay Con Linh Mountain - rooftop of northeastern Vietnam
Tay Con Linh Mountain - rooftop of northeastern Vietnam
Tay Con Linh Mountain in Ha Giang Province is home to around 200 families of Co Lao ethnic people, a small group among the 54 ethnic peoples in Vietnam. Farming is a part of Co Lao’s life in the rural area. All family members including kids work together, from planting rice to collecting corns and tea, to make ends meet. Although the life of local people is hard, they always have a smile on their face.
How to get Tay Con Linh Mountain
Limousine bus: Since the route is less frequented, there are not as many shuttle buses that run through the region. If departing from Hanoi, you can consult Ngoc Cuong, Cau Me, Quang Nghi, Quang Giang, or Dang Quang bus services for a ride to the Tan Quang intersection in Ha Giang Province. From here, you can hop on a second ride to reach Thong Nguyen Village. The latter is offered by Thong Nguyen bus service that can be reached by this number: 0966 212 213. However, motorbikes are the only transportation available from Hoang Su Phi to Tay Con Linh Mountain.
Motorbike: If you are feeling more adventurous, you can travel by motorbike from Hanoi to Tay Con Linh mountain base directly. However, this option is not recommended since mountain passes can get dangerous with sharp turns and uneven surfaces, especially for first-timers unfamiliar with the route. It is best to book a knowledgeable guide who will drive you by motorbike to Tay Con Linh.
Accommodation & Porter
Accommodation: Stay at Kinh Homestay, Dao Homestay, or Hoang Su Phi Bungalow when in Hoang Su Phi District. During your trek, you will spend the night in a H’mong shanty at an altitude of 1,848 m (fees included in the tour).
Food: Mainly homemade meals of specialties including prairie chicken, wild boar, forest vegetables, goat rice wine, and corn wine.
Porter: Despite being dubbed the rooftop of the northeast, Tay Con Linh is not over-frequented. Due to its lack of tourists, the route can be maze-like and confusing. This is locally considered a spiritual landmark of the ethnic community with multiple accounts of mysterious disappearances. Thus, it is highly recommended to book a guide. Kinh is an experienced and devoted trekker and knows the route around Tay Con Linh like the back of his hand. For bookings, you can contact him via 0988 070 619.
Best time to visit
The most ideal time to climb Tay Con Linh is in the dry season that begins at the end of September and ends in April. You can thoroughly enjoy golden terraced fields in the fall, water season in April, or blooming red azaleas at the start of spring. You should avoid visiting from May to September during flood season when snakes are abundant.
Tour pricing
The tour costs VND1.3 million ($56) if you depart from Nam Hong Village and VND4 million from Hanoi. The fee includes food, accommodation, motorbike rental, and a guide. The minimum number of people on a crew starts at four and cuts off at 16.
Conquer Tay Con Linh Mountain - rooftop of northeastern Vietnam
Based on experience from the those have gone to Tay Con Linh, the journey can start from Thanh Thuy border gate in Vi Xuyen district, 20 km far from Ha Giang city to the northwest, to Xin Chai junction and ask local people for directions to Tay Con Linh. In addition, adventurers can also depart from Hoang Su Phi district with the road through Tung San – Trung Phung as well.
On the way to Tay Con Linh, there are three local unique features that should not be ignored: Tea tree field, Nghĩa Địa Tây, and Salmon.
Tea tree field. Tay Con Linh is famous for its ancient snow ‘shan’ tea. After crossing the sky gate of Hoang Su Phi, you will see many high tea trees overhead and stop in the ancient tea forests of Ho Thau commune, located at an altitude of 1,500 m, to admire immense tea towering, spicy leaves.
Nghĩa địa Tây or the “Western Cemetery”, is located in Tru Phung Village, about 7 km from the center of Tung San Commune, Hoang Su Phi. This is where the 24 Western soldiers were buried in the 1947 military plane crash on the West Con Linh Range, at an altitude of 2,000 meters. It has been more than half a century, but when you come here you do not see the emptiness and desolation of a strange land among highland life, but instead, a clean cemetery with 24 tombs, divided into two streams. The graveyard is a spacious, rare land on the top of the mountain, but local people do not make use of the land to cultivate. They set aside the land so that the bad-luck soldiers would rest in peace, as the way that they respect the afterlife of their loved ones. Located at an altitude quite close to Tay Con Linh, you will imagine some of the harshnesses at the top of 400m more when standing here.
Salmon. If going from Vi Xuyen district, cold salmon raising area on Xa Phin mountain, Phuong Tien commune is very good point to stop after many steep slopes and the death twists. At over 2,000 meters above sea level, this is where the cold water flows through the streams, through the villages and is ideal habitat for Northern European salmon living. The fish pond is located at the right side of the road, between the side of the vertical mountain wall an one side of the waterfall falling into the deep abyss. You will be surprised to see thousands of salmon swimming on top of Xa Phin.
