How We Visited the Most Underrated Rice Fields in Vietnam: Pu Luong Nature Reserve
- Shal & James
- Jan 7
- 9 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
About to join 4.5 million tourists in Sapa? Skip the crowds and head to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, where you can experience the most untouched rice fields in Vietnam.
Sure, you could just use AI to erase everyone from your photos, but you’d miss that real, spine-tingling sense of awe when you’re standing in the middle of somewhere remote and perfectly preserved for generations.
That’s why we went the extra mile to figure out how to visit, the best rice fields in Vietnam, Pu Luong Nature Reserve. After hours of research, our trip turned out seamless, unexpectedly luxurious, and completely worth every bit of effort.
CONTENTS
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT RICE FIELDS IN VIETNAM?
HOW TO SEE PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE?
HOW MANY DAYS IN PU LUONG?
HOW TO GET TO PU LUONG?
HOW TO GET AROUND PU LUONG?
WHAT'S THE BEST HOTEL NEAR PU LUONG?
STEAL OUR 3 DAY RICE FIELDS ITINERARY
HOW MUCH DOES A LUXURY TRIP TO PU LUONG RICE FIELDS COST? (WHAT WE SPENT)
We’ve included opening hours, prices with currency conversions based on current exchange rates, and what we paid to help with planning, but things can change (things to do, hotels, the lot), so it’s always worth double checking to dodge any last-minute surprises.
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WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT RICE FIELDS IN VIETNAM?
We visited the rice fields in Vietnam from 24 to 28 March during the dry season, which is ideal for travelling the country. At this time, the rice fields were a lovely green, though not at their peak. For the most spectacular terraces, visit in late May to early June when they are lush and vibrant, or in September to October when the fields turn a dazzling gold.
HOW TO SEE PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE?
Pu Luong Nature Reserve sits just 1.5–2 hours from Mai Chau, a serene valley in northern Vietnam famed for its emerald rice fields, ethnic minority villages, and misty mountain views. When we were researching, we could only find one private day tour for Pu Luong that looked remotely legit (all the others were part of multi-day lower budget excursions across the region). Fortunately, this day trip was fantastic and we highly recommend you repeat what we booked.
Our day tour was 12 hours, with roughly 4 hours spent on the road, but it’s fully customisable so you can make the experience exactly what you want.
Here’s how we spent our day:
7:30AM pick-up from our hotel
Bamboo factory visit
2-hour trek from Bam Village (Shorter or longer, you do you!)
Don Village (This is what you came for)
Lunch at KM Pu Luong in Bản Đôn (tasty farm-to-table; your guide will order/help navigate food allergies)
Kho Mường Village
Suoi Cham (Bamboo rafting and water wheels and if you’re lucky you’ll see farmers with their water buffalos. FYI: the bamboo raft is super slow and rowed by a local)
Aside from lunch, we saw exactly TWO other tourists all day. Not a bus in sight, just pure, untouched beauty and rice farmers.
For the perfect private day trip to Pu Luong, book a tour through David at Hanoi Eco Tour via WhatsApp (+84 97 431 31 04). You’ll get a local guide (ours was the fabulous Xuan, she was amazing) who speaks basic English, and a driver who knows Pu Luong like the back of his hand. Seriously, no GPS needed.
No deposit needed, just show up ready for adventure. We paid US$99 pp (converted: £73 / €85) in Vietnamese dong (~2.6 M pp cash), handed directly to our guide based on that day’s exchange rate. The price covers your driver, guide, water and lunch. If you fancy a fresh coconut at the dreamy viewpoint café—and its likely you will—it’s an extra 30,000 VND cash (less than £€$1… go wild).
If you want to book Xuan directly, her WhatsApp is +84 91655 53 64. It will probably be much less expensive than going through Hanoi Eco Tour.
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU TIP?
We read in various corners of the internet that it's customary to tip private drivers 50,000 - 100,000 VND (converted: £2-3 / €2-3 / US$2-4) and tour guides 100,000 - 200,000 VND (converted: £3-6 / €3-7 / US$4-8) for full day tours.
We tipped 150,000 VND (converted: £4 / €5 / US$6) to our legend of a driver and 400,000 VND (converted: £11 / €13 / US$15) to Xuan, our guide because she made the day feel like adventuring with a friend who just magically knew where every jaw-dropping view was hiding. That tip plastered a grin on Xuan's face.
HOW MANY DAYS IN PU LUONG?
2 nights minimum in order to have a full-day plunge into Pu Luong’s magic. We lingered 4 nights at Avana Retreat, and could have easily stayed another day or two.
HOW TO GET TO PU LUONG?
Hop on a direct domestic flight to Tho Xuan Airport (THD) from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), Can Tho (VCA), Buon Ma Thuot (BMV), Con Dao (VCS), Phu Quoc (PQC), or Nha Trang (CXR). It’s a 3-hour drive to Mai Chau or Avana Retreat, and the easiest way is to have your hotel sort a private car.
Since we were exploring Vietnam south to north, we hopped a flight from Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and then connected to Tho Xuan Airport (THD).
HOW TO GET AROUND PU LUONG?
Staying in Mai Chau offers walk-around charm, but at Avana Retreat, you’re in a stunning jungle sanctuary. Bliss. From Mai Chau or Avana Retreat, it's ~2-hour drive to Pu Luong Nature Reserve and you’ll need a private guide + driver to unlock trails and village life.
WHAT'S THE BEST HOTEL NEAR PU LUONG?
You could stay in Mai Chau for the classic valley experience, but for something truly unforgettable (and insanely luxurious), head to Avana Retreat £260 pn (converted: €302 / US$350), a 15-hectare eco-luxury hideaway where jungle mist hangs low and waterfalls set the soundtrack. Almost entirely staffed by Thai, Hmong, and Muong locals, it feels deeply authentic and special.
We stayed in the “entry-level” Bauhinia Mountain Suite: 98 sqm of private-villa bliss with a 35 sqm balcony, floor-to-ceiling mountain views, and a bed so cloud-soft it erased all memory of Asia’s rock-hard mattresses.
With just 36 villas scattered across the hills, you’ll rarely see another soul… unless you’re at the heated cloud pool, an infinity carved into the mountainside to echo the rice terraces.
Avana’s app keeps things seamless. You can summon a buggy to take you to the pool (or anywhere else in the compound) or to get fresh towels, purified water top-up or turn-down service.
Meals are a highlight: Green Chili Restaurant serves hearty breakfasts (6-10AM) and dinners (6-10PM; no reservations needed), while Cloud Bar is the spot for poolside lunches, complimentary afternoon snacks (4–5:30PM), and those dreamy passionfruit margaritas during happy hour (3–6PM). Watching the sunset over the rice terraces with a glass in hand? Utter perfection.
A real treat was a 60-minute couples massage at Orchid Spa. Led down a jungle path to a private hut beside a babbling brook, we got a foot soak with a view before the massage began. Hands down the best massage we had in Vietnam — and yes, we’re counting fancy 5-star hotels.
With more activities than a summer camp for adults, we even made a spreadsheet to squeeze the most out of our four days and still didn’t get to everything. Activities include yoga, singing bowl meditation, local craft demos/workshops in Avana's own stilt house museum, candle-making (we loved this!) and feeding goats in a bamboo forest.
Avana also offers a number of guided hikes and we tried the 4-hour private nature trek. The trek was far too easy (if you're even mildly fit) and the viewpoint was underwhelming compared to the rice terraces at Avana or Pu Luong. The highlight? Visiting a local farmer in his stilt house, sipping tea, munching fresh fruit, and wandering through Co-Cham, a 35-family village. At 1,285,000 VND pp (converted: £36 / €42 / $49), its a really overpriced "trek" by Vietnamese standards, but it did give us a fascinating glimpse into local life.
STEAL OUR 3 DAY RICE FIELDS ITINERARY
Technically, it took four nights to squeeze out three full days: One very long, full day in Pu Luong and two days at Avana Retreat. Travelling from Hoi An swallowed an entire day, so we didn’t roll into Avana until early evening. Before checking out, we squeezed in a visit to Avana’s bamboo forest.
DAY 1: AVANA RETREAT ACTIVITIES
Morning: Start with a leisurely breakfast at Green Chili Restaurant, then ease into the day with a swim in the heated Cloud Pool, mist curling over the hills as Pu Luong wakes up around you.
Afternoon: Join singing bowl meditation (Tue & Sat 1-1:45PM), followed by a guided visit to the Stilt House Museum (daily 2:30-3PM) with a Thai weaving demonstration (Tue, Thu, Sat Sun 2-4PM) then a hands-on scented candle-making workshop (daily 3-3:45PM). Drift back to the Cloud Pool for complimentary snacks (daily 4-5:30PM) or settle into the BOGO happy hour (daily 3-6PM), depending on whether you’re feeling virtuous or celebratory.
Evening: Unwind with a couples massage at the Orchid Spa before sitting down to dinner at Green Chili Restaurant. If you happen to be around on a Sat night (we weren't), you can also catch a live performance at 8PM.
DAY 2: PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE
Morning: Fuel up with an early breakfast at Green Chili Restaurant (6:30-7:15AM), then meet your private guide and driver for a 7:30am pick-up. You’ll visit a bamboo factory before starting a ~2-hour scenic trek from Bam Village through rice fields in Pu Luong. Shorter or longer, you do you!
Afternoon: Continue on to Don Village, which features the endless, untouched, dramatic rice fields you came for. Then, sit down for lunch at KM Pu Luong in Ban Don, a farm-to-table spot with knockout views. From there, it’s on to Kho Muong Village for more rice fields, followed by Suoi Cham where waterwheels creak and a local will float you lazily down the river on a bamboo raft.
Evening: Your private driver will drop you back at the hotel around 7:30PM. Freshen up and head to Green Chili Restaurant for dinner, legs happily exhausted
DAY 3: EXPLORE LOCALLY
Morning: Start slow with breakfast at Green Chili Restaurant, then set off at 10:30AM with your private guide for a nature trek straight from Avana. The walk winds through forest and rice fields (although after Pu Luong they're just not impressive) before a visit to a local farmer’s house in Co Cham, offering a quietly fascinating glimpse into daily life here (this was our favourite part).
Afternoon: Back at Avana, take in the views from the viewpoint, dip into the private lagoon, visit a secret waterfall, then ease into a long, lazy swim in the heated Cloud Pool. If you’re pressed for time, this is the day you could easily turn into a half-day by skipping the nature trek in favour of seeing the viewpoint, lagoon and bamboo forest (daily 9-11AM + 2:30-4:30PM) and then heading to your next destination.
Evening: Settle into complimentary snacks and/or the BOGO happy hour by the Cloud Pool before wrapping things up with a final dinner at Green Chili Restaurant for one last lingering meal.
HOW MUCH DOES A LUXURY TRIP TO PU LUONG RICE FIELDS COST? (WHAT WE SPENT)
Curious what adding Pu Luong to your Vietnam trip actually costs? We tracked everything we spent as a couple so you can see exactly what this side quest looks like on paper.
Our return economy flights with Vietnam Airlines, London to HCMC and Hanoi back to London, came to £1,472 for two (£736 pp; converted: €853 / US$994).
We also used a 30-day, 20GB Airalo eSIM for £26 (converted: €30 / US$35), which quietly became one of our best decisions of the trip. Grab one through our links for 15% off if you’re new, or 10% off if you’re already part of the club.
Here's what we spent for two people for the Pu Luong leg alone, if you want the complete numbers for the entire trip, head over to our 3-Week Vietnam Itinerary for the full breakdown of what we spent.
FX: 1 GBP = 1.15 EUR / 1.34 USD
^A transfer that was equal parts harrowing and frustrating thanks to an inexperienced driver, Avana only charged us half the cost and tried to make it up to us with a 60-minute couples massage (normally 4,200,000 VND; converted: £118 / €136 / US$160) at Orchid Spa. We trust the driver issue has been addressed, so future guests shouldn't face the same hiccup.
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