Best Rice Fields in Vietnam (+ Itinerary)
- Shal & James
- Aug 28
- 10 min read
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 Pu Luong Nature Reserve—a total mission to reach. After hours of research, our trip turned out seamless, unexpectedly luxurious, and completely worth every bit of effort.
CONTENTS
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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KEY INFO: PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE, VIETNAM
BEST TIME TO GO TO RICE FIELDS IN VIETNAM
We visited 24–28 Mar during the dry season—ideal for travelling the country—when the rice fields were a lovely green, though not at their peak. For the most spectacular terraces, head there in late May- early Jun when they’re lush and vibrant, or in Sep-Oct when the fields turn a dazzling golden.
HOW TO GET TO PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE
Hop on a direct domestic flight to Tho Xuan Airport (THD)—you can fly there 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, and the easiest way is to have your hotel sort a private car.
HOW TO GET AROUND PU LUONG
Staying in Mai Chau offers walk-around charm—but at Avana Retreat, you’re in jungle mode with on-demand buggies via app. Bliss. From Mai Chau or Avana Retreat, it's about a 2-hr drive to Pu Luong Nature Reserve and you’ll want a private guide + driver to unlock trails and village life.
IDEAL TRIP LENGTH
2 nights minimum for a full-day plunge into Pu Luong’s magic. We lingered 4 nights at Avana, and an extra 1–2 would’ve been just right.
LANGUAGES
Vietnamese is the official language, but many people speak French and English.
VIETNAM TOURIST VISAS
UK: no visa for up to 45 days. List of countries exempt from visas. US: visa required for any stay.
Passport must be undamaged, valid 6 months from arrival, with 2 blank pages.
VIETNAM CURRENCY
Vietnamese dong (VND); credit card fees apply if accepted—best to use cash. Most ATMs take foreign cards, with a 3M VND withdrawal limit per transaction and multiple withdrawals allowed.
IS VIETNAM SAFE?
We felt safe, but the UK government's advice on safety and security is definitely worth a read.
CAN YOU DRINK TAP WATER IN VIETNAM?
No—only drink bottled or boiled water.
VACCINATIONS NEEDED FOR VIETNAM
None for entry—just stay up-to-date on routine vaccines (unless your doc says otherwise). We chose to get rabies (Vietnam high-risk per WHO) and Japanese encephalitis (rice fields stay).
VIETNAM ESIM
We never travel without an Airalo eSIM—grab one through our link for 15% off if you’re new, or 10% off if you’re already part of the club.
Planning a trip to Vietnam? These 15 Vietnam travel tips from our 3-week adventure cover everything we wish we knew.
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 to go on 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.
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$99 pp (converted: £73 / €85) in Vietnamese dong (~2.6 M pp cash), handed directly to the guide based on that day’s exchange rate. The price covers your driver, guide, water and lunch. If you fancy a fresh coconut at the dreamy viewpoint café—and its likely you will—it’s an extra 30,000 VND cash (less than £$€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.
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 (Farm-to-table, tasty, and your guide will order/help navigate food allergies)
Kho Mường Village
Suoi Cham (Bamboo rafting and water wheels—if you’re lucky you’ll see farmers with their water buffalos. FYI: the bamboo raft is super slow and rowed by a local)
Here’s the kicker: Aside from lunch, we saw exactly TWO other tourists all day. Not a bus in sight, just pure, untouched beauty and rice farmers.
What to tip?
We read in various corners of the internet that it's customary to tip private drivers 50,000 - 100,000 VND (converted: US$2-4 / £2-3 / €2-3) and tour guides 100,000 - 200,000 VND (converted: US$4-8 / £3-6 / €3-7) for full day tours.
We tipped 150,000 VND (converted: US$6 / £4 / €5) to our legend of a driver and 400,000 VND (converted: US$15 / £11 / €13) 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.
BEST HOTEL NEAR PU LUONG
AVANA RETREAT
You could stay in Mai Chau for the classic valley experience, but for something truly unforgettable (and insanely luxrious), head to Avana Retreat £260 pn (converted: US$350 / €302), 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 — summon a buggy to the pool, fresh towels, purified water top-up or turn-down service at a tap (though the staff usually beat us to it).
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, 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 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 a 35-family village. At 1,285,000 VND (converted: £36 / $49 / €42 ) per person, its not something we can really recommend, but it did give us a fascinating glimpse into local life.
We’d love to dish out more hotel recs for Mai Chau itself, but honestly, we didn’t dig too deep—once we stumbled across Avana, with its authentic, wild-at-heart setting, our search ended right there.
BEST TIME TO VISIT RICE FIELDS IN VIETNAM?
We visited 24–28 March during the dry season—ideal for travelling the country—when the rice fields were a lovely green, though not at their peak. For the most spectacular terraces, head there in late May to early June when they’re lush and vibrant, or in September to October when the fields turn a dazzling golden.
HOW MANY DAYS IN PU LUONG?
2 nights minimum for a full-day plunge into Pu Luong’s magic. We lingered 4 nights at Avana, and an extra 1–2 would’ve been just right.
STEAL OUR 3 DAY RICE FIELDS ITINERARY*
DAY 1: EXPLORE AVANA RETREAT
9-10AM Breakfast at Green Chili Restaurant
Swim in the heated Cloud Pool
1-1:45PM Singing bowl meditation class in English
2:30-3PM Stilt House Museum guided tour + Thai weaving demo
3-3:45PM Candle-making workshop
4-5:30PM / 3-6PM Complimentary snacks at the Cloud Pool / BOGO happy hour
6-7PM Couples massage at Orchid Spa
8PM Dinner at Green Chili Restaurant
Serendipitously, our museum tour and candle-making workshop ended up being private!
DAY 2: PU LUONG NATURE RESERVE PRIVATE TOUR
6:30-7:15AM Breakfast at Green Chili Restaurant
7:30AM pick-up
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 (think farm to table)
Kho Mường Village (more rice fields)
Suoi Cham (waterwheels + bamboo rafting)
7:30PM drop-off
8:30PM Dinner at Green Chili Restaurant
DAY 3: EXPLORE LOCALLY
9-10AM Breakfast at Green Chili Restaurant
10:30AM-1PM Private nature trek from Avana + visit to a farmer's house in Co Cham
Visit Avana's viewpoint & private lagoon
Swim in the heated Cloud Pool
4-5:30PM / 3-6PM Complimentary snacks at the Cloud Pool / BOGO happy hour
8PM Dinner at Green Chili Restaurant
*We spent four nights here, though getting from Hoi An ate up the entire day, and we didn’t arrive at Avana until early evening. Before checking out, we explored Avana’s bamboo forest, feeding goats, chickens, and even a water buffalo.
HOW MUCH DOES A LUXURY TRIP TO PU LUONG RICE FIELDS COST? (WHAT WE SPENT)
We squeezed Ho Chi Minh City into our 3-week Vietnam adventure, and here’s what it cost us. Our return economy flights with Vietnam Airlines (London to HCMC + Hanoi back to London) came to £1,472 for both of us (£736 pp; converted: US$994 / €853), and we snapped up a 30-day, 20GB Airalo eSIM for £26 (converted: US$35 / €30) —which, frankly, saved us from more than one “where the heck are we?” moment.
Below is a breakdown of what we spent for two people travelling together just for this leg of the trip (£1,573; converted: US$2,123 / €1,821).^
Want the full financial scoop? Head over to our 3-Week Vietnam Itinerary for the whole budget breakdown (and maybe a few “did-we-really-spend-that?” moments).
ITEM | GBP | USD* | EUR* |
Private car from airport to Avana Retreat 7-seat vehicle arranged by Avana | £75* | $101 | €87 |
Avana Retreat (5-star hotel) 4 nights in a Bauhinia Mountain Suite including breakfast | £1,031 | $1,392 | €1,193 |
Pu Luong private tour + 550,000 VND tips Including guide, driver, bamboo raft, water, fruit, lunch | £162* | $219 | €188 |
4-hour private nature trek Including guide, driver, tea/snacks with a local farmer | £80* | $108 | €93 |
Food + drinks 4 dinners at Green Chili Restaurant + 2 lunches / happy hour drinks at Cloud Pool Bar at Avana Retreat | £225* | $303 | €260 |
Grand Total | £1,573 | $2,123 | €1,821 |
^After a transfer that was equal parts harrowing and frustrating thanks to an inexperienced driver, Avana only charged us half the cost—and sweetened the deal with a 60-minute couples massage (normally 4,200,000 VND; converted: £118 / US$160 / €136) at Orchid Spa. We trust this has been addressed, so future guests won’t face the same hiccup.
*Approximate conversions for reference based on current exchange rates.
HOW TO GET TO PU LUONG?
Hop on a direct domestic flight to Tho Xuan Airport (THD)—you can fly there 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, and the easiest way is to have your hotel sort a private car.
Since we were travelling south to north, we hopped a flight from Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and then connected straight on 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 jungle mode with on-demand buggies via app. Bliss. From Mai Chau or Avana Retreat, it's about a 2-hr drive to Pu Luong Nature Reserve and you’ll want a private guide + driver to unlock trails and village life.
Need more inspiration for your Vietnam adventure? Dive into our 2 Week Vietnam Itinerary or 3 Week Vietnam Itinerary packed with hotels, restaurants, temples, hidden gems, and just the right amount of chaos.
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