Y Ty

Y Ty sits at about 2,000 metres on the Chinese border in Lao Cai, and its reputation rests on a specific phenomenon: the valleys below fill with cloud while the commune stands above it, so that from the ridge the view is a white sea with peaks out of it - the season for that runs roughly from September into spring, best in the early morning. The other reason to come is the Ha Nhi villages, whose houses are built of thick rammed earth walls with small windows and steep thatched roofs, a form found only in this corner of the country. Terraces below the villages turn gold in September.

What you actually see

• Cloud filling the valleys below - with the commune above it.
• Ha Nhi earth houses - thick walls, small windows, steep thatch.
• Terraces gold in September - on the slopes below the villages.
• A border commune at 2,000 metres - along the Chinese frontier.

When to go

September for the harvest and cloud together; the cloud season runs into spring. Two days.

Honest expectations

The road is rough and long, and fog on it is dangerous. The cloud sea is weather-dependent and many mornings there is none. It is cold. Accommodation is basic homestays. Border areas have some access rules.

Nearby

Bat Xat and Lao Cai are south-east; A Lu and Ngai Thau are along the ridge.