Altopiano di Mộc Châu, Mountain plateau in Son La Province, Vietnam
The Moc Chau plateau is a highland area in Son La Province, northwestern Vietnam, sitting at around 1,050 meters (3,450 feet) above sea level. Its cool climate and fertile soil make it one of the main farming regions in the north of the country, where tea, fruit, and vegetables are grown across wide stretches of land.
The plateau was home to highland communities for centuries before it became an organized farming area in the 1960s. That decade saw the introduction of dairy farming and new agricultural methods that changed the way the land was used and drew settlers to the area.
The Thai and Hmong communities who live here shape the look of the plateau with their wooden stilt houses and terraced fields. At local markets, you can buy fresh produce and watch families working side by side, passing their farming techniques from one generation to the next.
The cooler months are the most comfortable time to visit, when temperatures are moderate and the plantations and orchards are easy to walk through. Most parts of the plateau can be reached by road, and many farming areas are also accessible on foot or by bike.
Moc Chau is one of the few places in Vietnam where cow dairy farming is practiced on a large scale, which is unusual for a tropical country. The milk produced here is turned into dairy products sold across the country, and some of the dairy farms are open for visitors to explore.
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