Backpacking in Apachải – Endless inspiration

A Pa Chai belongs to Sin Thau commune, Muong Nhe district, Dien Bien province, Vietnam, associated with the unnumbered milestone, the border junction of Vietnam - Laos - China, the starting point of the national border with China and Laos and the westernmost point of the Fatherland.

Conquering the four extreme points of Vietnam is always the dream of every Vietnamese person. And each extreme point has its own interesting things, but is the road far or difficult, will the ethnic minority language hinder you from asking for directions, will the high cost make you hesitant? Revealing all the information to conquer the westernmost point of Vietnam so that you can conquer this place more easily than ever.

The Westernmost point, also known as A Pa Chai; the westernmost border of Vietnam on land. The Westernmost point is located at 22°24'02.295" North latitude - 102°8'38.109" East longitude, on the top of Khoang La San mountain, 1866.23m high; where a rooster crows and can be heard by all three countries.

The westernmost landmark is landmark number 0, marking the intersection of three countries Vietnam, Laos and China; three sides of the landmark are the national emblems of the three countries, erected on June 27, 2005.

Journey to A Pa Chai

The distance to A Pa Chai from Dien Bien City is about 500km round trip. A reasonable stopover point should be Muong Nhe as a transit point to A Pa Chai.

The typical distance from Dien Bien City to Muong Nhe is 200km. Muong Nhe – A Pa Chai is 50km. The road from Dien Bien City to A Pa Chai is gradually being improved to be better and more beautiful. In the future, the road will shorten the travel time so that everyone can easily conquer this place.

However, the speed of travel also depends on how you choose to travel: Check-in, wander or love speed.

Many people from the South think that the road here is very easy, driving very fast will get there, which makes your schedule not as expected. The truth here is that the road in the mountainous North mostly only runs from 25 - 35km/h, even 1 hour in some places can only go 20 - 25km. Another part is moving slowly so you can still see the rustic, simple beauty of Dien Bien land.

Notes when moving to A Pa Chai

You should rent a car and check it carefully before driving. Good brakes and good tires will help you travel safely and securely.

Choose a ¾ cap to keep your head warm, prepare gloves, woolen hat…raincoat

Always have a spare bottle of gasoline ready for use in case of emergency. Because the roads are mostly deserted, gas stations are only found at long distances. However, you should also note that roadside houses and grocery stores will also have gasoline.

In addition to relying on maps, you should also ask locals about directions to make sure you are not mistaken.

Observing roadside signs helps you better understand the terrain.

Specific schedule for your reference

The most suitable schedule to check-in Dien Bien City is 3 days 2 nights, or more is 5 days 4 nights to explore Tua Chua; an interesting destination of Dien Bien.

Specific 3-day, 2-night trip to conquer the westernmost point - Dien Bien:

Day 1: Fly from Ho Chi Minh City – Dien Bien City – Muong Nhe

From Tan Son Nhat airport, choose the 9am flight, then arrive at 12pm. Get a car at the airport, eat at the restaurants opposite Dien Bien City airport and move to Muong Nhe (from Dien Bien airport to Muong Nhe is about 200km, travel for about 5 to 6 hours to reach Muong Nhe; around 7am you will arrive at Muong Nhe).

Day 2: Muong Nhe – A Pa Chai – Dien Bien City

Wake up at 5:30, clean up and have breakfast, depart at 6:30 to A Pa Chai border post. The distance is about 50km, about 2 hours of travel. When you arrive at the border post, park your car outside the gate and go to the security room to register to go to A Pa Chai landmark. Show your ID card to register.

The time from the border post to the landmark is about 30 minutes. After visiting and checking in, you will return to the border post at about 11 o'clock. From the border post, you will return to Muong Nhe for lunch and return to Dien Bien City at about 8 o'clock in the evening. In the evening, you can go out to eat and have coffee in Dien Bien City.

Day 3: Dien Bien City - Ho Chi Minh City

Wake up in the morning, have breakfast, visit Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum, Muong Thanh rice fields. Around 12 noon, move to the airport to return to Ho Chi Minh City (as far as I know, flights from Dien Bien are early afternoon).

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