Conquering the legendary Ma Pi Leng Pass

Located on the road of Hapiness connecting Dong Van & Meo Vac Town, Ma Pi Leng is the name of the most treacherous mountain pass in Vietnam belong to the Ha Giang province that stretch for almost 20km

The Road of Happiness was built by the boy scout of 16 different ethnic minority groups from 8 different provinces in the northern Vietnam in 6 years (1959 – 1965) with more than 2 millions work labor turnovers, in which the Ma Pi Leng pass was built by the suicide team of boy scout hanging on the cliff  encroaching  every single centimeter to complete the pass in 11 months.

The rugged mountains towering and tearing the sky apart with bizarre shapes and colors

The steep slope Pai Lung with many sharp turns on the way up to the summit of Ma Pi Leng

The spectacular view of the Ma Pi Leng pass in the back side of the mountain dotting by some tiny houses of the local village. According to Do Doan Hoang – author of The Miracle Ma Pi Leng “throughout the road construction history of Vietnam, the pass is considered as a miracle which was 100% constructed by the toughest human labor on the highest highland with the greatest workload of labor in the longest time and especially with the biggest casualty ever (when the pass is complete, they even have to build a cemetery for people who sacrificed in accident during the process of building the road).

The winding mountain pass is next to the famous Nho Que River that run along the highland separates the Ma Pi Leng summit and the road to the border with China in Sam Pun.

The road winding along the cliff and pass over the summit of Ma Pi Leng at the height of 2000 m above the sea level

With rugged terrain and the untamed beauty of the highland the Ma Pi Leng pass is truly one of the 4 greatest mountain pass in the northern part of Vietnam (along with the Pha Đin, O Quy Ho, and Khau Pha Passes).

You will also catch some of the Hmong people walking on the road and some  of them just laying on the roadside after some heavy drinking with their friends & colleagues.

Near the end of the Ma Pi Leng pass, at the intersection of Sam Pun & Meo Vac, if lucky you will find some local people selling street foods & snacks together with men gathering for some rice wine liqueur and hang out for fun with other people living in the villages close by. Their daily activities seem to be very calm and quiet yet so relaxing in the middle of the magnificent sceneries of nature.

While standing on top of the pass, visitors will be overwhelmed by the vast and majestic mountainous sceneries with deep green river and beautiful rice terraces. The road to the summit of the pass has left a sense of emotion and inspiration on travelers in term of its natural beauty that make them want to come back again and again.

Have a nice day!
Vietnam Visa Team (VietnamVisaTeam.Com)