Warning Issued as Tourists Risk Their Lives Standing on Railings for Photos in Mù Cang Chải

On September 24, videos and photographs circulated widely across social media showing tourists standing directly on the railings of a scenic viewing hut at Little Raspberry Hill, Púng Luông Commune, Lào Cai Province, to take photos and shoot videos overlooking the Mù Cang Chải terraced rice fields. The footage drew tens of thousands of interactions and millions of views, sparking an outcry among commentators who condemned visitors for recklessly risking their lives just to capture social media moments.

Little Raspberry Hill is typically less crowded than Big Raspberry Hill, boasting sweeping panoramic views across cascading terraced fields and gentle streams winding through the valley floor. For a long time, local residents have set up small huts around the ridge to cater to tourists looking for scenic photo opportunities.

Following reports that several tour guides allowed their guests to film and pose in perilous spots, the People’s Committee of Púng Luông Commune launched an immediate inspection of every unauthorized viewing hut across the locality on September 24.

Speaking with Tri thức – Znews, Ms. Hờ Thị Dê, Vice Chairwoman of the Púng Luông Commune People’s Committee, explained that several hillside landholders at Little Raspberry Hill had erected huts overlooking the valley and rice paddies to accommodate sightseers, charging around 10,000 VND per visit. While some structures featured sturdy, chest-high guardrails, others had been built haphazardly, posing serious safety hazards.

(Golden rice season at Little Raspberry Hill, Púng Luông Commune, Lào Cai Province. Illustrative photo: BCR)

The communal People’s Committee held direct working sessions with these operators, demanding the immediate dismantling of any unsafe huts and strictly forbidding them from letting guests climb onto the railings. For solidly built huts, local authorities did not require demolition, but insisted on posting warning signs that explicitly prohibit visitors from standing on the railings.

“Once these images are uploaded and go viral across social networks, other visitors might mimic the behavior without anticipating the life-threatening risks involved,” Ms. Dê noted.

The People’s Committee of Púng Luông Commune will issue an awareness circular to local tourism businesses, service providers, and tour guides across the area, requiring them to stop guests from photographing or filming while standing on railings or in hazardous spots.

Should further videos emerge showing visitors lingering in dangerous positions, local authorities will take punitive measures in accordance with regulations. Next week, the commune plans to convene a dedicated working session with tourism facility owners, service workers, guides, and porters to reinforce safety standards at all photography vantage points.

Little Raspberry Hill is currently entering its harvest season, a prime time when scenic attractions across the Mù Cang Chải region draw heavy crowds, especially over weekends.

Following the September 2 National Day holiday, visitor numbers to Mù Cang Chải climbed steadily, though traffic dipped between September 14 and September 20 due to widespread concerns over heavy rains and landslides. Tourist volumes are anticipated to swell as the paddies reach full golden ripeness, lasting through late October.

The terraced rice fields of Mù Cang Chải are a renowned destination in Vietnam’s Northwest, particularly captivating during the ripe rice harvest from September to October. In 2020, this scenic landscape was officially designated a Special National Monument. Earlier, the British newspaper The Telegraph listed Mù Cang Chải among the 12 most breathtaking terraced rice fields in the world.

(Source: lifestyle.zingnews.vn)