The list also included Venice (Italy), Machu Picchu (Peru), and Santorini (Greece). Mu Cang Chai's terraced fields span more than 2,300ha at a height of 1,000m above sea level in Hoang Lien Son Mountain Foot.
Terrace farming involves carving out steps into the side of the mountains. Seen from afar, the terraced rice fields look like a picture of nature, whose colour changes seasonally, exhibiting its most alluring charm when the new crop begins, when green rice grows and the field is lush with ripening crops.
The terraced rice fields of Mu Cang Chai coupled with distinctive cultural practices of local ethnic groups are what make this locality so unique.