Climbing Khau Phạ Pass from the Tú Lệ side, about 7 km past the Lìm Thái turn-off, you reach Huy Thanh sturgeon and trout farm: a cluster of cold-water fish tanks beside a stream, with a restaurant that cooks the fish right there. It is stop no. 7 on Mebayluon's check-in map, and the most convenient lunch stop on the long climb up the pass.
Where is the farm?
On Google Maps the place has two pins side by side: “Trại Cá Hồi - Cá Tầm Huy Thanh” (the fish farm) and “Nhà Hàng Nhà Nghỉ Huy Thanh” (the restaurant and guesthouse), with the address given as Khau Phạ Pass, Tà Chơ bản (village). On our map the farm is at Km 11.8 counting from Le Champ, about 50 m off the edge of QL32, at around 1,090 m. From here it is 3.4 km to the paragliding take-off, and just over 8 km to the highest point of the road over the pass (about 1,580 m).
Why farm trout on a mountain pass?
Trout and sturgeon are cold-water fish. The eastern side of Khau Phạ Pass has old-growth forest and streams that flow all year round, with water cool enough for both species. The newspaper Nông nghiệp và Môi trường (Agriculture and Environment) tells how Mr Nguyễn Quang Huy brought trout to the Háng Năng stream in Tà Chơ village in December 2007, with water averaging 16–20°C; the first batch was 10,000 fish, and a storm in 2008 once swept away some 15 tonnes of fish. After 2016, several other households also built tanks along the pass.
Two things should be made clear. First, we have no source confirming whether today's Huy Thanh farm is the same operation as the one in the article, so we only note that both are in Tà Chơ village. Second, the article puts the farm at 1,600 m, whereas the Huy Thanh pin on an elevation map shows only about 1,090 m; the article may refer to a different set of tanks, or the figure may be an estimate.
Why stop?
First, to see the tanks. Mebayluon, who drive this pass all the time, consider it one of the larger sturgeon and trout farms in the Northwest: a wide area of tanks beside the stream, well away from any town and very peaceful, even though it sits only a short way back from the main road. The fish swim in tanks fed by constantly flowing stream water, and from the tank walls you can clearly see whole shoals.
Then, to eat. The farm's restaurant cooks its sturgeon and trout on site; trout restaurants in this area usually serve it raw as a salad (gỏi), grilled, with crispy fried skin, or in hotpot, as VnExpress listed when writing about Tú Lệ – Khau Phạ trout. Alongside the fish there are local ethnic dishes and Tú Lệ sticky rice (xôi). Ask at the restaurant what is available and how much it costs; we don't list prices because we have no reliable source.
Huy Thanh is a private business. Mebayluon has no partnership with it and does not take table bookings on its behalf; we put it on the map because it is an easy landmark and a handy place to stop.
Season and timing
The farm is right by the main road, so you can stop any time of year. Lunch is the best fit: in the morning you have visited Tú Lệ or finished your flight, and in the afternoon the rest of the pass and La Pán Tẩn still lie ahead. On a cold day, a fish hotpot halfway up the pass is reason enough to pull over.
Practical tips
- Large groups, or anyone coming at a weekend in the golden season, should call ahead to book a table.
- The road past the farm is a mountain pass with blind bends. Slow down and signal early when pulling in, and park well clear of the road.
- Fog can roll in very quickly on the pass in the late afternoon. Don't linger too long if you still have to cross it.
Combine it with a paragliding flight
The fish farm lies between the landing field and the take-off of the Khau Phạ paragliding site: 7 km up from the Lìm Thái turn-off, and just over 3 km on to the take-off. If you fly in the morning, you can land in the valley and come back up for lunch; if you fly in the afternoon, eat first and head up to the take-off afterwards. Eat lightly if you are about to fly, and remember to check the take-off webcam before leaving the restaurant.
Previous and next stops on the route
- Previous stop: Lìm Mông village, 3.4 km away by the map's km markers.
- Next stop: the paragliding take-off on Khau Phạ Pass, 3.4 km away by the map's km markers.
- The whole route: 18 stops, distances, best seasons and a dedicated post for each in Mu Cang Chai Travel Map: 18 Stops from Tu Le to Khau Pha.
