If ever there was a vantage point for cloud-watchers, it would be Y Ty.

At more than 2,000 meters above sea level, leaning on the Nhu Cu San Mountain, Y Ty Commune in the northern province of Lao Cai’s Bat Xat District is a favorite place for clouds to hang out. The place is almost never bathed in sunlight for a whole day.

And if you are visiting between November and April, you should know that the commune is enveloped in thick fog, day and night.

Y Ty has 15 villages home to Kinh (Viet) and three ethnic groups – the Ha Nhi, Dao and H’mong. Roads twist and turn languidly along the mountain and then “vanish” into the greenery of forests. Houses play hide and seek constantly, but also put in veiled appearances once in a while, depending on the density of clouds at different times. Terraced fields on the mountains and several cascades add to the enchantment.

Sometimes, winds bring the clouds from the mountain to the villages, merging the horizon not in the distance, but right in front of you. No wonder visitors have the experience of entering a different world.

In the Y Ty Valley, houses have a unique architectural feature. The rectangle-shaped houses have walls made of clay and wooden or straw grass roofs. They have only one main door and a small arched window for ventilation above, retaining warmth in an area where the temperature normally stays at less than 20 degrees Celsius.

The colors of the sky and the clouds, yellow ripened paddy fields, green grasses and trees - the stunning landscape painted with youthful abandon. In the evening, an occasional breeze moves through the valley, sweeping the clouds aside, allowing glimpses of a bright moon in a dark sky.

Beautiful cardamom forests skirt around the homes in Y Ty, filling the air with a pungent aroma. For years, the spice, highly prized by Chinese people, has been one of the most important sources of income for the commune. A kilogram of cardamom sells at around VND80,000 (US$4).

If you are in Y Ty on a Saturday, you can enjoy the long-standing ethnic minority tradition of the weekend market where the H’mong, Dao and Ha Nhi come to trade goods and socialize.