[Objective] The influence of replacing topsoil treatment on vegetation restoration of open-pit coal dumps in alpine mining area was investigated to evaluate the vegetation restoration effect of replacing topsoil treatment in open-pit coal mine dumps and to provide a technical basis for ecological protection and restoration in an mining area.[Methods] The vegetation community characteristics and soil physicochemical properties of five topsoil replaced and three topsoil unreplaced treatments in mining areas in the Muli coalfield of Qinghai Province were investigated and analyzed.[Results] Vegetation and seedling coverage significantly increased (p<0.05) as the planting period increased, and the available phosphorus, total potassium, available potassium, and organic matter content in the soil showed an increasing trend, but it was not significant. There was no significant difference between replacing and not replacing topsoil treatments in vegetation characteristics and soil physical and chemical properties. The results of nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis showed that the soil nutrients, including total nitrogen, available nitrogen, available potassium, and organic matter, were the main factors affecting the vegetation growth.[Conclusion] The key measure of vegetation restoration in open-pit coal mine dumps in alpine grasslands is not the replacement of topsoil treatment but the addition of organic and chemical fertilizers.