When we travel to Vietnam, one of the highlights of the trip is our visit to SaPa. We leave from Hanoi in the evening and take a sleeper train north to Lao Cai. Lao Cai is not far from the border with China and as we make our way from Lao Cai to SaPa, the landscape is magnificent. There are majestic mountains and many of them are terraced to grow rice.
Rice is produced in several areas of Vietnam. There are two main river deltas: the Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta. Both of these have fertile soil in which rice is grown. In fact, one way of conceptualizing Vietnam is as one of those poles with buckets on both sides. In the northeast, the rice bucket is the Red River Delta and in the south, it is the Mekong Delta. However, in addition to those two regions, rice is also grown in the mountainous areas of the north. As in China, the terraces are carved into the mountains as if by artists. These terraces are planted by hand and then flooded with water until the rice is sufficiently mature to be picked. In Vietnam, as in China, rice production is not yet mechanized.
Here is one picture:
Rice Terraces near SaPa
This picture was taken in the morning as the valley was filled with sun. On this tour, we had two groups traveling together, mine, an English speaking group and Rita’s, a French speaking group. In this picture you see me and Rita– what she lacks in height, she more than makes up for in personality and warmth!
Rita and Rona near SaPa
Coming up: Some pictures from villages of minority groups in the SaPa area.
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