(Vietnam Travel Times) – The trips to Northwest Vietnam always bring us the impressive feeling of peace among spectacular view, the fertility among the hard working life, as well as the poverty among the happy faces, especially at children we met at terraced rice fields.
That was a trip on motorbike from Hanoi to Sapa, we we stop at Mu Cang Chai for the beautiful faces of children we met on the road. These children belonged to an ethnic group named Hmong people. They spoke their own language, having their own belief, their own God, their culture as well as the special etiquettes that were the highlights for visitors, locally and internationally.
This girl was just on the way back from schools. The walking trip took her 2 hours on the 11km from school to home. And she needed many rests like this. We guess the beautiful views over rice terraced fields would be a great mean to heal her exhaust.
We saw the little girls helping mummy to collect rice on the rice terraced fields by a crescent. Forget about concepts of child labour amusement or anything else that in this land. This is a happy help to give a hand to mummy in escaping from poverty. And that’s a happy life.
Initially they were surprised as we said the landscape of rice terraced fields was unbelievable. Yes, for us this was adorable but for them, this was what they lived on, and lived for.
We were so jealous as their life is of much soaking to nature.
We entered a house and met another girl. She looked more timid as meeting us. She might be more matured than other kids and was supposed to prepare for new adventures of life. In this Northwest Vietnam Mountain, a girl at 14 or 15 can get married and has several children before she gets 20.
Anyway, some rice fields are ready for harvest, and that’s so important for keeping life going on. The rice after harvest can be for sold school fee, for buying new clothes for festival, for food for daily life. And for a happy life happens since ancestors thousand years ago.
We have a great time at Mu Cang Chai, playing with local children, having their great food, and sleeping at the houses of the most hospitable people in the world.
Some other pictures of spectacular rice terraced fields at the stop.
By Hoa Ngo Huy (Hachi8)
Amber
Wow, these are some really beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing them!
Beth | Adventuring the Great Wide Somewhere
Beautiful post and pictures! These children all seem so satisfied with what life has given them. Such a beautiful place to grow up. I could never get sick of looking at these fields.
Five Adventurers
Wow, gorgeous photos. Always wanted to visit, very high on my bucket list. Those children are beautiful 🙂
Amber
Wow, these photos are amazing. Love this post!
kami
incredible pictures! there’s always something touching about smiling children and you captured it so well!
Vedante
Very beautiful photos! I will be visiting Vietnam soon and seeing all these places 😀
Carol Colborn
We have so many gorgeous rice terraces in the Philippines, too, but the smiles on the faces of these children make the photos even more spectacular. You have hit a great nerve, here!
Joe Ankenbauer
Such amazing pictures!