Terraced fields – nature’s gift to Vietnam northwestern region

Holiday Indochina – Anybody who has ever visited the northwestern region during the harvest season cannot help but be astonished at the stunning beauty of the terraced rice paddies, laden with grains like brilliant yellow waves.

The terraced rice fields undulate around the hillsides and mountainsides as well as streams and rivers, resembling giant yellow staircases allowing people to step from Earth to heaven. Their astonishing beauty has been a source of inspiration for many works of art that infatuate people’s hearts.

The centuries-old terraced fields in Yen Bai, Lao Cai and Ha Giang provinces have been created by the hardworking and talented hands of people belonging to local ethnic minorities, including the Dao, Mong, Ha Nhi, Giay, Tay, Xa Pho, Nung and Pa Di people.

The terraced fields, the result of years of hard work and creativity, represent the determination of the local people to conquer nature. The building of a terraced field requires the concerted efforts of many people.

Built directly into the mountainside, the land is initially selected according to its gradient, water resources and soil properties. Local residents, using experience passed from generation to generation, channel water from the top of the mountain to the lower areas of the fields using an ancient system that does not erode the mountain.

Therefore, terraced fields not only represent one of nature’s gifts to the mountainous region but also act as a perfect example of the ethnic minorities’ traditional methods of agricultural production and land reclamation.

Thanks to these cultural and economic values, the terraced fields in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and Ze Xu Phinh communes in Yen Bai Province’s Mu Cang Chai District have been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as national heritage sites.

Giang Chu Ly, Chairman of the La Pan Tan communal People’s Committee, said that almost 500 ha of terraced fields in the three national heritage sites have been kept intact.

He added that local people have been encouraged to continue developing local varieties of rice, such as Lui Khai, Me Linh Xinh and Ta Lenh to create regional specialties, along with cardamon trees and black chicken.

Yen Bai Province has plans to develop the Mong ethnic cultural villages that contain the most beautiful terraced fields to ensure that community-based cultural activities, including agricultural cultivation, cuisine, costumes and folk music, are preserved for future generations.

Several infrastructure projects, including roads and hotels will also be implemented to contribute to the development of the local tourism industry.

The combination of preserving the terraced fields as cultural landscapes and transforming them into tourist sites is expected to help preserve, protect and uphold the nation’s cultural values, gradually improve the locals’ living conditions and, most importantly, preserve a natural masterpiece that is viewed as a unique characteristic of the northwestern region.

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