LAO CAI – Photographer Luu Thien Toan was mesmerized by the scenery and the rhythm of life of the people of Bat Xat district during his photography trip in the high water season.

The water season in the Northern highlands is around May-June, which is a tourist specialty that attracts tourists and photographers to admire. In May, photographer Luu Thien Toan, from Dong Nai, carried out a 5 days 4 nights photo hunting trip in the communes of Muong Hum (pictured), Sang Ma Sao and Den Sang, Bat Bat district, to the west. northern Lao Cai.

The traditional houses of the H’Mong people in Muong Hum. In addition to watching nature, visitors can explore the indigenous culture of the Red Dao, Dao Tuyen, H’Mong, Giay…

Mr. Thien Toan departed from Ho Chi Minh City, took a plane to Hanoi, went to Sa Pa by bus and rented a motorbike to Muong Hum commune. In the photo, he took the field “heart of Muong Hum” by Muong Hum lake, located in the middle of a basin surrounded by majestic mountains.

Toan’s next destination is Sang Ma Sao commune, about 14 km from Mung Hum. Bat Xat district has more than 3,000 hectares of terraced fields, with 70% of the terrain being mountainous. Through research, the photographer learned that at the end of the rainy season, the H’Mong people sow the seeds first. When the summer rains fall, they plow the land, build banks, and direct water from mountain streams into each field.

The fields of Sang Ma Sao embrace the residential cluster and are nestled on the hillside.

Under the sunlight, the fields are like large mirrors reflecting the sky.

After delivering water, people uproot the seedling where the seed was sown and start transplanting the fields that have been plowed and built before. The fields with the green color of newly transplanted seedlings interspersed with the untransplanted brown soil plots create different color gamuts, adorning the natural picture.

One of the most impressive photos of Mr. Thien Toan is the scene of clouds drifting over the hills and mountains, below are the hidden water-filled terraced fields at Sang Ma Sao.

The endpoint of Mr. Thien Toan’s journey is the Den Sang commune. During the transplanting season, most adults go to the fields, many women carry their children behind their backs to work if they cannot send someone to look after them.

These days, people in turn focus on making families. After that, each family went to transplant to pay the households that helped them. “People work enthusiastically in the fields, focusing on planting seedlings from morning to afternoon. What surprised me was that they transplanted very quickly, only to come back the next day, a whole terraced field was covered with seeds, “said the photographer born in 1985. He plans to return to the Northwest in the ripe rice season.

The painting of the pouring water season at Den Sang gradually covered with green patches after people planted seedlings. The first time he went to photograph the rainy season alone, Mr. Thien Toan suggested that some beautiful moments for visitors to capture are the sunrise or sunset reflected in the unplanted field, full of water. For convenience, visitors can book a room in Muong Hum commune, then rent a motorbike to actively move or rent a motorbike taxi if the steering wheel is weak.

Photo: Luu Thien Toan