3 groups of useful accessories for your journey to "hunt" for ripe rice.

1. Camera accessories

• Camera tripod

Tripods are often considered quite cumbersome for long trips, but due to their functionality and effectiveness, many photographers still regularly bring them along on any journey. A good tripod will help you minimize blur caused by camera shake, improve image quality, provide new angles, and is especially necessary when you want to shoot in low light conditions.

Carbon fiber tripods are typically lightweight and aesthetically pleasing, but they are quite expensive, while aluminum tripods are heavier but significantly cheaper.

• Filter

The lens filter is a glass element attached to the front of the lens, serving to protect the lens from scratches, dust, and more. More importantly, it helps reduce direct light entering the lens, thereby increasing detail in overexposed areas, balancing colors, or creating other interesting effects. On sunny days, especially during rice harvest season, the lens filter becomes even more useful.

Currently, several types of filters are popular on the market, such as UV filters, CPL filters, ND filters, and GND filters. Among them, UV filters and CPL polarizing filters are affordable and suitable for most people.

2. Equipment for bikers

• First aid kit/emergency kit

Typically, a small, compact bag or box contains basic medical supplies (cotton swabs, scissors, gloves, etc.) and some essential medications (antiseptic, fever reducer, oral rehydration solution, etc.). On long journeys of hundreds of kilometers, dangers are always present, and medical facilities or healthcare professionals are not always nearby. In such situations, first aid skills and a first-aid kit become extremely useful. You can prepare a complete first-aid kit yourself or buy a ready-made one.

• Car repair kit

To conquer the towering mountain passes of Northern Vietnam, your vehicle must be a completely reliable companion. But no matter how reliable it is, every vehicle is bound to experience breakdowns and unexpected problems along the way. Therefore, equip yourself with basic repair knowledge, along with a compact and complete repair kit (including multi-tools, screwdrivers, hex wrenches, etc.). In addition, bring spare parts such as spark plugs or inner tubes and tires.

3. Some smartphone applications

• Today Weather

A fairly popular weather tracking and forecasting application developed by a Vietnamese programmer. Besides providing detailed weather forecasts for any location in the world, this application also offers a wealth of useful information such as air quality, UV index, visibility, fog levels, and even sunrise and sunset times.

• Polarstep

Polarstep is a travel app that allows you to accurately record your travel route based on GPS location. Combined with the photos you take along the way, Polarstep will help you create a unique travel album. Additionally, the app can directly share your location on a map, making it easier for teammates to find each other if they get lost or encounter problems.

• Sky Walk 2

This app helps you capture stunning photos combining majestic rice terraces with the ethereal Milky Way in the night sky. Sky Walk 2 will pinpoint the location of the Milky Way in the night sky; simply point your camera as instructed, choose a suitable angle, adjust your settings, and adjust the exposure to achieve your desired result.

Finally, make sure you are fully prepared in terms of physical fitness, equipment, and accessories.Information about each rice harvest seasonBecause the rice in Northern Vietnam doesn't ripen all at the same time, each region has its own unique characteristics.

About the author

Le Hai AnhHai Anh (born in 1995 in Hanoi) is a familiar author behind many travelogue articles and photos in Travellive magazine. With a great love for travel, photography, and outdoor sports, Hai Anh has spent many years traveling from North to South on his motorbike and Vespa. To this day, the Northwest region remains the most captivating destination for this young man from Hanoi.

You can follow Hai Anh's journeys on Instagram.@theamazinghaianh

Hai Anh