VI
EN
The terraced rice fields in Ta Van are most beautiful this season when some plots have just been sown with seedlings, others have just been transplanted, or are still being prepared. In some places, the water sparkles with crystal-clear water, next to areas that are murky or a vibrant green. These contrasting patches of color seem to subtly complement each other, creating a lively picture.
The ditches carry water from the stream to the fields.
The Hmong and Giay people in Ta Van village begin cultivating their fields in the third lunar month, a few days before or after the Thanh Minh festival. They strike the first hoe stroke on fertile slopes where springs are readily available or near river or stream sources. Together, the Hmong and Giay break up the land, dig ditches and trenches, and build embankments to prepare for channeling water from the streams to their fields for the new planting season.
During the rainy season, each family gathers siblings to plow and harrow the land, speeding up the process. The Hmong and Giay people also exchange labor with each other. Women build embankments, and men hoe the fields. After plowing, they flood the land with water; the longer and more thoroughly the soil is soaked, the better the rice fields become.
After the last hailstorms pass, it's time to sow the rice seedlings. This is around the fourth lunar month, which corresponds to approximately May in the Gregorian calendar. The land is thoroughly tilled and leveled before the young rice seedlings are sown. The fields are plowed and tilled, with the amount of rain increasing gradually. Fields near water sources or with water channels are plowed first, becoming reservoirs for water for the subsequent fields. Initially, they plow 4-5 fields, storing water to release into other fields the next day. They continue this process until the next rain, potentially working on 20-30 fields. The plowing season lasts throughout May and into June.
Giáy women.
In the past, people in the highlands of Sa Pa used to germinate rice seeds in wooden barrels; now, they germinate them in bags wrapped with mugwort stems. The seeds are germinated for one day and one night, or one day and two nights, and watered with a ratio of 1 part hot water to 2 parts cold water. When they germinate, they are sown in fine soil. The rice field tightly embraces the seedlings for 1-2 days to allow the roots to take hold, then the water is drained to allow the rice to sprout. Two days later, when the young shoots are exposed and emerge, the rice farmers on the mountain slopes bring water back to the field to help the seedlings grow strong, and then, more than a month later, they are transplanted.
The rice harvest in Ta Van usually begins earlier than in other areas along the Northwest. Therefore, the rice paddies in this valley ripen very early, in the first days of September, just as autumn is beginning. At that time, Ta Van will once again offer travelers a different, equally vibrant call.
