Nam Nghiep in camellia flower season

Located at an average altitude of 2,500m above sea level, Nam Nghiep village belongs to Ngoc Chien commune, Muong La district, Son La province - where the sky and the earth are only an arm's reach apart. Nam Nghiep village is most beautiful in spring when the hawthorn trees (apple trees) bloom all over the mountains and forests like giant cotton candy, floating in the blue sky.

Every year, after the Lunar New Year, when the plum and peach blossoms are at the end of their season, comes the hawthorn blossom season. It was only after a few years of hearing rumors about the beauty of the small village in the highlands, which is not inferior to Japan or Korea during the cherry blossom season, that I decided to go to Nam Nghiep. The road to Nam Nghiep is a real challenge even for experienced drivers. The large rocks are lying unevenly on the road surface, I sat in the car and felt like I was playing the game of death. The body was shaken and the hairpin turns were coming. After that stretch of road, what appeared before my eyes were mountains upon mountains and hillsides covered in white hawthorn flowers. A pristine place in the middle of a white cloud paradise, as if I could reach out and touch the sky. Fatigue disappears after a long breath of pure air among the vast hawthorn flowers, everything is clear and free of worldly dust.

Nam Nghiep has a hawthorn growing area of ​​more than 1,600 hectares. Of which, about 800 hectares are ancient trees with ages ranging from 300 to 500 years. The hawthorn trees stand tall in the sky, sparkling under the light. Some trees have long, soft branches hanging down like the hair of a young girl covered with flowers. When the hawthorn trees are in full bloom, they only have pure white flowers, clustered together, without the green of the leaves.

Following the red dirt road winding around the hawthorn hills in full bloom, I entered the residential area of ​​Nam Nghiep villagers, whose houses perched high on the hills. Despite difficult conditions, people here have faces radiant with happiness. The women and children wore meticulously hand-made, colorful dresses, but the most beautiful thing was their smiles. The children of Nam Nghiep had white teeth, plump and rosy cheeks, and clear, sparkling eyes. I was fascinated watching the children laugh and talk to each other, playing little games with them, a feeling of happiness and peace filled my heart. When I raised my camera, they covered their mouths and laughed happily, whispered something, then ran off one after another behind an old hawthorn tree. As we got closer, they showed me the biggest flowers high up on the hill where I could catch the glorious sunset and enjoy the feeling of being very close to heaven.