Following the spring blossoms

The delicate pink hue is characteristic of the wild peach blossoms commonly found growing naturally along the steep mountain slopes leading up to Sapa, or lining the national highways in Yen Bai . Tourists are amazed by the vitality of this flower, a harbinger of spring in the highlands after the harsh, cold winter days.

In Northwest Vietnam, the peach blossoms of Moc Chau ( Son La ) bloom earliest, from late autumn to early winter, and last for about two to three weeks. Being a French peach variety, the petals are usually fewer and lighter in color compared to the wild peach blossoms that bloom in February.

In February, some people like to go to Sapa ( Lao Cai ) to admire peach blossoms, specifically the ancient variety with moss-covered trunks, thick branches naturally reaching up and growing deep within the rocky mountains and streams. The fascination with wild peach blossoms also draws travelers to distant places like La Pan Tan – Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai). The vibrant pink peach blossoms are also a specialty of Mu Cang Chai, alongside the national scenic spot of terraced rice fields.

The Hmong people here consider peach blossoms (or in the Hmong language, "Hoa Tớ Dày") as a flower that heralds spring, the season of the Gầu Tào festival, with their lovely blossoms adorning the dresses of Hmong girls.

White is the color of plum blossoms, most famously those in Moc Chau, with their pristine color blooming after the long winter months, from late January to February. The plum blossoms bloom white, like a brand-new cloak covering the plateau. Those who love the flower-filled land of Moc Chau can affirm that Moc Chau is beautiful in every season, because every season is a paradise of flowers.

And when spring arrives, you only need to visit Moc Chau to enjoy all the flowers of Northwest Vietnam. The pure white pear and plum blossoms blend with the wild peach blossoms, creating a breathtaking scene, like something out of a fairy tale. Amidst the vast expanse of white plum blossoms, the houses with their wooden roofs rise up like striking highlights of the villages!

Beneath the blossoming peach, plum, and pear trees, the highlanders are also adorned in vibrant colors of brocade to welcome spring. Tourists encounter them along the roads from Ha Giang to Lao Cai, from Lai Chau to Son La, carrying baskets on their shoulders to the bustling early morning markets. If tourists happen to wander into small Hmong villages, they can still find Hmong women diligently working on their daily brocade embroidery. Meanwhile, in the yards, Hmong children are still playing innocently amidst the blooming flowers.

People from the lowlands, when visiting the highlands, are both amazed by the breathtaking mountain scenery that they could never find elsewhere, and captivated by the genuine and innocent nature of the highlanders. Some visitors, every spring, climb the mountains and forests to admire the fading wild peach blossoms, to savor the strong, spicy corn wine offered, and to breathe in the pure, clean air. Therefore, when they see ancient wild peach trees being transported back to the lowlands, travelers feel a pang of sadness, for, for nature, "please leave nothing behind but your footprints and take nothing away but your photographs." Wild peach trees wish to remain in the forest. And who knows, perhaps then Vietnamese people will have a new pleasure: celebrating spring in the highlands, sitting under the canopy of peach and plum blossoms, and getting drunk on the aroma of corn wine amidst the mountains and forests. And so, spring will begin.

Heritage Magazine