Dr. Tran Huu Son - Director of Lao Cai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 20 said the Department was preparing documents submitting to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on recognising Sapa terrace fields to be national cultural heritage.
The Department planed to mount a field work to survey terrace fields of the Dao, Mong and Giay ethnic groups in communes of Trung Chai, Hau Thao, Ta Van and Suoi Thau (Sapa District) and to have the documents completed by the end of this year.
42-year old Lo Dieu Phu of Dao ethnic group (Vu Lung Sung Village, Trung Chai Commune), owner of one of the most beautiful terrace fields in Sapa, revealed the field descended from his great grandfather 100 years ago. The field comprises 121 terraces, smoothly meandering and stretching 1km from the foot to the peak of the mountain.
The Mong, Dao and Giay people originally created the terrace fields on agricultural purposes. Nowadays, they become wonderful attractions luring millions of tourists year around. Depending on different time of the crops, the terrace fields possess different enchanting colours forming charming pictures: silvery water and green fields during the cultivation, and golden fields during the harvest.
Terrace fields of Sapa has recently been voted by the famous American Travel & Leisure Magazine's readers to be one of the seven most magnificent terrace fields in Asia and the world, being depicted "ladders to the sky".
''The terrace fields are great achievements of mountainous ethnic groups from both culture and folk knowledge angles'', Son said.
Edited and translated by T.P (TTIC)
Source: Nhan Dan online
