Dong Van rock Plateau in the northwestern province of Ha Giang is famous for its imposingly high mountains, impressive winding passes and vast terraced paddy fields.
Ethnic children are in the field of buckwheat flowers
In contrast with those wonders is a small flower which is so slender that makes us feel like it can crumble if touched. That is buckwheat flower. Small buckwheat flowers grow side by side to create a carpet of flowers that are bright under the pleasant sunshine of autumn, thus brightening the entire rock plateau.
For years, those carpets of buckwheat flowers have lured many tourists to Dong Van Plateau when the blooming season of the flower comes from late October to early November.
Thanks to demand for taking photos of buckwheat flowers, owners of buckwheat fields have found an additional source of income. Each visitor is charged only VND10,000 (45 U.S. cents), a soft price for precious moments on stunning buckwheat fields.
Buckwheat is cultivated for its grain-like seeds which are used to make several food specialties by ethnic people in the mountainous region. In the rock plateau, arable land is limited, so local people use buckwheat as a cover crop after harvesting corn, creating the breathtaking beauty for the upland, especially in the cool weather of late autumn.
Yet the beauty of buckwheat flowers would be more vivid when it is added with various light colors of dresses of young ethnic women and children, who always turn to visitors with their broad smiles.
This year, Ha Giang Province will organize a buckwheat flower festival in four districts on Dong Van Plateau, namely Quang Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac between November 12 and 15. This will be a great opportunity for those who want to learn more about this beautiful flower.