Activities to mark the National Day (September 2) and the Mu Cang Chai Terraced Field Festival is scheduled to take place in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai between August 29 and October 18.

Mu Cang Chai terraced fields (Photo: VNA)

Highlights of the events include a marathon race, themed discovering Mu Cang Chai, which will feature 100 athletes; a helicopter tour to experience the landscape from above; and a photo exhibition on the charms of Mu Cang Chai.

There will also be musical shows on Saturday nights and a Mu Cang Chai fair of local farm produce, among other activities.

Mu Cang Chai district is home to 500 hectares of rice terraces in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes, cultivated by the H'mong people for centuries. The local terraces are among the 2,500 hectares recognised as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The locality is about 1,000 metres above sea level, making it impossible to cultivate wet rice as in deltas. Local residents grow rice in terraced fields to stop water flowing downhill.

Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai are beautiful year round. Visitors in March can see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings in the period from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September.

During the harvest in October, the golden rice fields stand out amidst green forests.

Source: VNA