Happy season in Tam Coc

The early morning rays of sunlight slant through the limestone mountain peaks, and in the distance, on the Ngo Dong River, there are a few boats with golden rice fields. Another joyful season has come to the people of Tam Coc.

It was past 2am when the night was still quiet. In the small alley of Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune, the sound of vehicles and women calling each other softly could be heard. Today, everyone would be harvesting in exchange for labor on the field of Ms. Le Thi Du, Van Lam village.

After nearly 40 minutes of boating down the Ngo Dong River, the group of women arrived at Du’s family’s field. It was still dark outside, but the women quickly anchored the boat, sickles in hand, boots on their feet, and flashlights on their heads to prepare to harvest the rice.

Ms. Le Thi Du said: "We have to leave at night so that when the sun has just risen above the mountain top, the rice will be brought back. Leaving early will save energy and still be able to return in time to pick up passengers. This is the time of Tourism Week so Tam Coc welcomes many passengers, I have a boat trip almost every day."

Ms. Du's family is short of people, and her children work far away, so during harvest season, Ms. Du exchanges labor with other women in the village. Doing so is fun, the women in the village are united, and the rice harvest is faster and more neat. Ms. Du said that if four women start harvesting at 3am, they can cut more than 2 sao of rice in one morning.

According to local people, rice cultivation has existed here for a long time. Over the years, people have preserved and cared for the lush fields. Especially in recent years, the fields have become a unique tourism product, with special appeal to domestic and international tourists.

The most beautiful time of the field is the end of May, the beginning of June when the fragrant scent of rice wafts in the air, that is when Tam Coc is covered in the golden color of ripe rice along the winding Ngo Dong River between limestone mountains. This is also the time when the annual Ninh Binh Tourism Week takes place.

Happy season in Tam Coc — Taking advantage of favorable weather, Ninh Hai people actively harvest rice. Photo: Anh Tuan

Mr. Vu Van Binh, Van Lam village, Ninh Hai commune said: "Planting and harvesting rice in Tam Coc is very hard because the rice is grown in the valley, everything has to be done by hand. Every time we harvest, we have to soak in deep water, traveling by boat. On days when the water is low and the boat cannot reach the middle of the field, we have to put it on a tarpaulin, 2-3 men can pull it to the edge of the bank. Not to mention, when harvesting at night, encountering snakes and centipedes is not uncommon..."

This year, the rice in Tam Coc is golden and ripe, with each flower heavy with grain, so everyone is happy. Mr. Binh estimates that the rice yield is about 1.7 quintals per sao. "Growing rice is hard work, and the yield is not worth much, but we never intend to abandon the fields. Because the rice in Tam Coc not only gives us clean rice, but this place is also an attractive destination for tourists, helping to develop tourism in our hometown," he said.

According to Mr. Dinh Anh Toi, Vice Chairman of Ninh Hai Commune People's Committee: Tam Coc field has an area of over 18 hectares. Currently, people are starting to harvest the ripe rice fields. This year, the weather at the end of the crop is quite favorable, so the rice yield is quite good, estimated at 1.5-2 quintals/sao. The art painting "Shepherd playing the flute" is still kept for visitors to see and take pictures. After the harvest, the locality continues to mobilize people to take care of the regenerated rice (dead rice) to create a beautiful landscape for tourists when coming to Tam Coc.

Tam Coc fields were once voted by the international website Business Insider as one of the five most beautiful rice fields in Vietnam. The attraction of the rice fields is not only the immense beauty, the brilliant yellow color of the rice, but also at this time, when people start harvesting, the fields are dotted with black and white patches that look like soft piano keys on the deep blue water. This is also the time that photographers love the most.

Tam Coc these days is strangely beautiful. A beauty that has both the tranquility of nature and the bustling joy of the workers' hands. Coming to Tam Coc is coming to the aroma of ripe rice, coming to the bustling harvest atmosphere as if bringing visitors back to the peaceful childhood in their memories.

Minh Hai

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