Flowering seasons across Vietnam tempting for backpackers, tourists The vast expanses of "tam giac mach" flowers in northern Vietnam's Ha Giang Province. Tuoi Tre In recent years, more backpackers have trekked on bike across the country for rewarding tastes of stunning flower seasons, which also draw influxes of domestic and international tourists. Regions throughout Vietnam boast various kinds of flowers which bloom in different seasons, creating irresistible spectacles and adding to backpackers’ delight. In recent years, local youth choose to travel to certain provinces during the blooming seasons for worthy experiences and snapshots of gorgeous flower fields which unfold as far as the eyes can see. 'Do Quyen' flowers in Lao Cai Province One of their most loved destinations is “do quyen,” which grows in abundance on and around Fansipan, a mountain in northern Vietnam’s Lao Cai Province, which is 9 km southwest of Sa Pa resort town in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. Red "do quyen" flowers bloom on the path leading to Fansipan Mountain, dubbed the Roof of Indochina. Photo: Tuoi Tre. Towering at 3,143 meters above the sea level, the mountain is dubbed "the Roof of Indochina” and boasts over 2,000 floral varieties and 300 faunal species. “Do Quyen,” which boasts large flowers in red, pink, yellow and white, blooms all year around, but the flower’s charms is at its peak around April each year. The province’s Hoang Lien National Park is one of the ideal spots for tourists to indulge in the flowers. Backpackers usually choose to conquer Fansipan and admire the flamboyant flowers at the same time. Pinkish "do quyen" flowers are pictured in Hoang Lien National Park in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre Gorgeous "do quyen" blossoms at Hoang Lien National Park. Photo:Tuoi Tre. Lettuce flowers in Son La Province Son La Province’s Moc Chau District, some 200 kilometers west north of Hanoi, appeals to domestic and international tourists alike with its vast valleys, lush vegetation and endless fields of blooming flowers. The late winter every year, which falls around mid November and December, sees stretches of white, tiny “hoa cai” (flowers of a kind of lettuce.) During the season, hills, particularly those behind Ban Ang pine forest in Dong Sang Commune, don a cloak of white flowers, which looks just like floating masses of clouds. Young backpackers take strolls along a path which meander through endless fields of lettuce flowers in Son La Province's Moc Chau District in northern Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre. The valleys also boast stretches of tempting white plum flowers, yellow “da quy” (a variety of daisy,) sunflowers and a wide array of other wild flowers which dot the paths leading to villages. Hedges with different kinds of flowers and tangarins around locals’ cottages add colors to the immense green tea farms. Tourists, particularly groups of young backpackers who travel on bikes, are usually seen stopping by the flower fields, strolling and posing for photos. In addition, the local authorities have recently initiated programs to boost the cultivation of vegetables, spices and medicinal herbs, such as artichoke, mushrooms, garlic and ginseng. The herb and vegetables fields promise stunning spectacles for tourists in the time to come. A patch of lettuce flowers are being trampled upon by a group of mindless backpackers in Son La Province's Moc Chau District. Photo: Tuoi Tre. 'Tam Giac Mach' flowers in Ha Giang Province Meanwhile, Ha Giang Province, some 320 kilometers from Hanoi, which is home to UNESCO-recognized Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, boasts endless fields of bewitching pinkish flowers of “tam giac mach,” (Buckwheat.) Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a plant cultivated for its grain-like seeds, and also used as a cover crop. Locals sometimes use their seeds to make bread and wine. Their flowers typically bloom around late October to early November every year, just after when the yellow of terraced fields fade. Hills covered with vast expanses of pinkish "tam giac mach" flowers. The flower “carpets” nestle between hills or behind local’s earthen houses in Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van Districts, Ma Pi Leng Pass and Meo Vac District. Groups of tourists and backpackers flock to the area during the season to indulge in their simple yet gorgeous beauty and take photos and selfies. Couples from different cities and provinces also choose the fields as the background for their bridal photo shoots. Young backpackers take strolls in a field of 'tam giac mach" flowers in Ha Giang Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre. Ly Trung Kien, chair of Dong Van District People’s Committee, told Thanh Nien Newspaper in October 2014 that hotels in the district are overloaded with tourists and backpackers either on weekdays or weekends during the season. Statistics revealed the number of tourists to the area during the blooming season of “tam giac mach”   doubled compared to 2013. In recent years, households, particularly those along the artery roads which backpackers ride through, grow the plants and collect fees of some US$0.5-1 each person depending on their visiting time and the damage they cause to the fields. Trieu Thi Tinh, vice director of the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the province plans to expand the growing areas of “tam giac mach” and organize festivals to draw more tourists to the province during the plants’ blooming season. "Tam giac mach" flowers in close up. Photo: Tuoi Tre. "Tam giac mach" bloom in northern Vietnam's Ha Giang Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre. Cherry blossoms in Sa Pa Backpackers also cross difficult terrains to reach Sa Pa in Lao Cai Province in spring time, when the resort town livens up with forest expanses of stunning pink cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom trees, usually aged 100 years or more, boast myriad buds and flower clusters, earning the town the “the northern west paradise of cherry blossoms” title. Such expanses, easily found in O Quy Ho, Hau Thao, Trung Chai, Ta Phin, Sa Pa, Ban Khoang and Ta Giang Phin, considerably add to the town’s tourist appeal. Awesome cherry blossoms in Sa Pa resort town in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai Province. Gorgeous plum and pear flowers also vie with the cherry blossoms in spring, while furrows of lettuce and cabbage also showcase their yellow flowers. The wide array of flowers create backpackers’ favorite visually-striking roads, which meander and stand out from masses of drifting clouds. 'Da Quy' flowers in the Central Highlands From late October onwards, while the country’s western and eastern north region, including Dong Van and Sa Pa, liven up with the white and pink of cherry blossoms and buckwheat, the Central Highlands sparkles with flamboyantly yellow “da quy” flowers (a variety of daisy.) “Carpets” of the flowers, which seemingly stretch to the horizon, can be easily found along the pass roads connecting provinces of Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum. The flowers also give a splendid highlight to the villas, winding roads and slopes in Lam Dong Province’s Da Lat resort town. Backpackers take snapshots of flamboyant "da quy" flowers at the foot of Chu Dak Ya Volcano in the Central Highlands province of Pleiku. Photo: Tuoi Tre. Backpackers and tourists’ favorite roads for fabulor sights of the flowers include those from D’ran to Da Lat, Lien Khuong to Da Lat, where they can take leisure strolls and feel pampered with the flowers’ beauty and fragrance.    Several scenic spots within Da Lat such as Thung Lung Vang (Yellow Valley) or the Valley of Love are also ideal for couples to share intimate moments or pose for bridal photos against the background of wild flowers. Two backpackers are seen riding their bike through a dirt park adorned with "da quy" blossoms  in Da Lat resort town in Lam Dong Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre. “People often wonder why we backpackers waste our time and effort. The rewarding sights of flower fields emerging on the hills are really worth our efforts,” shared Ha Luong, a seasoned backpacker who lives in Hanoi. "Da Quy" flowers in the Central Highlands. Photo: Tuoi Tre. Backpackers’ misbehaviors Despite their good intentions, a number of young local  backpackers have inappropriate acts such as trampling mercilessly on the flower fields. Some years ago, local netizens blasted the backpackers who caused extensive damage to fields of “tam giac mach” in Ha Giang Province, or pose inappropriately for photos. Late last year, groups of young people, including university students, mindlessly trampled on flowering lettuce farms in Don Duong District in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong just to pose for photos they would later upload on their Facebook pages to attract likes. They also rode their motorbikes into the fields, seriously damaging the lettuce, which are grown for seeds and leaves. The farmers who own the lettuce have tried several methods to keep uninvited visitors from treading on and damaging their vegetables, to little avail. They have even taken drastic measures like digging ditches around their gardens and letting loose their guard dogs. TUOI TRE NEWS