Viet Nam News
By Le Huong
Flower growing regions are attractive destinations for short getaways.
This time of the year, with the first chilly winds blowing through the north, the winter flower season signals travellers to hit the roads.
Immense fields of rape flowers, wild sun flowers, buckwheat and water lilies are in full bloom.
The buckwheat festival was organised in Ha Giang Province in mid-October, earlier than last year.
Yet at the beginning of October young people in Ha Noi gathered to head for the buckwheat fields in Ha Giang.
Bui Thu Tra packed up her two children last weekend and went to Huong Pagoda, 70km to the southwest of Ha Noi. The four-kilometre stream that meanders through the mountainous countyside to the pagoda is full of waterlilies this time of year.
“It’s quite contrast to the busy atmosphere at the pagoda in spring. At the end of autumn, the Yen stream is so peaceful and romantic,” she said. “A boat trip along the stream decorated with purple waterlilies is really relaxing after the week’s hustle and bustle.”
The riotous flower displays are also a favorite backdrop for couples taking wedding photos.
“We are preparing a wedding album,” said bride Tran Mai Lan, “We decided to choose this site for shooting photos as the scene here is so beautiful. We also visit pagodas to pray for luck.”
Cross breed
Wild sunflowers are at their peak right now. From the central province of Quang Nam to the Central Highland, from Binh Phuoc Province to Dac Nong and Lam Dong provinces, or from Lam Dong Province to Kon Tum Province, the ground is covered by endless carpets of the yellow blooms.
On the outskirts of the Central Highland city of Da Lat, in the cool clear mornings, roads are lined with wild sunflowers, which also signal the start of the dry season in the area.
Wild sunflowers have several names in local languages - da quy, cuc quy, son quy, huong duong dai - though they originated in Mexico. They are popular in sub tropical climates of central America, southeast Asia and Africa.
Historical documents indicate the flower was first introduced in the Lam Dong Central Highland region by the French in the early 20th century. Thanks to its easily separated seeds, the plant soon spread far and wide.
The flower, comprising up to 13 petals measuring 10cm in diameter, is a cross between a daisy and sunflower. An amateur photographer in Da Lat said the best times to take photos of the flower are 9-10am or 3-4pm, when the petals open to their fullest.
“If you want to grow it at home, it’s very simple. Just pick some branches, put into soil and the new buds will come out soon,” he said, “Yet the smell of the plant is not pleasant to some people.”
That may explain why though wild sunflowers are beautiful and, some say romantic, they are not presented as gifts.
Legend of love
Locals in the central region associate the flower with a legend of love. Once upon a time, K’Lang and H’limh were a happy couple living in the jungle. One day, K’Lang went hunting and did not return. H’Limh went to look for him and found him sieged by the enemy Lasieng tribe.
Larihn, the son of the rival tribe’s leader, also loved H’Limh, but she did not return his love. Larihn shot a poisonous arrow at her lover, K’Lang. But it missed and hit her instead, killing her.
Every October, on the day H’Limh died, a bright yellow flower grows at the spot.
They can be found these days at the Da Lat-Van Thanh flower village, the Ta Nung-Voi Waterfalls-Langbiang, in Trai Mat-Cau Dat (in Xuan Truong District) 30km from Da Lat City. They also grace the sides of the Da Lat-Lien Khuong National Highway 20.
The wild sunflower can also be found this time of year in Ba Vi National Park on Ba Vi Mountain, 60km west of Ha Noi’s centre. The flowers do not cover immense fields as they do in the Da Lat region. In Ba Vi the plants grow on bushes, creating walls of flowers.
The bright yellow bushes run from the foot of the mountain, along the main road, up to the peak. The hill, 700 metres high, is most beautiful when the plants are at their peak.
The French grew the plants when they started to build a church and villas on the mountain. The strong plant soon spread and has since been luring tourists at the beginning of winter. — VNS