Little blossoms - Mộc Châu, Sơn La

With its dreamlike landscapes, this region also harbors the unique cultural traits of various ethnic minorities including Thai, Muong, Dao, and H'Mong people. Visitors adore the Northeast and Northwest not only for majestic nature, winding roads, and deep forests, but also for the innocent, pure, and unspoiled beauty of the highland children. These kids have become an inseparable part of the local scenery.

The flower season in the Northwest begins in Moc Chau - Son La, with plum blossoms from early January to late February. Valleys like Na Ka, Mu Nau, and Phieng Canh are popular destinations, with Na Ka known as a paradise of white plum blossoms. This region is engulfed in white, with delicate petals shimmering under the sun. Houses peek through the endless white plum orchards. When I visit, I search for the local children, without whom, the scenery seems less vibrant.

Visitors love to photograph the blossoms and local children.

During the plum blossom season, outside of school hours, the children of Na Ka dress in their finest clothes and carry flower baskets to welcome tourists. They weave through the gardens, frolicking on trails flanked by pristine white plum blossoms, like vibrant flecks in the mountains and forests. If you're unsure where to go, don't hesitate to ask these kids; they'll direct you to the plum gardens with the most flowers and best photo spots. Like friendly tourism ambassadors, these kids inspire photographers with their presence. Beneath the interlacing white floral canopies, the green, red, and yellow hues of the children's attire add extraordinary vibrancy to the scene.

In their bright clothes, the kids look like wandering flowers.

Tourists fall in love with this land for this reason. If you feel weary or troubled, slow down and observe these highland children. The scene’s purity isn’t just due to the landscape but also to the kids’ innocent, clear eyes. Perhaps their simple lives, with basic living conditions, make them desire less, reflected in their worry-free eyes and naive conversations.

Unable to resist the charm, visitors often take out their phones to snap photos with these children. Born and raised in the mountains and fields, these highland children have strong legs and good immune systems. Even on cold days, their faces may turn red and dirty, but their legs remain agile. They might be right there one moment and gone the next, their figures blending into the rocks and flowers, with sun-bleached, golden hair fluttering as they run along the hillsides.

When spring arrives, following the Lunar New Year, the Northeast adorns itself in vibrant hues with pink peach blossoms, yellow rapeseed flowers, and occasional mist, which drifts over roofs and mountain crevices. In Ha Giang, visitors encounter H’Mong children clad in brightly colored clothes, like wandering flowers. The children in Ha Giang are somewhat bolder, accustomed to more frequent tourists and backpackers. Popular destinations like Sung La, Pho Cao, Dong Van, and Meo Vac, etc. are always bustling with the lively air of spring. The children there often wear vivid ethnic costumes and carry bunches of white and yellow rapeseed flowers. They roam around blooming peach trees by stone fences or help their parents at small roadside stalls, waiting for tourists to come and take pictures.

To meet these children, it’s best to visit on weekends since they attend school on weekdays. Despite their challenging lives, these children retain their cheerfulness, endearing innocence, and charm. Like flowers blooming on rocky, barren land, these highland children add a fierce vitality, making spring more splendid.