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Caption: A Curved Earth JUNE, 2018 VIETNAM
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Caption: Mù Cang Chải is in the northeast of Vietnam in the Yen Bai province.
Covering 1200 km2, it’s famous for its huge rice terraces which geometrically sculpt its mountains into miracles of human engineering.
Picture of Hanoi
Video of Mù Cang Chải
Caption: This is a landscape carved by human hands and not machines.
Video of Mù Cang Chải
Caption: The end result is spectacular.
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Caption: Here at the Khau Pha pass the effect is even more epic.
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Caption: At times it looks more like a topographical map than real life.
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Caption: It’s probably the most photographed site in Mù Cang Chải. This is “Lollipop Hill”.
Video of Mù Cang Chải
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Caption: It’s also home to some smaller wonders.
Video of Mù Cang Chải
Caption: Including one the worlds loudest insect, the Empress Cicada.
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Caption: In an otherwise rainy trip we were gifted a beautiful afternoon, the curves of the hill gleaming in the sunlight.
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Caption: It’s still one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever visited.
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Caption: Growing rice is still largely done by traditional methods here. The fields are tilled by these wooden ox-drawn ploughs.
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Caption: The process creating these terraces is ancient and complex, but it essentially used the terraces to control the flow of water down the mountain. These small gates allow water to flow between the terraces and control the level of water in each one.
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Caption: Local Hmong women and men still wear these beautifully coloured and patterned clothing.
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Caption: ... and then you pay for it 🤣 There’s also a neat trick where the ladies will dress you up in their traditional clothes....
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Caption: They’re not adverse to charging for having their photo taken either. I loved how this lady just kept upping the figure through the entire time I took her photo! You can see the mischief in her eyes! Isn’t she beautiful?
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Caption: Honestly I still get very nervous taking portraits, but my love of people and photography is always stronger than my insecurities. I just think people’s faces are some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth.
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Caption: I don’t want to overly romanticise the fact this is hard labour and hard work, but I also think we miss this fundamental connection to the earth in our rush to progress. These ladies were stripping indigo flowers off their stalks which stained their fingers purple.
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Video of Mù Cang Chải
