The Land of North West Vietnam

This is one of two pages that lets you see a little of the north west Provinces of Vietnam. The images were taken on a recent trip at the beginning of December 2010 which had mixed weather in its nine days: three rained off, two fine and the others so-so. The pleasure of travel in the northern areas of Vietnam is not knowing what will turn up; on another occasion the set of images would be quite different, but I hope this conveys something of the area. This page has images of the land, natural features and towns, the other page is about the people - the images are of individuals and their activities.

December 2010

Morning Clouds
Morning Clouds Hills Appearing
Hills Appearing Much of the north of Vietnam consists of ranges of hills rising to 5,000 or 6,000 feet. Most of the population live down in the valleys between and the roads connect these valleys over the hills. So often the morning starts with ascending a pass and going up into the clouds, followed by the descent to the next valley as the clouds disperse in the heat of the sun.





Last Clouds hanging above a valley
Last Clouds hanging above a valley Karst Hills Emerging from Morning Mist
Karst Hills Emerging from Morning Mist Valleys below
Valleys Below The plain on which Than Uyen lies
The plain on which Than Uyen lies The Ma River near its source
The Ma River near Source The flora of parts of Vietnam befit a tropical country, but the wild animals are less commonly seen. People are not about to walk past high class protein to get to the market! But there are wild goats like these below and of course domestic animals abound. Ponsettia
Ponsettia Ponsettia Flower
Ponsettia Flower





Bamboos and Bananas by village fields
Bamboos and Bananas by village fields Wild Goats
Wild Goats Pig with litter and a Buffalo beyond
Pig with litter and a Buffalo beyond While there may be few wild animals, domestic animals are central to people's lives, and accordingly live around, in, under or beside the houses. Cows and provide the main meat foods, the cows being used mostly for work and meat and not for their milk. Suffolk-Like wooden Cow Bell
Suffolk-Like wooden Cow Bell Small scale water works without machines
Small scale water works without machines Water dominates the countryside of Vietnam. The key crop of wet rice needs to have its feet planted in water and without it cannot grow, so the management of use of water is vital to the country. Here water works are shown from small scale dam making with purely human effort to the largest dam in south east Asia. Micro-hydro electricity on the Ma River
Micro-hydro electricity on the Ma River S. E. Asia's largest dam under construction
S. E. Asia's largest dam under construction Upstream 150 kilms major reconstruction
Upstream 150 kilms major reconstruction The consequences of this huge new dam for the upstream area are dramatic. The submerged remnants of the old Provincial capital can just be seen and a 100 kilms to the north is the fine new capital. Many other towns have been rebuilt and renamed! Finally 2 images of the famous town of Dien Bien Phu and its monument to the victory over the colonial regime. The submurged old capital of Lai Chau
Submerged Capital A town rebuilt above the new water line
A town rebuilt above the new water line Mist clearing on the new Lai Chau
Mist clearing on the new Lai Chau The fine position of the new capital
The fine location of the new capital The steps of the Dien Bien Monument
The steps of the Dien Bien Monument The Dien Bien Phu Monument
The Dien Bien Phu Monument