QL32 Paddy

Monitors can keep the layout, which phones may need to discombobulate.

Luxuriant green fields bordering a village.

The result of all the hard work, the sight of these luxurious green fields... Newly planted field, workers, against backdrop of distant fields and workers, and mountains.

Newly planted field, workers, against backdrop of distant fields and workers, and mountains.

...But to get to that state of super verdancy the seedlings have to be planted The last page of this drive along Highway 32 showed the preparation of the ground making ready for the planting of the paddy. This page is devoted to that task. The seedings are brought from their nurseries to the open fields and painstakingly, or better 'backstakingly', individually planted into the mud. So the fields are converted from brown to speckled green, a green which soon takes over the landscape. Looking down on fields with a number of workers in them.

Looking down on fields with a number of workers in them.

At the time of planting the fields are dotted with people; all the hands that can be assembled to get the seedlings transplanted One woman planting, three standing watching her.

One woman planting, three standing watching her.

One woman plants, while three watch A line of eight or so women standing at a fields edge, house in background.

A group discusses the planting; a man watches the camera Two women standing upright in field beside planted seedings.

Ready, steady, Two women bending planting at edge of planted rows.

go, plant! Four women planting at edge of green area of field.

Four bent backs in line. Seedlings in the buckets; the green area extending as they move backwards Rear view of two women bent over planting.

Here the seedlings are dumped in heaps One woman bent planting, one standing up.

One woman needs a rest from the line work... Field of planted seedlings with unplanted patches, clumps of seedings waiting, and one woman bent planting in one of thte patches.

Field of planted seedlings with unplanted patches, clumps of seedings waiting, and one woman bent planting in one of thte patches.

...and here a less regimented style of planting, but shows well how she is working -
separating out the seedlings from the previously positioned clumps Two women and a man bent planting.

Two women and a man bend together Man standing flanked by two women bending.

The man takes a rest After all that backbreaking bending, it should be added that some farmers prefer to plant the seeds directly where they are to grow (and don't do any transplanting).
The resulting crop is only a couple of weeks slower to grow and much toil avoided

Scores of terraced fields showing first signs of green.

This wider shot shows green appearing in many of the now planted fields Three women near unplanted mud field.

So essential to Vietnamese culture, is this work of
converting brown mud to... Fields covered in young paddy.

...burgeoning green, that a Vietnamese word for green uses
the green of paddy Wide valley with hundreds of fields running towards foothills.

Another wide valley along Route 32 House with fields on newly planted paddy just showing.

At this resolution the green dots of the new plants
can just be seen Terraced fields, some with dark green, some light green, and some just showing green.

Terraced fields, some with dark green, some light green, and some just showing green.

Two contrasting shades of green as the
growing paddy darkens Woman standing in field of paddy above her knee level.

Within a month the paddy is knee high Man standing in field of paddy above knee level with house in background.

The main work now is removing invasive weeds

Wide angle shot of paddy with green terracing beyond.

The fields and terraces turned green Well grown paddy fields with village beyond.

And so the green of the paddy and the... Looking down valley side at green terraces with banana trees in foreground.

...green of the bananas take over the landscape Looking out between trees from above flat valley with fields in a variety of states.

A view from slightly earlier in the year when some fields are green,
some are being planted, and others await

Trailers...

The next Picture Posting page has a variety of snapshots from along Route 32

The next page of the Mosaic Section is headed 'Sitting Duck'.
Or go to the of the Mosaic Section. line

Quốc Lộ 32 - The Planting of the Paddy