The Hmong Land

  We hiked 6 miles to our guides village nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering mountains. The land is intensively cultivated with rice wherever paddies and are feasible. Corn, their other main staple crop, is grown on sloped hillsides. They also grow various cabbages and greens,onions,carrots, indigo for dyes, and various fruits like peaches, and apples. Due to the high elevation, they can't grow tomatoes or peppers. 

   When I asked about their cash crops, our guide said they had none. I was baffled about the seemingly endless rice paddies, didn't they sell rice? No, the Vietnamese won't buy their rice, they don't like their variety. All crops are for home consumption or barter. They also always have to have a two year supply incase of crop failure, these people live on the edge. 

   Besides building schools,  the Vietnamese government has recently supplied major benefits to bring these remote people into the 21st century. In the last two years the Government has supplied concrete to the people for paving the mud path to their village. They have also brought power to some areas where the people can string lines to remote areas. 

The locals use bamboo pools to run power lines. With these benefits, the younger generation will have a better future. Our guide never attended school and lived as her great grand parents did, in the dark, illiterate, with little hope. Tourism is also a big help to the people. By hiring her directly, my guide received all the money from my visit without an agent taking 50%. I found her on line. . That's me with our guide,  her name is Tamay. We had a great week with her and enjoyed her knowledge and simple wisdom.