Yen Bai (VNA) –Visitors to LaPan Tan commune, Mu Cang Chai district, the northern mountainous province ofYen Bai will be dazzled by a garden of crystal clouds which is set up to markthe 128th birthday of the late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19).
Taking place from May 19 to October 5,the display is jointly organised by the Vietnam Association of Architects, theYen Bai Association of Architects and the People’s Committee of Mu Cang Chaidistrict.
The display is the first of its kind inVietnam and the second in the world, following the Crystal Cloud garden createdby artists Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot at Swarovski Crystal World in Australia.
Together with local landscapes andlight effects, 59,000 crystals, which are mounted atop bamboo and steel poleson wire netting in the shape of clouds, are expected to create a romantic atmospherefor tourists.
Vu Van Duc, Chairman of the Mu CangChai district People’s Committee, said the crystal cloud installation honourshandicrafts of the Mong ethnic minority group in the district, while promotinglocal tourism.
Mu Cang Chai has 500 hectares of riceterrace fields in La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh communes, cultivatedby the H'mong people for centuries. The local terrace fields are among the2,500 hectares recognised as national heritage sites in 2007 by the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism.
The locality is about 1,000 metresabove sea level, making it impossible to adopt rice farming method from thedeltas. Local residents grow rice in terraced fields to prevent water flowingdownhill.
Terraced fields in Mu Cang Chai are beautiful all year round. Visitors in Marchcan see glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April toMay. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turnyellow with ripe rice in early September. During the harvest in October, thegolden rice fields stand out amidst green forests.-VNA