Story: Phan Huong Quynh
Photos: Dao Canh
Discover the beauty of a highland childhood high in Vietnam’s northern mountains.
Spring reaches the highlands when flowers appear across the mountains and forests, the breeze still touched by lingering cold. Through a thin veil of mist, travelers find their hearts stirred by the sight of children playing beneath blooming plum and peach trees. Clear eyes, rosy cheeks, and unguarded smiles add warmth to the vast, quiet highland landscape.
At the beginning of each year, travelers flock to highland destinations such as Dong Van (Tuyen Quang), Moc Chau (Son La), and Bac Ha (Lao Cai). They marvel at the biting cold and feel a quiet tug of worry at the sight of children in thin clothing – wool sweaters slipping off narrow shoulders, trousers worn through at the knees, bare feet marking the cold earth. Yet for those who grow up here, the cold is simply part of life. The children stay absorbed in their games, kicking shuttlecocks, chasing each other, talking and laughing, carefree, as though winter barely registers. Nothing is said, yet in those playful moments, they appear like small blossoms of the mountains and forests.
These blossoms have rosy cheeks and bright, clear eyes that mirror the quiet serenity of their villages. The children often wander in small groups of four or five, chatting merrily, sometimes carrying flower baskets on their backs, or holding small bouquets they have carefully tied themselves. In villages engaged in community-based tourism, they play flutes, sing, and dance alongside visitors. Their innocence, openness, and friendliness remind tourists of their own cherished childhood memories. At times, along a quiet hillside path, a few mischievous boys can be seen racing vehicles handcrafted from bamboo and wood. Just a few children at play are enough to fill the mountain landscape with life and joy.
Graced with the clear, ringing laughter and the rosy cheeks and bright eyes of highland children, the plateau seems warmer. This warmth comes not from spring sunlight or bright blossoms, but from the locals, who leave travelers inclined to linger a little longer, drawn by the quiet beauty of the mountains and forests and the pure spirit of the people who call this region home.
