Concrete path through green agricultural fields with irrigation canals in rural Vietnam

Around Hoi An Part 1

Around Hoi An - Part 1

Leaving the city centre of Hoi An you quickly finds yourself between rice fields and silence. Far away from annoying tourists and vendors who want to do business with you.

Person in blue raincoat riding motorbike on rural road through Vietnamese rice paddies.

Vietnamese farmer walking away from the camera down a path between flooded rice paddies.

Young green rice seedlings growing in rows across a shallow flooded paddy field with reflective water

Single plant sprout in shallow muddy water.

Vietnamese farmer working in flooded rice paddy.

Young green rice seedlings growing in rows in a flooded paddy field

brown cow grazing on a grassy ridge between flooded rice paddies

Flooded rice paddy field in Vietnam under an overcast sky.

Flooded Vietnamese rice paddy under a cloudy sky.

Vietnamese rice paddy fields with irrigation canals and a road.

Small ceremonial paper boat with red and yellow flags floating on calm water near a grassy shore

concrete path through flooded green rice paddies with yellow posts and hazy sky

Rows of potted plants and other vegetation in front of houses in Vietnam.

Path lined with kumquat trees leading to a house.

Bicycle parked on a concrete path leading to a yellow rural house surrounded by lush greenery

Dense kumquat plants laden with ripe orange fruit in a lush cultivated farm

Rows of kumquat trees laden with ripe orange fruit in a sunlit orchard

Kumquats

In the villages one finds some families with a lot of trees in front of the house. Some of them plant kumquats. The edible fruit can be compared to an orange. However, it is smaller than an orange and can be eaten with peel. The flesh tastes bitter-sweet and the peel sour to bitter.

In Vietnam, the tree is not only used for fruit production, but also plays a role in the most important festival of the year. What the fir is for Christmas, is the kumquat tree for the Tet festival.

Tết Nguyên Đán, Tet for short, is the most important festival in Vietnam. The New Year is celebrated according to the Chinese lunar calendar and such a tree should not be missing. It is important that the tree, flowers, fruits and young leaves are on it. They symbolize the past, present and future and should bring wealth and happiness.

The transport of the trees looks particularly bizarre to the western eye. Mostly they are not brought home with a van or truck, but strapped onto a scooter or moped.