A lot of the forest in Northern Vietnam has been cleared to make space for cultivation.  Except for the valley of Mường Tè, the National Parks such as Hồ Ba Bẻ,we encountered few large prime forests. In the evening it is common to see fires, as rice stumps and garbage get burned. Also, we saw actual forest clearings, especially South of Tĩnh Túc,where new forest was burned down to provide fertile grounds.

 

Farmers are clearing forest to make space for more maize.

 

A hill is cleared, a woman is preparing the ground for the next crop.

In the evening, small fires dot the landscape. The smell of smoke and fires is omnipresent.

 

A lot of valleys are almost completely cleared of forest and provide land for cultivation.