Water lily flowers blossom in Plain of Reeds

JUMP RIGHT IN: A tourist plays with water lilies in Đồng Tháp Mười. The water lily plants often blossom when the floating season arrives in Đồng Tháp Mười, usually from September to December each year. VNA/VNS Photos Đức Hạnh

Water lily flowers are in full bloom in the Mekong Delta region of Đồng Tháp Mười (Plain of Reeds) creating a romantic charming beauty attracting visitors from near and far.

The water lily plant which grows in water, often blossoms when the high water season arrives in Đồng Tháp Mười, usually from September to December each year.

Heavy flows of sediment-rich water from the Mekong River flood the fields, and the seeds remaining from the previous season grow quickly and bloom with beautiful round flowers. This is the time for locals in the region begin their harvest of the water lily flowers.

The scene of women rowing boats to pick up water lilies charms tourists.

During this time, water from upstream deposits rich nutritious soil for farmland, along with other products of the high water season such as fishes, shrimps, điên điển (Sesbania sesban) flowers, and especially water lilies.

Water lilies often bloom in early December with vibrant colours of pink, wild purple and pure white. Locals harvest them for decorating their boats to attract tourists to the southwestern area. They can also earn VNĐ200,000-250,000 per day selling the flowers.

A woman collects water lilies in Đồng Tháp Mười.

In this year’s flood season, the water is not so high in aquatic resources, but the beautiful scenery still helps provide jobs for locals, improving their income through tourist services they provide.

Visitors to the region can experience daily life with the locals, catching fish by hand, picking water lilies and sesbania flowers, and enjoying local traditional cuisine with rustic dishes such as roasted snakehead fish with pepper, braised fish served with water lily and chives, Sesbania flowers, and fish hotpot.

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Water lily flowers in full bloom in the Mekong Delta region of Đồng Tháp Mười (Plain of Reeds) charm visitors from near and far.

In the flooded fields of Mộc Hóa District, Đồng Tháp Mười region, which spans Long An, Tiền Giang and Đồng Tháp provinces, tourists love the scenes of women rowing boats to gather water lilies. The flowers are purple, red or white, and have thick stems of 3-5m length when well grown. Wherever the water rises, the flowers will grow accordingly.

Lê Thị Kiều Minh, a water lily grower in Mộc Hóa District, said she had been growing and collecting the flowers for more than ten years.

In the past, she mainly brought them to the market to sell, but in recent years, she also harvested them as a tourism product.

A group of local women harvest water lilies for tourist services in Đồng Tháp Mười. The purple, red or white flowers have long, thick stems and grow well where the water rises.

Minh and other women often fill their boats with water lilies in the afternoon, keeping them fresh to sell to tourists early the next morning.

Trần Thị Ngọc Hà, a tourist from Bến Lức District in the southern province of Long An, which borders HCM City, said in her homeland, there was no high water season like in Đồng Tháp Mười so she had arranged a trip here.

The scenery did not disappoint her.

“I had the experience of rowing a small boat, and taking pictures with water lilies. It is really interesting, rowing at sunset with locals setting nets to catch fish, wading in the fields to wash water lilies with them. I have taken nice pictures from the countryside in floating season,” said Hà. VNS