Northern Vietnam... Field to Market

As I continued my way south I came across field after field. Some fields were being prepared for planting such as this ricefield.

Others look like they were ready to be harvested, like this tea field.

This was definitely a very rural community. The houses were pretty basic, they were wooden houses on stilts with thatch roofs. 

Hmmm... what do we have here?

Harvested corn laid out along the road to dry. 

What is this?

Lots and lots of peanuts also drying under the mid-day sun. 

When traveling through a country I like to see what is produced as agricultural crops. I feel like it gives me an insight into the local community. Agricultural crops are not just products, they are what people eat, they are what people trade, they are what people talk about and they are what is important to that community.

... rice, tea, corn, peanuts.

I took it easy, but rode almost a full day. I ended up in the town of Hoa Binh. I checked in to a hotel and went for a walk. I stopped in at a small restaurant and ordered a simple dish of fried rice. After, I found a little coffee shop and enjoyed a mango smoothie for dessert. 

Tomorrow I would try to find the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Highway.