Two rice grains in Pu Luong

The next stop on our journey: Pu Luong.
Right in the middle of endless rice fields. No tourists. No bars. Barely any restaurants. No highways. Just rice. After the chaos of Ninh Binh, it felt like paradise.
On the day we arrived, we just wandered around aimlessly, tried (and failed) to open an unripe durian, threw some sticks, and generally fooled around while exploring. We stopped at a café for another absolutely delicious Vietnamese coffee, and Jasper called his parents while I wandered a bit more. I ended up playing with a small boy and chatting with two other kids—while their parents filmed us (which was kind of weird). I considered telling them to stop… but hey, if I randomly show up on Vietnamese TV, let me know. Maybe that’s how I become famous.
We tried harvesting rice ourselves—grabbed a stalk, cracked it open, and voilà: our first self-harvested grains! Then we hit a little existential crisis where we didn’t know what to do next. Relaxing is not our strong suit. So naturally, we rented a motorbike.
Since all the helmets were too small, Jasper was given a firefighter helmet, which was honestly iconic. Twice we drove straight into dead ends and got laughed at by locals (fair enough), but eventually we found a gorgeous road with panoramic views over the rice terraces.
Back at our hotel for dinner, I have to mention: this place was amazing. Infinity pool overlooking the fields, giant windows in our room with a stunning view, and—slightly awkward design choice—a toilet and shower separated from the rest of the room by only a glass wall. So yeah, you can literally lie in bed and watch the other person poop. But at this point, Jasper and I have transcended embarrassment. We truly do not care anymore.
Dinner was two kinds of fish, veggies, and rice. Huge portions. Big shoutout to Jasper, the human compost bin, for never letting food go to waste. We didn’t play Kniffel that night—instead, we watched Les Intouchables. What a movie.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: I had and still have some kind of eye infection, which explains why I look especially gorgeous in all the pictures. You’re welcome.
The next day, I finally got my birthday present: Jasper had secretly organized a trek through the rice terraces and a hike into a giant cave, guided by Tom, the hotel owner. The whole tour was breathtaking. We learned so much about the region, the people, the rice farming traditions, and the local culture—all while soaking up some of the best views of our entire trip.
Fun fact: In Pu Luong, elderly married women often have completely black teeth, which they get by chewing on certain plant leaves and charcoal. It’s a traditional sign of marriage and stains their teeth permanently. Also, people in the area live almost entirely self-sustained. They rarely use money—just occasionally to buy clothes—and they live together in tight-knit communities.
Pu Luong was closed off to tourists for a long time, so it remains beautifully untouched and quiet. We even saw the oldest village in the region and visited a local school. The cave we hiked into was absolutely massive, and we descended all the way down. The hike in total took about three hours. It rained, but honestly, who cares?
Back at the hotel, we had lunch, one last strong coffee (naturally), and then left Pu Luong by bus—on the bumpiest road known to mankind. Somehow, I still managed to sleep.
And now? We’re on our way to Hue. Back to civilization.もっと詳しく