It took the friends about an hour and a half hour to reach Ba Vi District, 50km from the city centre. Here, they could admire the beautiful yellow dã quỳ (Mexican sunflower or tree marigold) fields that have become a magnet for thousands of people in the area.

"I just heard about da quy in the north recently. I talked with my friends and we were all excited about the tour. We did not want to miss the season of dã quỳ, which only last a few weeks in the last three months of the year," Tuyen told Việt Nam News.

"They bloom in a short period, so if you guys do not hurry you will have to wait another year!"

Tuyen and her friends shared that they had a great time together, taking photos to remember their time with the da quy. They all agree that they will come back to Ba Vi next year.

Hoang Quang Khoi wanted to relax after a busy working week and decided to take his family to the Ba Vi National Park, 10km further from where Tuyen was, to see the flowers.

"We took a bus to get there. On the way to the park, we saw many pathways with da quy blossoms but here it is like a huge garden. We are in front of a big large golden carpet of flowers," said Khoi.

"We have to get up early to get here at the best time of day, between 8-10 am in the morning, otherwise we would have to wait until 5 or 6pm when the flowers are golden in the sunset. 

"If possible, I would like to camp here, spending the night in the park, and then we can see these beauties during sunrise, which would be amazing!" said Khoi, who joined hundreds of people in taking photos with the wild yellow blossoms.

Da quy are visible from the gates of the park and can be seen along most of the 12.5km road to the top of Ba Vi Mountain.

In Vietnam, the flowers are also called cúc quỳ, sơn quỳ, quỳ dại and hướng dương dại. They are a symbol of faithful love, energetic vitality, pride and resilience. When exactly they bloom changes a little bit each year, depending on the weather conditions, but it is usually between October and the end of December.

It is said that the French grew da quy in the 1930s. For many years, it was considered a kind of wild plant and was regularly uprooted. But since 2015, the park managers decided to let them grow and began taking care of them. They realised that tourists love the flowers and they come back more often for them.

Da quy is a member of the daisy family. It also can be found in various cool climate localities such as in Moc Chau District, Son La Province, and Pass Sai Ho in Lang Son Province in the north, Quang Tri Province's Huong Hoa District in the central region and Gia Lai Province's Pass Mang Yang and Chu Dang Ya Volcano in the Central Highlands. But Da Lat City in Lam Dong Province is the most famous destination for this flower.

Da quy can be seen in various corners in the highland city but the best sites are on the outskirts. Trekkers and locals have mapped out different routes to these help tourists make the most of the beautiful scenery. 

People can visit Van Thanh Flower Village, Elephant Waterfall and Langbiang Mount which is about 13km from the centre city. Following another road, visitors can travel about 30km to Trai Mat and Cau Dat areas in Xuan Truong District. Around 100km away are more spots in Ta Nung, Don Duong and Tu Tra.

This time of the year is also the season of many other beautiful flowers for tourists in Da Lat.

Pink foxtail grass has lured people, especially the young generation, in recent years. The grass turns pink in early November and remains that colour for more than a month. This wild grass covers the hills near Tuyen Lam Lake, Golden Stream and Thai Phien Flower Village.

“The Golden Stream is the most desired spot for wedding photos this season. Here, they will have a beautiful and romantic background that will make their albums spectacular," said Pham Minh Tai, who took photos for Tien Tien, a bride from Dong Nai.

Tien said it was not difficult to get to Da Lat. People have to make a health declaration before arriving in the city and follow COVID-19 instructions. 

She believed that her album with the pink foxtail will be the best memory of her life. 

November and December are the months of the mimosa, or silver wattle, which is native to Australia but can also be found in Da Lat, where it is considered a symbol of the city as it can be found nowhere else in the country. 

The small yellow or golden-yellow flowers are very fluffy in appearance, due to the presence of numerous stamens. The delicate, fern-like silvery green leaves are attractive all year round. The plants become a mass of bright yellow when they flower in late winter.

A huge number can be found at Pass Prenn and Pass Mimosa.

Back to the north, Son La Province's Moc Chau plateau is a must-visit destination for its overwhelmingly beautiful white rapeseed and white plum flowers, which bloom from December to early February.

Vast white rapeseed fields in Ang and Pa Phach villages are the biggest and most beautiful, providing tourists with enchanting flowers that stretch to the horizon.

The plum flowers cover many hills and valleys. Visitors can see their blossoms everywhere, from villages to upland fields and along both sides of the highways. 

Na Ka valley, home to over 100ha of clear plum trees, has an exquisite landscape, fresh mountain air, and juicy plums that can be eaten right off the tree in the harvest season.

The next destination for flowers should be Ha Giang Province, about 280km from Hanoi.

Tam giác mạch (buckwheat) blossoms have tiny wild pink flowers with triangular-shaped leaves, which are in season from late October to December. 

The flowers typically have three colours; light pink, glistening purple and dark red. In the bright sunshine, they look like a watercolour painting. Their wild and endless beauty has seduced many people.

Buckwheat flowers symbolise love and happiness. They are cultivated for their grain-like seeds, which are used to make food specialities by ethnic people in the mountainous region.

Sung La, Lung Cu and Xin Man districts are familiar names to many that have attended the annual Tam Giac Mach Festival. 

"Ha Giang is my next destination, though I will have to check the COVID-19 pandemic control measure before travelling. I can't wait to visit see the buckwheat flowers," Tuyen said.

The mother of three also wants to take photos with cúc họa mi (white daisy) in Hanoi, which has been a hot trend in the capital in recent weeks.

There are many breathtaking fields of flowers that are just waiting for flower lovers to visit, including 60ha of sunflowers in Nghia Dan District in Nghe An Province; a vast sea of Chi Pau or swertia in the Ta Chi Nhu Mount in Yen Bai Province; and rapeseed flower fields in Thai Binh Province's Vu Thu District and Hanoi's Gia Lam District. 

Mexican sunflowers in Da Lat. Photo of dulichdalat.pro

White rapeseed flowers in Son La Province. Photo of Kim Ui

Swertia can be found in Ta Chi Nhu in Yen Bai Province. Photo fantasea.vn

White daisies in Hanoi. Photo laodong.vn

Rapeseed flowers in Thai Binh Province. Photo pystravel.vn

A sunflower field in Nghe An Province. Photo baophapluat.vn

Source: Vietnam News 

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