Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam 7 Jul 2024

Amidst the rolling hills of Vietnam"s Yên Bái province, the rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải district are a mosaic of agricultural excellence. The Hmong people, an ethnic minority known for their rich culture and vibrant attire, have meticulously carved these cascading hills for generations. The Hmong migrated to northern Vietnam in the 19th century from China. They were skilled in shifting cultivation—an agricultural system in which lands are cultivated temporarily and then returned to their natural vegetation—of crops including millets, rice, corn and barley.

© Kiatanan Sugsompian/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A chocolate lovers favourite fruit
A light in the coastal darkness
7 Jul 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

27 Oct 2025Thick-billed raven, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia
A day for cousins of every stripe
5 Jun 2025World Environment Day
Singing the blues
15 Oct 2025Amethyst laccaria mushrooms, Seabeck, Washington, United States
12 Dec 2024Poinsettia or Christmas flower
14 Jul 2024Burrowing owl chicks
23 Dec 2024Celebrating Festivus
2 May 2025Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
16 Sep 2025Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
31 Jan 2026International Zebra Day
Butterfly, fly away
3 Dec 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA
8 Jan 2025Great Wall of China
Frosty Finland
30 Mar 2025Mothering Sunday
Lighting the world
5 Oct 2024Follow the teacher!
A fox in the dunes
12 Jul 2024Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA
A rock giant
An architectural masterpiece fit for a king
16 Sep 2024Wallabies, Australia
30 Mar 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
20 Dec 2025Christmas star lanterns, Germany
An explosive history
2 May 2024Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, USA
4 Nov 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
Sunlight turning silver to gold
30 Jun 2025Asteroid Day