Rice terraces of Mù Cang Chải, Yên Bái province, Vietnam Jul 7, 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 favorite fruit
A light in the coastal darkness
Jul 7, 2025Northern gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Desert daggers?
Apr 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
The Big Apple with a foggy topping
Jan 5, 2026A herd of impalas, Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
Peek-a-boo, I see you!
May 19, 2025Mount Hamilton, San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Apr 9, 2025Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
Jan 23, 2026Þorrablót, Icelandic midwinter festival
Singing the blues
Sep 25, 2023Sea Otter Awareness Week
Nov 5, 2024Ranakpur Jain temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan
Jan 5, 2025Pushkarni, Sri Krishna Temple, Hampi, Karnataka
Sep 27, 2023Via Krupp, Capri, Italy
Dec 10, 2024Lands End, Cornwall, England
Jun 23, 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
Is anybody home?
Pearl among the emeralds
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Mar 24, 2025African elephants in Namibia
Oct 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
Sep 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Dec 3, 2024Amber Fort, Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Sep 17, 2025A young bull moose
What’s blooming so brightly?
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Jan 19, 2024Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Aug 9, 2025Raksha Bandhan
Sep 28, 2024Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, USA
A peck between penguins
Stairway to heaven?