Central Highlands staircase fields from a bird’s eye view

In early October, visitors passing along Highway 25, which cuts through H Bong and la Pal communes in Chu Se District, are greeted by the glistening terraced rice fields in these highlands.

The Chu Se terraces lie 40 km away from Pleiku Town in Gia Lai, with beauty no less than that of the terraces in the northwestern region.

Small passageways carve out the plots of the fields which are situated symmetrically side by side, and appear similar to the veins of a leaf.

Rice paddies thrive from the freshwater flow spewing from the artificial lake Ayun Ha and streams in Gia Lai.

For many generations, the Jrai people have inhabited this region and cultivated the land surrounding these hills into a staircase-like structure to expand the fields for intensive farming.

The passages interwoven between each field create shapes throughout the land, turning the landscape into a giant canvas of patterns.

Humble-sized tents are used by the locals to rest and store away personal possessions when visiting the fields.

In the picture above, one can see that each field consecutively connects to another forming a mosaic of green shades on the highland.

"I feel refreshed when wandering amongst these deep green rice paddies, relishing in the peaceful ambiance free from air pollution," photographer Hoang Quoc Vinh from Gia Lai Province said.

A field in Chu Se District captured in the early morning. Apart from this area, tourists in Chu Se frequent other famous sites such as the Phu Cuong waterfall, Ayun Ha lake, and the Nhon Hoa elephant village.