tour 14 of 16
Vietnam: Behind the Lines
Nguyen De
Rice is the main carbohydrate of the Vietnamese
diet. Three main types are sown there - hard rice
(Oryza sativa lin. var.
dura), sticky rice
(Oryza sativa Lin. var.
glutinosa) and drift rice
(Oryza sativa lin. var.
fluitans). Cultivation is based on the
southern Chinese model with the rice seed sown densely into
moistened mud and the bright green grass-like seedlings thinned out
and transplanted after a month. The crop can then be harvested
twice a year.
Water
reserves are maintained by small dikes. In North Vietnam, water is
then lifted from one rice field to another by hand using bamboo
baskets made watertight with lacquer and fixed with four long
ropes. Four thousand litres (about 800 gallons) can be lifted in
one working hour.