The golden harvest season on Co To Island

When mentioning Co To Island (Quang Ninh), many people often think immediately of blue seas, white sandy beaches, ships docking at the port, and a vibrant tourism scene. Few are aware that amid this offshore island, there still exists a thriving agricultural landscape, where golden rice fields during harvest season make it feel as though one is standing in a peaceful Northern Vietnamese countryside village.

Early in the morning, as the sun rises just above the horizon, the rice fields in Nam Dong Village and Cau Thu My - K4 are already alive with the sounds of people and harvesting machines. Heavy rice panicles bend under the coastal wind, painting the small rural landscape on this remote island in shades of gold. This is not only the golden color of ripened rice, but also the color of sweat and of the months of diligent planting and care by local farmers.

In this frontline area exposed to wind and waves, farming has never been easy. Each seed sown in the soil carries hopes of a bountiful harvest. That is why, when fully loaded carts of paddy leave the fields one after another, joy is clearly visible on the sun-weathered faces of the farmers. It is a simple happiness, one that comes when hard work is rewarded with abundant golden harvests.

Mr. Pham Huu Hung from Nam Dong Village expressed his delight, saying that his family cultivated 8 sao of rice and harvested more than 2 tons of paddy. This year’s favorable weather conditions allowed the rice to grow well, producing large, firm, and beautifully golden grains.

Mr. Hung is among the first households on the island to introduce the Long Huong rice variety into production. According to him, this rice variety offers high yields and produces soft, fragrant cooked rice, making it increasingly popular among local farmers.

Sharing the joy of a good harvest, Ms. Lai Thi Tan from Nam Dong Village said her family cultivated 7 sao of high-yield Long Huong rice and is expected to harvest nearly 2 tons of paddy. Although it is the peak tourism season with busier workloads, rice harvesting has become much easier than before thanks to mechanization. “Hiring a combine harvester means the job is done in just one morning. The machine harvests and threshes right in the field, then the rice is transported directly to the community house for drying, taking advantage of sunny weather, which saves a great deal of time and effort,” she shared.

Today’s harvest season on the island no longer resembles the labor-intensive manual harvesting of the past. Modern harvesting machines have significantly improved production efficiency, enabling local people to secure a successful crop while also having more time to engage in tourism activities, which are increasingly developing on the island. Across the golden rice fields amid the sea and sky of Co To Island, the joy of a bountiful harvest is evident on farmers’ faces, signaling a year of fruitful labor and prosperity.

Amid the strong momentum of tourism development, the rice fields on the island quietly continue to contribute to the distinctive identity of Co To Island today. This place is not only surrounded by vast seas but also home to farmers who sow and harvest crops day after day; where the scent of fresh straw lingers, rice threshing machines echo, and golden drying yards stretch out under the sun. A miniature Northern Vietnamese countryside emerges in the midst of the northeastern sea and sky, creating a simple yet deeply moving beauty on this frontline island.

The harvest season on the island is therefore not only about full granaries of rice, but also a story of perseverance, hard work, and the aspiration to build a better life by those who have chosen to remain closely attached to this land in the middle of the vast ocean.

As the harvest season begins, local farmers carefully prepare for days of intensive work in the fields. The sound of harvesting machines gradually replaces the stillness of early morning, while teams of workers move steadily across the ripened paddies.