Blooming later than usual this year, forest peach blossoms cover Mau Son Mountain in Lang Son Province on the China border. 

A layer of forest peach shrouds the mountain in the northeast of the province, 30 kilometers from Lang Son Town. 

Mau Son rises around 1,000 meters. With the approach of spring, the area is usually covered in white and vermillion rhododendrons and pear blossoms. But the forest peaches stand out with their captivating shades of pale and cerise pink.

In Ngan Pac and Than Diu villages in Cong Son Commune of Cao Loc District, they began to bloom a month ago while the flowering has been late this year in Mau Son.

Bui Vinh Thuan, a photographer from Lang Son Town and the author of this series of photos, said the Mau Son forest peach buds adapt well to the cold of the winter and only flower in the warmth of spring. This natural phenomenon marking the change in seasons characterizes Mau Son and its charm.

Older peach trees are easily identified by their wide roots and trunks covered in moss that can measure up to seven meters high.

The photographer visits Mau Son every spring to explore every nook and cranny, interact with the ethnic groups and soak in their culture.

Forest peaches have pale pink petals that turn a dark purple in the center.

Mau Son forest peaches have five large petals. They come in two colors, an intense magenta and a cooler, pale pink.

After the flowering period, the blossoms are replaced by fresh, tender foliage in preparation for fruiting which occurs every year around May-June.

The forest peaches hint at the arrival of spring in Mau Son and frame a laughing ethnic Yao woman. The Yao make up 90 percent of the population here. They wear colorful, patterned traditional ethnic garb and make a living mostly from crops and livestock.

Ancient forest peach trees line the side of rocky paved roads that are blanketed in moss and fern.

A bird’s nest nestles in a forest peach tree.

Ancient forest peach trees are becoming increasingly rare in the place. To check this loss, the Cong Son village administration has adopted a policy of conserving this species. It is important to note that visitors are prohibited from picking flowers or breaking twigs and branches.

      Photos by Bui Vinh Thuan