Biking North Vietnam - 1

After some inquiries in Down Town Hanoi, we took a 125cc Japanese motorbike and off we went to make a loop around the North-West part of the country. The first day was mostly "getting out of Hanoi" day. It takes hours just to leave those main highways leading to and from the capital. But at the last hours of this first day we started to smell the other Vietnam - Vietnam of quiet rice fields and small bumpy roads. Where there are no restaurants, and hardly anyone sell anything that is not real necessity for living. And, we sure did fall in love with this face of Vietnam. It is a hard work on the rice fields, planting them is but a first step to be followed by fermenting the field, clearing the "bad" parasite crops that grow in it, and also - doing this thing that the woman in the picture is doing and I am not so sure what the hell it is. Since the rice is already planted, and you plant it with your fingers one by one not like seeds of wheat, she is probably adding some minerals or fermentation to the soil. But - you got it - your guess is as good as mine...