A Nùng cooperative by Thác Bà lake

I was born in Bảo Ái commune, Lào Cai province. As a child I followed my parents to the fields to till the soil, sow seedlings and transplant rice. Among the rice varieties of my homeland, nếp Lếch is the one we Nùng people are proudest of and work hardest to keep.

Nếp Lếch is grown on the fields of Bảo Ái. Year after year, families have kept the variety, selected its seed and handed it down to the next generation. For us it is not just everyday rice: it belongs to family meals, festivals, Tết and the traditional dishes of the Nùng.

Shaped by the mountain climate and by farming knowledge passed down for generations, nếp Lếch is tended season by season and harvested when the grain is properly ripe. From the plumpest paddy, families select, sun-dry and mill the rice to make Gạo Nếp Lếch Người Nùng Bảo Ái: white, even grains full of natural flavour.

For a long time nếp Lếch was grown mainly for our own families and shared within the community. We want this heritage variety to last and to reach more people, so the Bảo Ái Agricultural and General Services Cooperative was founded to bring growing, purchasing, milling and packing together.

I am proud that Bảo Ái has a glutinous rice of its own, sown and kept by Nùng hands. When you taste it, we hope you will feel not only its soft, fragrant, rich grain but also a part of our story, our culture and our love for this land.