Vietnamese tourists "hunt" for apricot blossoms in an Indian village

Bui Xuan Viet, who lives in Dong Nai, returned to Turtuk village for the third time during his trip to Ladakh in April to take photos of the apricot blossom season.

"No matter how many times I come here, I still feel the peaceful feeling here. Turtuk village is next to a blue river, surrounded by the beautiful Himalayas like a painting," he said.

Turtuk is the northernmost point of the Ladakh region of India, bordering Pakistan. Until 2010, tourism to the village was limited.

The population here is mainly Muslim, unlike most other areas of Ladakh, which is heavily influenced by Buddhism. Currently, there are no hotels in this area, so visitors usually come for the day, camping or staying at local people's homes.

The photo is one of Viet's most satisfying photos. He ran after the old woman for quite a distance to catch the moment when she was carrying grass under the blooming apricot blossoms. He said he was "glad that she agreed to take a photo", because Muslim women are "a bit difficult to photograph".

Not too high, Turtuk has many types of trees that grow well such as peach, apple, apricot or grape. Especially in April, the apricot blossom season in Ladakh attracts a large number of visitors.

During the flowering season every year, the Leh tourism department regularly organizes the plum blossom festival in Turtuk to promote tourism and make Ladakh a place that can be visited all year round.

There are not many activities to experience in Turtuk, revolving around camping, enjoying local specialties, visiting monasteries or relaxing by the river. Besides the apricot season in April, summer (May-September) is also a good time to visit Turtuk when the temperature is around 23 degrees Celsius. In winter (November to February), the temperature here can drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius.

In the photo are women returning home in the afternoon after work.

A female tourist takes a photo with apricot flowers.

In Turtuk, most houses have apricot trees in their gardens and they harvest them to eat, dry or make jam. The famous apricot variety here is called "Rakstey Karpo". Vietnamese tourists shared that they bought many apricots as souvenirs after the trip.

The old local man happily posed for the camera of a Vietnamese male tourist.

According to Discover Leh Ladakh - a local tourism business - the people of Turtuk are quite friendly, open and mainly live off agriculture.

Viet said that because he had been here twice before, he knew the locals' daily routines, which helped him take more satisfying photos. In the photo are the children after school.

This is the moment he remembers most during the tour when the children were excited and surrounded Viet because they saw the flycam.

"They thought I was a pilot so they said they wanted to do that job later," he said.

Viet said the distance to Turtuk is a bit far for pure tourists, but it is a destination worth adding to the itinerary. Viet plans to come back here many more times to soak in the peace of the village.