Dairy farmers win battle against cold

Extreme cold hit northern provinces hard this winter but dairy farmers in Moc Chau District, Son La Province were left almost unscathed. Thanh Nga finds out how milch cows are helping boost local living standards.

On an early morning in February, a chilly fog hovers above Moc Chau Plateau, 200km and a world away from the crowded streets of Ha Noi.

Houses on stilts are framed by wildflowers, sunflowers and persimmon trees, brightening the plateau against the bleakness of winter.

The hills and valleys of Moc Chau Farm sparkle with morning dew, the tea plantations, white-fenced farmsteads and grazing cows creating a picture-perfect image of prosperity.

This district in northern Son La Province may look picturesque now, but it only recently recovered from the destruction of last month's harsh temperatures.

Some 6,480 water buffalo and 2,086 cows died this winter in the mountainous province as unexpectedly frigid weather took its toll on the animal's ill-prepared bodies and food supply, according to Nguyen Van Ngoc, deputy director of the Son La Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.