The rainy season comes after harvesting the rice in June. Villagers are afraid that they won't be able to collect the straw in time, therefore they burn it to make that land available for a new crop. But burning is harmful because the smoke pollutes the air. When straw is burnt, thick smoke blankets the hills and mountains. In the morning and evening, fog prevents the smoke from escaping to the sky, making it hard to breath. If time is available, farmers should bring the straw home to feed their cattle, to make compost as an organic fertiliser, and grow delicious mushrooms.
Narrator and photographer: Lèo Thị Xiền (Thai ethnicity, 31 years old)