For many mountainous localities located far from rivers, water is something sacred, especially when local people are forced to use water from canals and even drainage ditches in many of their daily activities.
A stream going from the mountain through hamlets in Dam Thuy Commune, Trung Khanh District, Cao Bang province, is used as a place for bathing and washing the clothes of local residents.
An irrigation canal in Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province, is also a bathing place for local children
People in Pho Cao Commune, Ha Giang Province, bathe and wash their clothes in a drainage ditch running along the commune’s main road.
A drainage ditch at a residential area in Ha Giang Province’s Xin Man District, also serves as a bathing place
A clothes-washing and bathing place for people in Ai Village, Hoa Binh Province’s Tan Lac District
Washing clothes in a drainage ditch in Cong Bang Commune, Bac Kan Province
People in Lung Ca Village, Thai Nguyen Province have to carry water home from wells far away