A Hmong woman wearing her traditional clothing strips the leaves off the hemp plant as she is harvesting, Ban Long Kuang, Houaphan, Lao PDR. Making hemp fabric is a long and laborious process; the end result is a strong durable cloth with qualities similar to linen which the Hmong women use to make their traditional clothing. In Lao PDR, hemp is now only cultivated in remote mountainous areas of the north.
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