Lesson 2: The Dan Lai People Stop Running Away

(Baonghean)Implementing the Prime Minister's plan for the conservation and sustainable development of the Dan Lai ethnic minority, in recent years many infrastructure projects in transportation, irrigation, healthcare, and education have been invested in and put into use in areas where the Dan Lai people live. In addition, relocating the people from the core area of ​​Pu Mat National Park to resettlement areas has helped them expand their interactions with other ethnic groups in the region. To date, the lives of the Dan Lai people have improved significantly…

Lesson 1: Dawn is Coming to Cao Veu

New Day's Fines

Five years ago, on a day when the Giang River flowed fiercely and roared, we boarded a boat and traveled 24 kilometers upstream to Co Phat, Bung village, Mon Son commune. I still remember having to wait a whole day for the boat before the village chief, La Van Duong, came to greet us. The old path is now different from before; dozens of boats now operate along this river, transporting goods in and out… Today, the boat again navigates through layers upon layers of fierce waves. We pass cassava fields, acacia groves on the hills, and steep, majestic limestone mountain ranges, more beautiful than a watercolor painting. Looking up from the river, glimpses of roads being built on the mountain slopes on either side, excavators and bulldozers plowing up the bright red soil. The vast forests of the Mekong Delta have gained more vitality, less gloomy and desolate.

The boat trip was shortened by almost half compared to before, taking two hours amidst the rumbling of the engine, before we finally set foot on the Co Phat boat dock… I still remember that not-so-distant day: In the mountain forest at night, the thatched-roof elementary school was submerged in the pouring rain. From afar, only the faint, yellowish light of small irrigation lamps could be seen. In the remote village, as soon as the rain stopped, thousands of wolves would swarm out to bite people. Co Phat was then swaying, drunk and starving.

The village has 78 households, all of whom rely on government aid. Many shipments of rice have arrived to alleviate hunger, but the hunger persists because the villagers trade everything they receive for alcohol. Only when the rice and alcohol run out do they resort to foraging in the forest. Hunger and alcohol have left the village in a squalid state. Girls and boys as young as 13 or 14 marry. The Dan Lai people live in isolation, with little interaction with the outside world, so young men and women in the village marry within their communities. Inbreeding has led to the decline of the Dan Lai lineage. The average life expectancy of the Dan Lai is only about 50 years, and they are all short and small in stature.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trong Vinh, Head of Mon Son Border Guard Station, visits the Dan Lai people in Co Phat village.

The voice of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trong Vinh, Commander of the Mon Son Border Guard Post – who guided us to Co Phat – interrupted our reminiscences: “Co Phat has progressed greatly now. Life is less impoverished, and civilization has come knocking at our door.” From the boat landing, we were struck by the sturdy wooden village gate, clearly marked “Co Phat Village, Mon Son Commune.” From this gate, a straight, 2-meter-wide concrete road led to the center of the village. On either side were small but neatly bordered rice paddies. Several men were whipping their buffaloes to plow the land, preparing for the new planting season. At the edge of the village, three or four men were diligently digging with hoes and shovels to lay drainage ditches (which also serve as irrigation canals) across the road… Co Phat currently has 97 households and 920 inhabitants. The rice paddies aren't numerous, averaging one Southern Vietnamese acre per household, but the villagers have learned intensive farming, planting two crops per year. "The scene of people sitting at doorways gazing out the gate... waiting for rescue is no longer present," Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trong Vinh stated.

In the past, Dan Lai children, after birth, regardless of sun or rain, or even the biting cold, would be taken to the stream to bathe until their skin turned purple before being brought home. Dan Lai children all had beautiful, clear blue eyes, but those eyes often dared not look up when meeting strangers. Dan Lai children now are not sickly, emaciated, dark-skinned, and timid as before. The Dan Lai teenager we met at the beginning of the village had a slender figure, carrying his younger sibling on his back and a basket on his back, walking briskly and cheerfully greeting us (we learned he was the current village chief's son): "The government gave us buffaloes, taught us how to farm, and now they've given us seeds and fertilizer, so I'm going to get them!" The village unfolded before our eyes: neat, clean stilt houses and ground-level houses. In front of many houses were sturdy fences, rows of fruit trees, and vegetable gardens. Concrete roads within the village ran in a square pattern like a chessboard. In the middle of the village, the community cultural center and a system of power poles to bring in electricity were under construction. Mon Son 3 Primary School, located in Co Phat village, has a secure gate, high walls, and a spacious, bright yellow exterior.

We followed the soldiers of the special task force assisting the Dan Lai people from Mon Son Border Guard Post to the house of village head La Van Linh. On either side of the gate were lush green tea gardens and a few clumps of sweet sugarcane. On the other side of the plot of land were rows of corn, a rice paddy, and a small fish pond. Mr. and Mrs. Linh were tending to their NA2 rice crop, the first time it had been planted in Co Phat village. Inside the house was a small general store selling groceries to the villagers. On the wooden wall hung many artistic photos of Mr. and Mrs. Linh with their children. Mr. Linh's house had both a television and several speakers for listening to music. Mr. Linh smiled brightly: "The government gave them to us; every family in the village has one. Now, without the main power grid, we run on a small hydroelectric generator, it's a bit weak, but we can still watch and listen..." Mrs. La Thi Van, Mr. Linh's wife, chewed betel nut, put a pot of water on the stove, and then went to the garden to get vegetables for the white rats in their cage. Mrs. Van said: "The border guards taught us how to raise white rats to drive away house rats and field rats." The squeaking of a white mouse will drive all the mice out of the house; it's very effective.

Village head La Van Linh excitedly announced: "The villagers have been taught farming and livestock raising techniques by the officials and soldiers, and they've worked hard, so now there are hardly any starving households left in the village. The teachers have been constantly encouraging and helping, so there are no more students dropping out of school. Before, the entire Co Phat village didn't have a single buffalo, but now the village has over 30 buffaloes; before, the whole village only had one boat, but now there are six boats for transportation. The Dan Lai people even know how to do tourism now..."

Walking around, one can see how much Co Phat has changed. The village now has electricity, the sound of televisions and loudspeakers fills the air, and most excitingly, the cheerful sounds of children reciting their lessons. The Dan Lai people in Co Phat village have learned about mobile phones, but they haven't used them yet because the signal hasn't reached them. The Dan Lai people are quickly learning and adapting to the outside world after many years and generations of isolation. The changes are evident in the children's stylish haircuts and in the sparkling smiles of the elderly.

Mr. and Mrs. La Van Linh, head of Co Phat village, are tending to their NA2 rice seed field.
(First time introduced into cultivation).

The Rào Gate has been opened up.

Leaving Co Phat, we returned to the center of Mon Son commune, to the resettlement areas of the Dan Lai people. A few years ago, these resettlement areas were in disarray, with arable land but no irrigation water. Many people abandoned the resettlement areas and returned to their old villages. On the way downstream, Lieutenant Colonel Vinh informed us: In resettlement areas such as Cua Rao and Tan Son villages in Mon Son commune and across the Lam River in Thach Ngan commune, the Dan Lai people who were relocated here are now settled and developing. Although life is not yet truly prosperous, and a few households are still struggling, overall, all aspects have improved significantly…

The village of Cửa Rào (one of 14 villages in Môn Sơn commune, located not far from the commune center) currently has 131 households, including 31 Dan Lai households. In the late afternoon, the resettlement area was quiet; parents were out working in the fields or at the market, with only a few children playing in front of their houses. We searched for a while before finding a family with adults at home. Ms. La Thị Nguyệt came up from the kitchen. The woman, over 50 years old with blackened teeth, smiled warmly: "There's something going on at home today, otherwise I'd be out working in the fields too." Ms. Nguyệt's job was to call the veterinary officer to castrate some pigs.

Under the tiled roof and sturdy brick walls, hosts and guests sit sprawled on mats, drinking tea. The house is fully equipped with a television, fan, cupboards, tables, and many other amenities. Ms. Nguyet recounted: "A group of Dan Lai people from the upstream of the Giang River, responding to the call of the Party, State, and local authorities, have been living here for exactly 10 years. In the resettlement area, the people receive many subsidies and assistance, but it was very difficult at first because they were unfamiliar with the new farming and cultivation methods. With support in building irrigation canals, providing seeds, and receiving technical guidance, their lives have gradually improved. Here, children get to go to school, and adults learn many new things."

Mrs. Nguyet candidly shared: “We have about 40 chickens, several litters of sows and piglets; and one cow, which my husband is using for plowing. We want to raise more but don't have enough money yet, and we're waiting for our two children, who work as factory workers in the South, to send more money back…” No longer relying on others, the women rarely gather to chew betel nut, and the men drink less. The Dan Lai people in Cua Rao village are now all working diligently. After chatting for a while, Mrs. Nguyet excused herself to go clean the pigsties and feed the pigs. Several fruit trees in her garden, such as mangoes, longans, and jackfruit, have already begun to bear fruit.

These past few days, the village of Cửa Rào has had a new reason for joy. The 14.3 hectares of vacant land in front of the village have been reclaimed and transformed into rice paddies. Each Dan Lai household has been allocated a few more plots of land. On the newly tilled fields, La Văn Sơn and La Văn Thành carefully plow the furrows with their oxen. La Văn Sơn, 43 years old, wiping the sweat from his dark, weathered face, a testament to his life in the wild, harsh environment, explained: "The fields are next to each other, but we only have one ox, so we have to share the plow. The new land needs to be thoroughly tilled. We have to plant vegetables and beans first, not rice yet. And we have to start early to be ready for the planting season." Today, the brothers are determined to finish plowing and then go to the commune to call the agricultural extension officers to provide them with seeds and fertilizer... Sharing stories of joy and sorrow on the edge of the field, 46-year-old La Van Thanh said: "Everyone here is poor, but we no longer go hungry like before. Some families have learned to work hard and have managed to save tens of millions of dong!"

In the mindset and actions of the Dan Lai people we met, we saw a burning determination to stay in their new land and rise out of poverty. Mr. Nguyen Van Dan, head of Cua Rao village, affirmed: Thanks to the active guidance of State officials and border guards, the resettled Dan Lai people have adapted and kept pace with the new environment. Their economic and cultural lives have progressed significantly: from their speech and behavior to hygiene, and they even own motorbikes and buffaloes. All students attend school regularly, and some Dan Lai children in the village have achieved the title of excellent student at the district and provincial levels.

Many young people receive vocational training and then work as factory workers in industrial zones throughout the country. Gone are the days of girls becoming wives and mothers at the young age of 14 or 15. Many Dan Lai people marry Thai or Kinh people… Mr. Luong Dinh Hoa, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Mon Son commune, affirmed: Implementing the project to preserve and develop the Dan Lai ethnic group, the local authorities and the Border Guard of the province have carried out the government's "Resettlement of Dan Lai People" project, moving them out of the headwater forests.

The Dan Lai people have been given opportunities to expand their interactions with other ethnic groups in the area, and their children have access to better education. In their new homes, each household has been provided with a spacious tiled house, electricity, clean water, and food subsidies for a year. In addition, infrastructure such as transportation, irrigation, healthcare, and education in the Dan Lai communities, including the villages of Bung and Co Phat at the headwaters of Khe Khang stream, has been comprehensively improved. The lives of the 1,114 Dan Lai people in Mon Son commune have now escaped the plight of wandering in the remote mountains.

Leaving Mon Son, we visited Thach Ngan commune, exactly five years after 42 Dan Lai households moved to Thach Son village, Thach Ngan commune. Thach Son, true to its name, has a very stable economy, culture, and society: Every rice and corn crop has been a success, so every house in the village is full of rice, corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes. Besides raising pigs, chickens, buffaloes, and cows, the Dan Lai people now also raise fish and plant timber forests. Many families here have become millionaires. Now, tears of sadness and sorrow no longer fall, only tears of joy. The Dan Lai people we met all expressed: "We are so grateful to the Party, the State, the officials, and the border guards… The haunting escape of the old legend has ended; a new journey forward is beginning."

Notes: Reporters' Team