Lesson 4: Recorded in the Hun Vi lineage
In their recollections of ancestral history, the elders of the Hun Vi clan still remember the fire that occurred in the early years of the last century. That day, the fire destroyed dozens of houses belonging to the Thai ethnic minority in Cang Tong village, Khun Tinh commune. Several families from the Hun Vi clan then moved together to establish a new village – Nhanh village, now part of Hoa Thanh hamlet, Chau Quang commune (Quy Hop district).
A renowned tradition of the Hun Vi family is their studious spirit. Back when very few people in Khun Tinh village knew how to read and write, Mr. Hun Vi Chat had already spent 12 years diligently studying. He traveled all the way to Dien Chau to study with a teacher, and he became proficient in Chinese characters and knowledgeable in astronomy and geography. Mr. Hun Vi Chien and Mr. Hun Vi Hanh were also excellent students. Participating in the revolution, Mr. Hun Vi Chien held positions such as head of the cooperative and official of the Khun Tinh commune's administrative committee. Mr. Hun Vi Hanh was an agricultural supplies officer in the district.
Over the years, the spirit of learning in the Hun Vi family has been like an inexhaustible underground stream. Overcoming his family's circumstances, Mr. Hun Vi Thiem – a son of the family – became one of the first teachers of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script in the vast Khun Tinh region. Living in a purely agricultural area, where all expenses depend on rice, the education of their children was never a hindrance. For many years, during holidays and family gatherings, the villagers reminded each other that no matter how difficult things were, they would not let their children drop out of school. As a result, families like Mr. Hun Vi Tan's have three children who have graduated from university, and four members of the family are teachers. Mr. Hun Vi Thay's family has two children who have both graduated from university and have stable jobs...
Not only are the members of the Hun Vi clan rich in a tradition of academic excellence, but they also know how to sift through the bad and keep the good, opening up and nurturing cultural values, and are one of the leading clans in implementing the family planning campaign - not having a third child or more.
Mr. Hun Vi Thay.
Mr. Hun Vi Thay, currently the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chau Quang commune, said that for the past 25 years, no one in the family has had a third child. Vi Thi Hoa was the last family to have a third child, and she has now graduated from university. For a long time now, the entire family has been implementing a "Smoke-Free Family" policy. The elders set an example, and the younger generation voluntarily followed. The number of people smoking cigarettes and pipe tobacco gradually decreased and eventually stopped completely. To this day, not a single person in the family smokes cigarettes or pipe tobacco, and there are absolutely no traditional pipes in any of the households.
A family gathering of the Hun Vi clan.
The cherished cultural values, which have become a cherished tradition, have truly helped the descendants of the Hun Vi family become "immune" to many vices and bad habits. Amidst the hustle and bustle of today's market economy, the character of the Hun Vi family remains genuine and unadulterated. Perhaps it is the family tradition itself that has nurtured these unique traits?!
Cao Duy Thai
