"Going for bamboo shoots" in Khe Nong

(Baonghean) - From the center of Chau Khe commune to Khe Nong, Chau Khe commune (Con Cuong district), we counted 6 streams. During the rainy season, these streams rise, cutting off Khe Nong from the surrounding areas. Along the steep, rocky road, glimpses of Dan Lai people carrying bamboo shoots to sell at the district market could be seen...

Drying bamboo shoots.

Previously, the Dan Lai ethnic people lived in Khe Nong, facing many hardships and poor transportation. In 1979, they resettled in Chau Son village, Chau Khe commune. Due to a shortage of arable land, 30 households returned to their old settlement. Bamboo shoots and wild vegetables remained their main food source. Difficulties piled upon difficulties. Their makeshift houses were low and dilapidated, and during the rainy season, the people here constantly faced hunger and cold.

It was almost evening when we arrived at Khe Nong village. Houses were closed and locked, with only a few children and elderly people at home. Mrs. La Thi Thoa (81 years old) was holding a child, about two years old, in her arms. The child had a high fever, burning her hands. Mrs. Thoa went inside to reheat a bowl of porridge for her grandchild. It was called porridge, but there was more bamboo shoots than rice. Mrs. Thoa explained: “People here can earn a few sacks of rice a day from harvesting bamboo shoots, but because of the long distance and difficult terrain, we mainly eat bamboo shoots instead of rice. One person goes to the district market to buy rice, and several families take turns buying it for them. Even the most fortunate families only manage to get five or seven kilograms of rice from selling bamboo shoots.”

The small house, made of bamboo panels on all four sides, was airy and had no beds, just an old mat spread out for five family members. The kitchen contained a few old pots, bowls, and chopsticks. The child was asleep, and Mrs. Thoa took out some bamboo shoots to dry. “Like every day, I went into the forest to gather bamboo shoots. For a long time, the villagers have lived off the bamboo shoots from the Con Cuong One-Member Forestry Company. Out of compassion for the poor, the company lets them go into the forest to harvest them; only the poor and hungry Dan Lai people go to harvest bamboo shoots. The harvested bamboo shoots are boiled, dried, and carried to the district market to sell. During the rainy season, we don’t dare go because we’re afraid the stream will rise and we won’t be able to get back…”

Many elderly people, some over 80, still carry baskets of bamboo shoots every day. Even babies under a year old have to eat bamboo shoot porridge. Despite such poverty, when asked about literacy, the Dai Lai people here are deeply concerned. Mr. Thoa's eyes lit up with joy: "We can endure hunger, but we absolutely won't let our children be deprived of education, journalist! There's a small school for the Dai Lai people to attend, and the teachers and students are very close..."

Con Cuong District is replanning residential and agricultural land, as well as public welfare facilities, to resettle 50 residents of Khe Nong back to their old village. The main difficulty remains securing funding for the resettlement area. Hopefully, the Khe Nong resettlement area will be stabilized soon so that the 50 Dai Lai ethnic minority households can have land to grow rice and corn, and stabilize their lives...

Text and photos:An Ngoc