The hardships of writing in Na Lan

(Baonghean.vn) Located along the Nam Choong River, Na Lan Village, Chau Ly Commune (Quy Hop) is home to 56 families of the Kinh and Thai ethnic groups. The history of the village still bears the bold mark of 1963, the day 13 families from Hung Nguyen came to settle down and develop the economy, together with the Thai ethnic people here, cleared the forest and cleared the land to establish Na Lan. Time has passed, nearly 50 years of sharing the sweet and the bitter, the people here have joined hands to build a Na Lan rich in cultural identity. One of the beauties of the village is the studious spirit, the desire to learn to read and write always burning in every household...

Talking to me, village chief Truong Minh Son could not hide his pride in his children's academic achievements. Although it is a remote village with many difficulties in life, up to now, the village has 18 children studying at universities and colleges across the country; 20 people have graduated from universities and colleges and are working in the district. The number of students achieving excellent results at all levels is increasing after each exam season.

Upon further investigation, it was found that obtaining those university and college degrees was a tireless effort of the local people. Throughout the long months, the Na Lan people, in the freezing winter, took turns carrying their children across the Nam Choong River to go to school. Or when floods came, the people contributed bamboo to build rafts and temporary bridges for their children to go to school. Not to mention the days when Na Lan children had to walk dozens of kilometers through the forest to attend high school in the district.

Living along Nam Choong, they are said to be in the same village but are separated by two banks. For many years, the people have longed for a bridge to make it easier for their children to go to school. Now, that dream has come true when 2 years ago, Program 135/CP invested in building a solid concrete bridge, but the image of wading across the stream to go to school is still forever imprinted in the memories of many people.

Is it because they understand the wishes of their grandparents and the hardships of their parents that Na Lan children often encourage each other to study diligently. The desire to learn has overcome the hardships of everyday life, and they follow each other's example to go to university. In a purely agricultural mountainous village, all expenses depend on buffaloes and rice fields, but in Na Lan, the number of families with children going to university is increasing day by day. Typical examples include the families of Truong Minh Son, Nguyen Xuan Binh, and Nguyen Xuan Tam, all of whom have passed the university entrance exam; and the family of Ho Duc Tung, all three of whose children have gone to university.

Village chief Truong Minh Son confided to me that a scholarship fund has been established in Na Lan for a long time. Every rice crop, families in the village voluntarily contribute 10,000 VND to the fund. The fund is used to reward students who are good at studying and to help children in difficult circumstances. It is a joy that every Mid-Autumn Festival or International Children's Day on June 1, the village cadres bring a stack of thick notebooks to give to children who are excellent students, because almost all children in the village who go to school have achieved this title. Na Lan still has many difficulties, but the desire to learn to read and write is always burning in every family.

Cao Duy Thai