Preserving national identity - Beauty in Lam Khe

(Baonghean) - From the center of Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong), going up National Highway 7A, following the suspension bridge over Lam River, we arrived at Lam Khe village, home to more than 180 Thai ethnic households. Stopping in the middle of the suspension bridge and looking to the left bank, tiled stilt houses appeared faintly under the tall trees and reflected on the slowly flowing river. In our eyes, Lam Khe appeared with a beauty that was both ancient, prosperous and full of charm.

Arriving at the village entrance, we were surprised because in a highland village, the roads were concreted, the houses were arranged and planned in a straight line. Talking to the guests, Village Chief Kha Van Dan immediately "boasted": "This year, Lam Khe cadres and people have just been recognized by the province for their achievements in implementing the Movement to study and follow Uncle Ho's moral example. Everyone in the village is happy and reminds each other to maintain solidarity, help each other develop the economy so that the village's appearance becomes more and more prosperous, and life becomes more and more joyful."

According to Mr. Dan's information, we know that Lam Khe currently has 182 households with more than 820 people. The main source of income for the Thai people in Lam Khe is growing rice, partly from cassava and cassava. Thanks to early application of scientific and technical advances in production, crop productivity is always high, living standards are constantly improved, and the poverty rate is reduced every year. Currently, there are only 21 poor households.

Lam Khe was recognized as a Cultural Village in 2005. As a pure Thai village, Lam Khe has favorable conditions for preserving and promoting the national cultural identity as well as developing the socio-economy. That explains why people here still preserve the stilt houses, the presence of which has contributed significantly to creating the unique space of the Thai village. According to the village chief, Lam Khe currently has about 140/182 stilt houses. Households living on land are mainly couples who have just moved out and do not have the conditions to build stilt houses. The elderly here often advise their children and grandchildren that the stilt houses are the "soul" of the village and need to be preserved. A few years ago, people from the lowlands often came to ask to buy stilt houses, but absolutely no household in the village dismantled and sold them.

In Lam Khe, brocade weaving is still maintained, looms are still present on the porch of the stilt house. Up to now, about 80 households in the village have looms. We visited the family of Mrs. Kha Thi Tien, although she is 74 years old, she is still working hard with the shuttle and the thread. While finishing a skirt, Mrs. Tien paused to chat with the customer: "Compared to before, now my eyes are worse, my hands are shaking, my back is tired, so I work slower. But I always consider the loom as a friend, it helps me find joy and comfort in my old age. On the days when I am sick and cannot sit down to weave, I miss it...".

Ms. Vi Thi Neu, Mrs. Tien's daughter-in-law, is a famous weaver in the village. During the day, she is busy with the rice fields, cassava fields, fishing, catching crabs, and taking care of food for the whole family. At night, she sits at the weaving loom until late at night. Weaving has brought her family a significant source of income, helping her have more money to cover her daily life. According to Ms. Neu, in Lam Khe, brocade weaving is still alive. Because Thai women here, whether old or young, still maintain the habit of buying traditional costumes of their ethnic group to wear on weddings and holidays. Before going to their husband's house, the girls have to buy a small dowry, including indispensable blankets, mattresses, dresses, and scarves. Nowadays, girls are not required to weave by hand, but those products must be woven from brocade.



Mrs. Kha Thi Tien (Lam Khe village) works hard on the loom.

Lam Khe also has a Thai Folk Song and Instrument Club with a total of 34 members of various ages. Mr. Luong Van Nhan - the head of the club said: "The club was established 3 years ago, the purpose is to gather people who love and are passionate about traditional music, thereby aiming to preserve and teach the cultural values ​​left by our ancestors". Organizing regular activities, the activity nights have become the village's festival nights. When the sound of the flute and singing resounds, the young and old, men and women all come to enjoy, cheer and join in the fun.

At 74 years old, Mrs. Loc Thi Doan has never missed a meeting. She was assigned to a singing team, and despite her advanced age, Mrs. Doan's voice is still strong. Every time she sings a five-line or a tune, everyone in the village wants to listen. Every year, the Lam Khe Folk Song and Musical Instrument Club organizes exchanges with clubs in Con Cuong district. Each time, the villagers voluntarily contribute some money, and many even travel dozens of kilometers to cheer and encourage her.

Lam Khe people always promote the spirit of community solidarity, helping each other develop the economy, and reduce poverty. Among them, raising buffaloes and cows is a must. Well-off families with many buffaloes and cows create conditions for households with difficulties to raise them; the first-born buffaloes and cows belong to the owner, the next-born buffaloes belong to the breeder. Like that, within 4-5 years, if invested in and cared for carefully, a poor family can have 1-2 calves or young calves. The person who raises the most buffaloes in the village is Mr. Kha Van Thang, currently he creates conditions for 3 households to raise buffaloes. Mr. Thang shared: “I am a party member, I have to be a role model in helping each other reduce hunger and reduce poverty. Compared to some other households, my family has better conditions, so I discussed with my wife to let them raise buffaloes, which not only reduces the effort of raising buffaloes, but also helps others.”

Another noteworthy thing is that in Lam Khe, there are almost no social evils. While drug abuse is destroying many highland villages, in Lam Khe there are no addicts, the young people here are all hard-working, not competing or loitering. Explaining the reason, Village Chief Kha Van Dan affirmed that, first of all, it is due to the growth of the Party cell. Currently, there are 23 Party members, all of whom are exemplary in implementing policies and guidelines. The Party cell directs the village's organizations and unions to promote and enhance their role in managing and educating members. The Women's, Farmers' and Veterans' Associations organize signing of commitments not to let their children get involved in social evils. The Youth Union regularly organizes activities, reviews and disseminates to each member and young person about the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol and gambling. Therefore, people's awareness is increasingly raised, social evils have less opportunity to penetrate...

It can be said that Lam Khe is a typical example in implementing the policy of hunger eradication and poverty reduction, building new rural areas and preserving and promoting national cultural identity.

Tuong Anh