The 'open' direction of the Thai village along the Con River

"The natives are very diligent"

Honestly, just thinking about going to Thanh Son commune (Anh Son), we couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Because at the beginning of the yearGregorian calendarIt is also the end of winter, the heavy rain will make the already "crushed like soy sauce" road even more muddy and slippery. Guessing that thought, her friend, a cadre of the Women's Union of the commune, said: "It is not as good as National Highway 7A, but the road to Thanh Son is not as difficult as before. Just go and you will know."

The road to Bong village, Thanh Son commune (Anh Son) is under construction. Photo: Cong Kien

The road to the Thanh - Binh - Tho sugarcane raw material area of ​​Anh Son district is under construction, the section passing through Thanh Son commune is still quite messy. However, the roadbed has been paved with stone, the amount of mud and soil has significantly reduced, making it much more convenient for people and vehicles to travel.

Turn along the suspension bridgeCon River, we quickly arrived at Bong village, a place that once evoked the impression of remoteness and isolation. Many roads have been concreted, spacious and well-furnished stilt houses create the highlight of the village space. The riverbank in front is filled with endless green vegetables, the surrounding hills are lush with acacia and mem...

Suspension bridge across Con River, to Bong village, Thanh Son commune (Anh Son). Photo: Nguyen Quang Dung

The "leader" of Bong village, Mr. Vi Van Duong said: "Implementing the policy of merging villages and hamlets, Bong village is now called by the new name Hung Thanh village. The village currently has 241 households, more than 1,000 people, mainly Thai ethnic people, the main source of income is from forest gardens and livestock. I am now the village chief but people still call me the village chief."

We went homeFolk artistsLo Thi Huong, who is considered one of the best Thai ethnic women in Nghe An who sings folk melodies. “In recent years, Bong village has changed a lot. Thai people are now well-off and no longer have to worry about finding food and clothing like before.

Because every family has a garden and a hill, and raises many buffaloes, cows, pigs, and chickens, they always have income. The road to the village is being paved, and this year's Lunar New Year will have a new road, no more mud, it will definitely be much more fun" - Mrs. Huong said.

A corner of Bong village, Thanh Son commune (Anh Son). Photo: Cong Kien

Also according to artisan Lo Thi Huong, in the past, people in Bong village often thought of doing “just enough”. That is, growing rice, farming and raising pigs and chickens only needed to meet the family’s food needs; raising buffalo and cows only needed to meet the needs of plowing and pulling. Therefore, when the crops unfortunately failed, livestock and poultry were sick, many households were left empty-handed and hungry because they had no backup source of income.

Now it is different, the locals are very "diligent", know how to take care of rice fields, raise many livestock and poultry, their hands are rarely at rest. The hills and forests were previously covered with wild trees, now households compete to plant acacia, with a 4-5 year cycle earning hundreds of millions of dong. Women are expanding the garden model.clean vegetables, both proactively source food and have extra daily income.

Thanks to that, many families have built beautiful and spacious houses, bought convenient facilities for daily life, and sent their children to school. At the same time, they contributed funds to the State to build village roads, cultural works, changing and improving the appearance of the village...

Towards the ideal destination

We followed the path down to the edge of the Con River, which used to be a ferry landing connecting the left and right banks. The ancient cotton tree leaned its shadow down on the river, surrounded by newly leveled ground. The elders of Bong village said that in the past, there was a temple at this location called Bung village temple (possibly a mispronunciation of Bong village).

The spacious stilt houses in Bong village will be homestays to welcome and serve tourists. Photo: Cong Kien

Every year, between the 5th and 10th lunar months, after the rice season, the Thai clans in Bong village take turns holding ceremonies to thank the mountain and river gods for blessing the fields and crops. After the ceremonies, the villagers celebrate with a jar of rice wine, hold hands, open their arms wide, and dance the charming Lam Vong dance.

After many years of fierce war, the Bung village temple was not regularly taken care of, leading to desolation and then collapse, remaining only in the memories of the elderly. Recently, the People's Committee of the commune mobilized the people of Bung village and called for donations to restore the temple. The basic funding has been mobilized enough, the ground has been leveled, in the near future the Bung village temple will be restored and ancient rituals will be held, contributing to makingspiritual lifemore rich

Location of the restored temple of Bung village. Photo: Cong Kien

According to Mr. Dao Anh Tan - Chairman of Thanh Son Commune People's Committee, the commune is building a project to develop community tourism in Bong village, based on the life and cultural identity of the Thai people here. Because Bong people still preserve the cultural space and customs, habits as well as traditional cultural beauty. In which, it is necessary to mention gong culture, culinary culture and traditional brocade weaving.

Recently, many families have the conditions to build spacious stilt houses, which can be used as a focal point.homestayto welcome and serve tourists. Bung village temple, and further the restored Cua Song temple will create more highlights for tourists to experience cultural life when setting foot in Thai village in the lower reaches of Con river.

Traditional brocade weaving of Thai people in Bong village. Photo: Thai Hien

Furthermore, in the past, there was a large lotus pond in the middle of the village, which has been used for rice cultivation for many years. In the near future, the commune will encourage people to switch to growing lotus, creating an attractive landscape to attract visitors.tourists. That means the green mountains and forests, poetic riverbanks, prosperous villages and hamlets, and fragrant lotus lakes are definitely ideal destinations...

“The most important issue is that the basic traffic route has been resolved, the income and living standards of the Thai people in Bong village are also gradually improving. If the community tourism development project is successfully implemented, it will not only contribute to preserving cultural identity but also promote all aspects of life, the appearance of the village will be more prosperous.”

Mr. Dao Anh Tan - Chairman of Thanh Son Commune People's Committee