Part 4: On the upper Chu River

After another day of climbing the steep roads in the land of mountains and forests, we returned to Dong Van - a highland commune in the Northwest of Que Phong district, where there are Thai villages living peacefully along the Chu River (also known as Luong River) originating from the Nam San River (Laos).

Until now, many people who come to Dong Van are still jokingly told by the locals: "Eat Dong Van, sleep Thong Thu". It is said that in the early 90s of the last century, the people of Dong Van were still very miserable! Coming to Dong Van at that time, there were only two "specialties": dengue fever and Chu river catfish. Therefore, although very hospitable, the Thai people only dared to invite them to stay for a meal with wild catfish caught in the muddy Chu river water, and as for sleeping, they had to invite guests to continue through Thong Thu.

Mr. Lang Van Tuan - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee recalled: At that time, the whole commune was ravaged by malaria, the central government had to directly come here to direct the army to help the people fight the epidemic. On one hand, malaria, on the other hand, due to backward farming practices, the people's lives were extremely miserable, many Thai people turned to opium as a way to forget their lives. At that time, almost everyone in Dong Van was poor.

The story of more than 20 years ago and a long time before that reminds visitors from far away of a time of poverty in this land. Today, when coming to Dong Van, we feel a new vitality overflowing. The commune chairman said: The whole commune has 9,560 people with 3,911 households, of which the Thai ethnic group accounts for more than 99%. The commune is divided into 12 villages, of which 6 villages are located along National Highway 48, the remaining 6 villages are located along the Chu River, these 6 villages include: Pieng Van, Noong Danh, Xop Hinh, Huoi Muong, Na Quan, Pieng Pung, which will be located deep under the Hua Na hydroelectric reservoir when the reservoir is completed.

The source of the Chu River flows from Laos to Vietnam (about 1 hour walk through the forest from Thuong Xuan district, Thanh Hoa).

"Currently, there is a resettlement project in Huoi Siu. According to the schedule, by early next year at the latest, these 6 Thai villages will move to make way for the hydroelectric reservoir," said Mr. Lang Van Tuan.

Along the public road leading to the Hua Na hydroelectric project, about 14km long, through two slopes of Bu Kem He (Soi slope) and Bu Co (Traditional grass slope) with terrifying hairpin bends, Huoi Muong finally appeared before our eyes. Despite the scorching sun, the whole village looked like a large construction site. 126 households of the village were building wooden stilt houses to move to the new resettlement area. Talking to the villagers, everyone felt regretful because the land that their ancestors had lived on for so long, as if they were blood relatives, would have to stay under the lake. "I really regret that the land our ancestors left us has to go now. But the whole village is leaving, my grandmother is also leaving, life is better in the new place, and our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to study," said old lady Lo Mu Hung (75 years old).

Continuing on, we arrived at Mrs. Hoc's house, 94 years old. Mrs. Hoc's son was working with the workers to build the rafters for the new house. When the guests came in, Mrs. Hoc enthusiastically greeted "Còi du bò! (Thai)" (Are you well). After the introduction, on the attic of the stilt house, overlooking the upper reaches of the murky Chu River, our conversation with Mrs. Hoc continued endlessly. Sipping water boiled from some garden leaves, Mrs. Hoc confided: "I was born and raised next to this Muong stream, and have never been far from it in my life. Now at this age, it is very sad to be away from it forever, but if I go there, my children and grandchildren will no longer suffer." We asked her about her suffering. "In the past, our Thai people suffered, farming and catching fish from the Chu River to make a living. It was so miserable that many people turned to opium, and my husband was also addicted to opium for many years." When asked where the old man got the opium to use, my grandmother said: "He had to go all the way to Muong Pom, Muong Piet in Thong Thu, and ask someone to buy it from the Mong people in Laos to bring it over. At that time, one bar of silver could buy two ounces of opium. Many people without money had to go to the Mong villages in Laos to work for opium to smoke."

While talking to her, her eldest son came in, Mr. Ha Sy Hoc (according to Thai custom, the mother's name is called after the first son's name) who was an armed police officer (Border Guard) serving in Laos from 1969 to 1977. Mr. Hoc has 39 years of party membership and has worked in the commune for many years. When asked about the village's life in the past, especially the opium poppy, Mr. Hoc recalled: "The last time I saw someone growing opium in the village was in 1983. That year, Mrs. Luong Thi Chon (now deceased) brought seeds back to plant in a garden the size of two beds (nearly 10 square meters), but when the Chairman of Dong Van commune came here, he ordered them to be removed. Before that, my father and some opium addicts also tried to bring them back to plant, but the plants did not have sap, so they were not planted. From 1983 until now, I have not seen anyone growing opium poppy anymore."

It was past noon, the sun was shining directly on the top of Pu Ho and shining directly down on Huoi Muong valley, we had to say goodbye to Mrs. Hoc's family and go back on the official road to other villages. Mrs. Hoc called out to us, "Còi mua!" (in Thai) - be well!

Continuing our journey, we followed the villages of Pieng Van, Noong Danh, Xop Hinh... Here, people were also busy building new houses to prepare for resettlement. Asking the officials and people about opium, everyone shook their heads: "The Thai people have not known how to grow opium for a long time, in the past there were only old people addicted, but now there is no one."

After nearly a day of rolling through the villages of the Thai people in Dong Van, halfway up the mountain, halfway up the sky and the Chu River flowing forever like a haunting feeling. We brought back so many questions that weighed heavily on our hearts. Dong Van is still facing many difficulties! "The number of poor households accounts for nearly 55% of the population. White death is still spreading here, the whole commune now has 25 drug addicts (5 people are in rehab), in recent years 20 people have died from drug injection, including people infected with HIV", said Mr. Lang Hong Thang - Secretary of the commune's Party cell.

Realizing that the people's awareness is changing, the commune has determined its determination, Dong Van will be partially submerged under the lake to let the electricity from Hua Na shine. Surely, the sadness will also be silent forever under the millions of cubic meters of water that will flood the place where we are standing. We also believe that happy things will come as much as the electricity in the future. See you again, Dong Van!

PV Group