Nam Ngan - the source of desire

(Baonghean) - Located in the middle of the Pu Huong forest, far from the center of Nga My commune, Na Ngan village (Nga My commune, Tuong Duong district) is almost isolated from the outside world, especially during rainy and flood days. With the participation of authorities at all levels and the efforts of the people, this remote mountain village is changing every day...

It takes more than 30 times to cross streams to reach Na Ngan village. Photo by Ho Phuong

In the past, whenever there was a trip to Nga My, the people in the central area of ​​Tuong Duong district often jokingly said "going to Russia" (Russia) to describe the distance and isolation. Because the commune is about 70 km from Hoa Binh town, adjacent to the areas of Con Cuong, Quy Hop and Quy Chau districts, the road is bumpy and difficult... Back then, the Nam Ngan river along the difficult road was always dyed a dull red color, the banks were gouged and devastated, the lives of the villagers were miserable and unstable because of the upstream gold mining...

Now it is different, National Highway 48C has been upgraded, travel has become easier, there are several buses going in and out every day, Nga My no longer evokes a feeling of distance. The Nam Ngan River is clear and blue, the rugged and devastated scene due to gold mining is now only a thing of the past. However, to get to Na Ngan village - a Thai village in the middle of the Pu Huong jungle, one still has to cross the Nam Ngan stream more than 30 times along a steep, dangerous road, one side is a cliff, the other side is a deep abyss, then muddy and slippery stretches...

Na Ngan village, Nga My commune (Tuong Duong) still retains its ancient beauty. Photo: Cong Khang

Nga Ngan this season, the village appears in a peaceful scene, the stilt houses with wooden and corrugated iron roofs intertwined, surrounded by tall coconut and areca trees. A distance away are terraced fields in the fallow season, waiting for the day to sow the spring rice crop. The architecture of the houses and the village landscape evoke an ancient space, a long-standing residence of the Thai community. The long distance, isolated in the mountains and forests from Na Ngan is a disadvantage, but in another aspect it is also an advantage, thanks to which the cultural identity is still strongly preserved, from the way of living, customs to the language and costumes that still retain the original features of the Thai community.

The Na Ngan people still preserve the unique cultural traditions of the Thai people, from their food, customs, language and costumes. Photo: Cong Kien

Village chief Luong Van Tien welcomed guests with all his warmth and friendliness, saying: “Anyone who comes to Na Ngan is considered an honored guest. Because in this remote and isolated place, only those who love and are responsible come to Na Ngan. If it weren’t for work, surely no one would set foot here.” Like a tour guide introducing an ideal destination, Mr. Tien enthusiastically talked about Na Ngan, his words were filled with pride about the place where he was born and raised, about the place called “money field”. That the Thai Thanh community migrated from the Northwest of Vietnam here a long time ago, maybe more than 10 generations. In the past, their ancestors followed the Nam Ngan River upstream, realized that this land was fertile, had flat land to reclaim rice fields, had high land to build houses, so they decided to stop and establish a village. The name Na Ngan was born from there, meaning “field by the Nam Ngan River”, also meaning “money field”. For generations, the Thai people in Na Ngan have lived by growing wet rice. More than 5 hectares of rice fields are irrigated by the Nam Ngan River, so the rice plants are heavy with grain. In the forest there are vegetables and bamboo shoots; in the stream there are shrimp and fish. The self-sufficient lifestyle is still maintained today.

Electricity has been coming to the village for more than a year now, lighting up the village, bringing with it changes in life. People are competing to buy televisions to broaden their horizons, knowledge and awareness are also starting to change in a positive direction. The village's primary and kindergarten schools have just been built, more than 100 children in Na Ngan no longer have to worry about the long distance to school. Up to now, the school is the only house in Na Ngan built with bricks and concrete. Because the road is long, bumpy and difficult, transporting materials is extremely difficult, the people of Na Ngan can only build houses with wood and roofs made of corrugated iron.

Na Ngan women. Photo: Ho Phuong

Currently, the village has nearly 150 households with about 750 people, the main source of income is still rice production and raising buffalo and cows. Compared to the villages in the central region, life in Na Ngan is still difficult, the village has up to 99 poor households. The basic reason is still the difficult traffic, which limits trade, causing people to not have the mindset of developing goods, and advances in science and technology have not been applied. In particular, in recent years, rice plants are often infected with diseases, causing low productivity, even crop failure, people still do not have enough knowledge to take care of and prevent in time.

Walking around the village, we noticed that there are many long-lived people in Na Ngan. The elderly here still go to the forest every day to get firewood for heating, pick vegetables to eat, still go down to the stream to catch fish and sit at the loom diligently with the shuttle. Village chief Tien said that Na Ngan currently has about 50 people over the age of 80 who are still healthy and alert, able to help their children and grandchildren with housework. In particular, there is an old man over 100 years old who still lights a fire to cook rice and chop vegetables for the chickens and pigs every day. Perhaps, living in the middle of the Pu Huong forest with fresh air, drinking cool Nam Ngan stream water, being in harmony with trees, forests and mountains, the Thai people in Na Ngan have good health, live long and are less susceptible to diseases.

Children of Na Ngan village, Nga My commune (Tuong Duong) on ​​their way to school. Photo: Ho Phuong

In Na Ngan, besides the village chief Luong Van Tien, we also met many other people, each with a story, leaving a different impression. That is the deputy Vi Van Net - the person considered the richest in the village. Net's family currently has 10 buffaloes, and is renting a machine to expand the fish pond area. Net's wife opened a grocery store at home, almost every family in the village comes to buy, so Net's family has many sources of income. There is Luong Van Un - a tall and handsome young man, a "silk driver" of the village. The bumpy 20 km road from the village to Un commune seems very normal, when watching him ride a motorbike through the stream, you can see all his talent. Another special thing is that at only 27 years old, Luong Van Un is considered the person with the most "positions" in the village, he is currently the Chairman of the Parents' Association, the Village Accountant, the Electricity Board, and also the Head of the Loan Group. We also met teacher Lo Van Bac, who has been involved in the education of children in Na Ngan for many years and is considered by the villagers as a family member...

Teacher Lo Van Bac recounted that nearly 20 years ago, when he first set foot in Na Ngan, a young teacher like him could not hide his concern. Because life was so difficult and hard, most people did not know the common language. But now there is no more hunger, poverty is also being pushed back, the electricity grid has been brought to the village, the light of civilization has dispelled the darkness covering the great forest. With electricity, every family buys a television to broaden their horizons, improve their knowledge, and gradually escape the backward lifestyle that has existed for generations. In particular, the State has just invested in building a new school for preschool and primary school children, which has contributed to changing the face of the village. Studying in the new school, Na Ngan children are really happy and go to class more regularly, parents are also excited to create conditions for their children to study, gain more knowledge to broaden their horizons. The biggest wish now is that the road from Na Ngan to the commune center will be invested in and upgraded by the State to facilitate travel, promote trade of goods, and break the self-sufficient way of doing business. With a road, life in Na Ngan will certainly change, that is the most burning desire in this remote Nam Ngan source...

Saying goodbye to Na Ngan, we rode our “war horses” down the Nam Ngan River towards the center of Nga My commune. Village chief Luong Van Tien, deputy village chief Vi Van Net, young man Luong Van Un, teacher Lo Van Bac and villagers saw us off a long distance. Everyone whispered to each other: “Although it is far away and isolated, with the desire to rise up, Nga Ngan will certainly continue to innovate...”.

Ho Phuong - Cong Khang