(Baonghean.vn) -Not having the conditions to have their parents buy them toys like children in the lowlands and cities, the Mong children on the Truong Son mountain range (in Huoi Moi 1 village, Tri Le commune, Que Phong district) have to make their own toys.
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| New Huoi Village 1 is perched precariously in the middle of the jungle. |
The most unique and interesting thing is probably the wooden car that the children call a three-wheeled “car”. The car looks quite simple, it is four wooden bars joined together in a rectangular shape, with a round wooden wheel in the front, two wheels in the back, and a board on the “car” to sit and drive with your feet.
In the afternoons after school, the children in the village would go up a hill near the school to race and slide down the hill. With a moderate incline, they would bring their “cars” to the top of the hill, sit on them and slowly slide down the hill. Each time they “race”, there are 3 children, and after finishing one turn, they would pass the car to the next child. The road was quite winding, but the children “drove” their cars with their feet very skillfully, running smoothly without ever slipping off the track. Although the children were playing happily, they were very orderly, without any fighting or quarreling. Amidst the misty clouds and mist of the mountains, and the cold of the border region, the children’s laughter was crisp, clear and strangely warm.
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| Get the “car” ready for a downhill race. |
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| Carry the "car" on your shoulder. |
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| The race was very exciting and dramatic. |
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| The driver repairs the car when it breaks down. |
Huoi Moi 1 village is an old Mong village, separated from the center of Tri Le commune by dozens of kilometers of bumpy, winding forest roads. During the rainy and flood season, this land is completely isolated, cut off from the outside world. People's lives still face many difficulties and deprivations, but the children here are very obedient, studious, and no longer drop out of school like before. In addition to playing and studying in class, the children also know how to help their parents with many tasks such as babysitting, collecting firewood or picking bamboo shoots.
Trieu Duong - Thanh Duy
