The haunting memory of Phong

(Baonghean.vn) - Located 20km from National Highway 7A, it takes 2 hours by motorbike to reach Phong village (Tam Hop commune, Tuong Duong district). The road to Tam Hop commune has been under construction for two years, but the dream of a paved road for the Thai, Mong, and Khmu people in this commune still seems very far away!

Ban Phong currently has 130 households with 570 inhabitants, mainly relying on slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, and gathering forest products for their livelihood. In good harvest years, the villagers have enough rice to last until the next harvest. In times of crop failure, their only option is to go into the forest to find roots. In many years, Border Guard Post 551, located nearby, has had to provide rice assistance to the villagers during the lean season. 90% of the population of this small village are Tay Poong people.

The Tay Poong people still have to pound rice with a pestle.

According to village head Vieng Quoc Khanh, about 30% of households in the village still suffer from food shortages year-round. The main reason is the outdated farming practices of the villagers. Currently, the number of households with paddy fields is insignificant. Mr. Khanh's family, who owns the most paddy fields in the village, only has a mere 100 square meters, cultivating only one crop per year. Currently, only one person in the village has completed a college education.

That's the village chief's son, Vieng Van Dong, a new student currently studying at Vinh Teacher Training College. We visited the home of Mr. Vieng Canh Toi, considered the poorest household in Phong village. Mr. Toi's "house" is a small shack nestled in the middle of the village. The most valuable possession is probably the rice mortar, polished smooth by time. His wife, Mrs. Vi Thi Lien, was pounding rice with a pestle. Electricity hasn't reached the village yet, so women like Mrs. Lien still have to work diligently with the pestle, their hands becoming calloused.

Mr. Toi suffers from chronic asthma and his health is deteriorating. During the cold season, he stays mostly at home. He chose to weave "ép" (a type of container for sticky rice) to sell to the villagers. Occasionally, border guards visit and buy a few from him.

These "ép" are a popular type of woven item, and Mr. Tới is skilled at crafting them, but he didn't know who to sell them to.

Leaving Phong village, one image lingered in my mind: a self-introduction in English left on the door by a Phong village student. The chalk marks were still fresh: "My name is Nam. I was born in 1994 and am currently in 9th grade." In the lowlands, or at least in the remote villages, no one of Nam's age is still in 9th grade.

Vi Van Choong