There are 2 stories about ethnic young kids and adults that I got to know during my trips to the highlands of Viet Nam. That's is part of my travel stories that I want to share with you today. Travelling to me is not just about relaxing or enjoying, that's also about learning and connecting with people.
The most memorable part of my trip through the highlands in Northern Vietnam was not only the beauty of nature or their incredible unique cuisine, but also the innocence and smile of the young ethnic children who are raised in poverty, with lack of education, and extreme hardship. In severe weather conditions with temperatures regularly dropping below ten degrees Celsius during winter days, without any winter clothes to keep them warm, many of Vietnamese ethnic minority children have to suffer from bone-chilling cold. Their parents can't even afford to provide warm clothes for them because they have bigger worry about getting enough food to feed the whole family every day.
Because of the mountainous landscape, children have difficulties getting to school. Despite the government's efforts to encourage kids to attend school, many of them remain illiterate.
When we stopped by Tham Ma slope to check out its viewpoint, I saw a group of little ethnic girls ages approximately 5-9 wearing colorful flower headbands who looked charming in those beautiful traditional costumes hanging around that place. But they didn't come there just for playing, they were going around to offer the photos services to the tourists. It was simply a matter of paying them a little something to take photos with them. The prices for these services were never fixed, regardless of whether you paid a small amount of money or gave them some candy, they are still happy. The moment I saw that happening in front of me, I was distressed and felt sorry for the children who, instead of sitting innocently in the school chairs, had to earn every penny from a very early age.
However, among a part of parents with limited awareness about the importance of education, some families understand the need for their children to acquire an education to escape poverty. That motivates them to cross the mountains and forests, overcome difficulties and obstacles to go to school and get knowledge for themself.
This true story I heard from a guy whose name is Lua. He was also my tourguide during a trip to Ha Giang in 2019. Lua had been raised in a H'Mong family. According to him, his mother was very young at the time of his birth. There are many ethnic groups, including the H'Mong get married at very young ages, some as young as 15 years old. That's true and still happening today. When I met him, he was 19 years old, had just finished highschool and been working for that tourist company for 9 months. The thing that really impressed me about him was, he is very honest, passionate, and responsible with his job.
He dreamed of going to college in the big city, but his parents could not afford the high tuition and living costs, so his only option was to begin working and save money for that. His parents must face many hardships, and that is understandable. As most Hmong families are farmers, when their children reach an age where they can work, they just need them to do manual labor in the fields in order to grow crops to supply their family's daily meals. So I really appreciate their efforts to let him finish high school. Many ethnic parents still may not fully understand the value of education and the benefits it can provide to their children.
The H'Mong like to build their houses on the top of a rocky mountain and his parents' house is no exception. So he had to struggle even more to get to school. It was a challenging journey by a far distance of about 25kms from his house to the school, so he left home at the age of 12 to attend boarding school. During the weekends if he wanted to visit family, it took him nearly a day on foot to go home, and then the next morning he had to wake up early to get prepare to walk back. That's not something many boys at his age can do. It was really admirable how tenacious and perseverant he was. At the time I met him, his job brought a pretty good income. He spent a haft to send to his family and a haft for his savings. I still remember his shining smile on the day he picked those purple wildflowers and made them into a bunch for me. That was a very kind, warm-hearted young guy. Hopefully, he can soon fulfill his dream.
Thank you for spending time reading my post today, I know it's quite long so I really appreciate your visit. Love!!!