Hi Hiver,
How are you today?
How's the weather where you are? Winter has come to my country with cold northeasterly winds and rain.
It reminds me of a 2 days 1-night trip 3 years ago. Also in such cold weather, I had one of the most meaningful trips of my life.
At the end of November 2018, our Da Nang backpacking group organized a volunteer trip to Tay Giang district, a mountainous district of Quang Nam province, bordering Laos, about 120km from Da Nang.
Tay Giang is known for its rustic and natural beauty, favored by nature for its majestic mountain scenery, with the green color of the mountains and forests, zigzag slopes, and streams that are still flowing day and night. It borders Hue city to the North, Nam Giang to the South, Dong Giang to the East, located in such a prime location, making this place even more poetic and mysterious.
It is not surprising that Tay Giang is known as "the second Sapa" or "the Da Lat of the Central region". The people here are mainly the Co Tu ethnic group and other ethnic minorities.
They mainly live on agriculture and cultivation. People's lives are still difficult due to mountainous terrain and limited transportation. But they still retain the beauty of their culture. Every year at the end of the year, there are many volunteer groups from the city to bring small gifts such as clothes and learning tools for the highland children of the district, but our upcoming destination does not have many people come.
This period of continuous rain occurred, so the road up was difficult because there were sections of the road made of red soil that had not been concreted. Only after a heavy rain, water from upstream pour in, washing everything away.
People's lives are more difficult. Although we understand the situation, when we witness it with our own eyes, we fully understand the hardships that the people here have gone through.
We started early in the morning in Da Nang, went northwest on Hoang Van Thai Street, then turned to 14G road.
Continue walking along Ho Chi Minh Street. We passed by the famous places of Tay Giang such as Prao, Co Tu Cultural Village, Dinh Que ... It is both rainy and cold, typical of a mountainous country.
Running along the mountainside, there are sections of light sunshine, the air is extremely warm, but going a little further, it suddenly rains. The higher and farther you go, the harder the road becomes, combined with heavy rain.
And it is impossible not to mention one factor that also makes up the very nature of Tay Giang: fog.
We ride motorbikes, we have to turn on the lights, always keep a safe distance from each other because our vision is limited by dense layers of fog, it feels like we want to hold back passersby.
We constantly stop to check the safety of each member. Luckily we are both good drivers so that's okay. But it is inevitable that when the car falls, the road is red and soiled, so everyone's clothes are dirty. The members support each other until the end of the journey.
After 8 hours of driving, crossing roads that seemed impossible to continue, we were also at A Tu 1 village, a village of more than 10 households, living halfway up a hill, the road to The village is a long slope.
When we really set foot in the village, it was already dark. Welcoming us were the radiant faces of adults, and the excitement and curiosity of children.
It's been a long time since strangers came to the village, of course, we also worked with the authorities and got permission and support from many sides to come here. The fresh, cool, quiet atmosphere combined with the warmth from the people's red kitchens, warms the hearts of people after a long and long journey like us.
That evening, we had dinner with the people, the typical dishes of the village such as buffalo croissants, lam rice, bamboo-tube barbecue,... the thing that impressed me the most was the handfuls of green vegetables, crunchy vegetables, delicious taste.
Naturally sweet, vegetables that cannot be enjoyed in the city. After that, we lit a campfire, sang activities with the children and the people.
The fire is still burning, the stories have no end, no beginning, no end, so many people meet for the first time but feel like they've known each other for the first time. Late at night, we were divided into groups to sleep in people's houses, they prepared blankets and pillows for strangers like us.
That kindness and warmth made us forget the fatigue and difficulties on the journey. Everyone fell asleep after a long day, and to recover their strength, they woke up early to give gifts to relatives and children after a long day of anticipation. That is the heart of the members of the delegation and the donation of those who are far away.
Books, warm clothes for the little ones, dry food for families, although not many, sharing and helping each other are very precious in difficult times.
The first day of the journey ends temporarily, after many years, what remains for me is the humanity of the people in remote areas, the beautiful quietness of the mountains and the sky, and the tender, tearful eyes of the people. Tay Giang children at a farewell to the group.
What comes from the heart comes to the heart. See you in part 2, the journey to the land of love!
Pictures taken by me and my teammate.
Thanks for reading,
From Vietnam with love <3