'The buffalo doctor' on top of Pu Ca

DIEN BIEN: Amidst the desolate, windswept peaks of Pu Ca, Thai men diligently graze their buffaloes, and a 'buffalo doctor' silently preserves the green livelihood of the village.

On the mountaintop, more than a dozen thatched huts perched precariously against the sky. No electricity, no women, no children. Each hut housed a man in his fifties, dark-skinned, with white teeth that stood out in his warm smile. They lived there year-round, herding the buffaloes out in the morning and bringing them back in the evening. The longest-serving man had been there for over 20 years, while the newest had been "eating and sleeping with the buffaloes" for 3 years.

The buffalo grazing area, approximately 100 hectares, was formerly used for corn cultivation, but now only tall grass survives there. The soil is barren, the slopes steep, and the rains have eroded it, leaving the area desolate. But for the Thai Bo Hong people, it is a "paradise" for their buffalo herds, the most valuable asset of each family. The buffalo grazing season begins in January and lasts until the end of October. When the harvest in the Muong Thanh fields is complete, the buffaloes follow the people to Pu Ca to reside there for eight months, until the rice planting in the lowlands is finished, at which point they bring the herd back.

Veterinarian Ca Van Tau prepares injections for a herd of buffalo on the summit of Pu Ca mountain. Photo: Hoang Chau.

"The buffalo doctor" amidst the clouds and mountains.

On a moonlit night, atop the misty peak of Pu Ca, the familiar figure of Mr. Ca Van Tau, a Black Thai man from Bo Hong village – affectionately known as "the buffalo doctor" – can be seen. Even in his sixties, he still traverses steep slopes, treks through forests, and braves the hot, dry winds to vaccinate and assist in the birthing of buffalo and cattle.

"Calling myself a doctor sounds impressive, my dear. I do this for my fellow countrymen; I don't get paid," Mr. Tau said with a gentle smile, his hand still checking the injection medicine in his old cloth bag. He recounted that the old Thanh Xuong commune (now Muong Thanh Ward) once had more than 10 people studying veterinary medicine, but now only three remain. He is the only one who has stayed the longest, nearly twenty years.

Previously, he was a police officer in the anti-drug unit of Lai Chau province. After retiring due to ill health, he participated in a village veterinary training course sponsored by a foreign organization. Since then, he has considered treating buffaloes as his destiny. “For poor people, a buffalo is their entire livelihood. If a buffalo gets sick or dies, the whole family loses their means of living. So, even in the middle of the night, rain or shine, if anyone calls, I have to go. It would be a sin not to help,” he said, his eyes drooping in the hazy smoke of his tobacco.

Once, he received a phone call from Muong Cha, more than 50km from Pu Ca, reporting a buffalo was having a difficult birth. He immediately set off. “The buffalo was giving birth breech, so I had to reach my hand inside its belly to turn the calf out. The mother buffalo was in pain and struggling, which was very dangerous, but any delay would have meant the death of both. When I finally pulled the calf out, it gasped for breath and licked its offspring. The villagers cried, but I was so happy my hands trembled,” he recounted, his eyes shining with simple joy.

Maintaining the health of the buffalo herd means preserving the livelihoods of the local people.

Mr. Tau knew every disease affecting buffaloes and cattle in the highlands by heart. Liver fluke disease caused buffaloes to become thin and weak – requiring vaccinations every three months. Hemorrhagic septicemia and foot-and-mouth disease required vaccinations every six months. If buffaloes ate poisonous cassava leaves, their stomachs would swell, and they would foam at the mouth; they needed glucose infusions and antidotes immediately.

Afternoon on the summit of Pu Ca. Photo: Hoang Chau.

“On Pu Ca mountain, there are over a hundred buffaloes belonging to more than a dozen households. Rain, wind, or darkness, just call and I’ll be there,” said Mr. Lo Van Hac, who has been living on the mountaintop for 10 years. For them, Mr. Tau is not only a healer for buffaloes, but also a source of faith and support for the entire village.

Thanks to people like Mr. Tau, the buffalo herd on Pu Ca is always healthy and reproduces well. Every year, the people of Bo Hong sell dozens of buffaloes, bringing in a stable income to support their children's education and build new houses in the village. The plump, glossy-haired buffaloes have become a testament to the quiet transformation taking place in the mountains of Dien Bien .

On a Pu Ca night, oil lamps flickered in the thatched huts, buffalo wine flowed gently, and laughter echoed through the mountains. The Thai men told rambling stories, but all were filled with a shared belief: despite the poor land and steep slopes, they could still make a living thanks to their buffalo herds and their buffalo-herding profession.

Deep within the Điện Biên mountains, Pu Ca still echoes daily with the mournful sound of buffalo bells mingling with the rustling of the forest wind. And amidst that sound, one can hear the footsteps of "buffalo doctor" Cà Văn Tấu - a man quietly preserving the green livelihood, helping the people of Bó Hóng cling to the mountains and land, living in harmony with nature.

Thatched houses on the summit of Pu Ca. Photo: Hoang Chau.

From thatched huts nestled amidst the clouds, Pu Ca is not just a place for buffalo grazing, but also a symbol of enduring vitality and the aspiration to overcome the hardships of the Dien Bien highlands. Amidst modern life, the Thai Bo Hong men still preserve the tradition of buffalo herding, a profession rooted in indigenous knowledge and a deep love for their land and forests.

"The buffalo doctor," Ca Van Tau, quietly cares for each buffalo, ensuring its health and contributing to the preservation of green livelihoods and the essence of the mountains and forests. From the summit of Pu Ca, the electric lights of the Muong Thanh basin illuminate the value of silent labor, where simple people are daily keeping the mountains and forests green.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/bac-si-cua-trau-tren-dinh-pu-ca-d783851.html