The 'return to the forest' of two LGBT boys

Living in a picturesque coconut garden, Ngoc Viet visited a friend in the highlands and then bought a barren, infertile plot of land to settle down.

"The decision that seemed impulsive in the eyes of our relatives and friends was an intention we had cherished for a long time," Bui Ngoc Viet, 41 years old, and his partner Nguyen Trong Tan, 31 years old, shared.

Ngoc Viet and Trong Tan are both members of the LGBT community. When they fell in love in 2016, Tan quit his promising career as an interior designer in Saigon, moved to Can Tho to live with Viet, and together they adopted a daughter. They run a photo studio, opened a flower shop, and three coffee shops.

However, stressful work, life in a dusty and polluted city increasingly makes the young couple ask the question "Who are we and what were we born to do?".

s="Normal" style="text-align: justify;">They don't want to spend their whole lives chasing deadlines, jostling on the streets, and spending their money to relieve stress. "We need space to walk barefoot, to breathe clean air, and to grow our own vegetables and fruits. Since having children, we have prioritized health and want to pave the way for future generations to live in harmony with nature," Ngoc Viet shared.

"Peaceful neighborhood" in the suburbs of Can Tho - the first step in the journey of Ngoc Viet and Trong Tan to return to living in harmony with nature. Photo: Character provided

In early 2020, they bought land and built a small house in the suburbs of Can Tho. During the Covid-19 lockdown, Viet's three-generation family moved here. Each household started building their own house around the area, and now there are four houses for four families to gather together, called "Peaceful Neighborhood".

The model they built is a forest garden farm, with old trees, fruit trees, vines, shrubs and vegetables. From an old coconut garden at first, after three years their land became lush with all kinds of trees. The whole small community agreed to live in harmony with nature, not simply leaving the city to return to the countryside as usual.

Life was peaceful, at the beginning of 2022 the couple visited a friend who had built a forest garden model in Ea Sar commune (Ea Kar, Dak Lak). After 12 hours on the bus, the highland landscape appeared before their eyes, barren, dry and hot.

The friend took them on a tour of the area. They came to an area that more than 20 years ago was a primeval forest connecting to the Ea So Nature Reserve. Now it was just bare hills covered with cosmos flowers and wild grass. The land was so barren as to be petrified, not even a small hole could be dug to plant a tree.

"The moment I stepped on that hill, my heart felt like someone was squeezing it. I thought to myself that if I had the chance to do something for this place, I would try my best," photographer Bui Ngoc Viet said.

A month later, the couple completed the purchase of this land. They determined that their life path from here on would be to restore the forest and create living conditions for diverse species. "This is a path that we cannot do without and wait for someone to help us. We believe that if we go first, someone will follow," Trong Tan said.

The first day they returned, the three-hectare garden was almost bare. The young couple, along with a few companions and some neighbors, reclaimed the land to grow vegetables and raise chickens. The remaining large area was covered with green every day with forest trees and fruit trees.

Friends from all over the country, knowing that they were reforesting the barren hills, sent seeds, and many sent seedlings. They asked the local authorities for permission to enter the nature reserve next to their house so they could observe the terrain in the forest, learn which species were native, and then prioritize planting native plants in their gardens.

Ngoc Viet (right) and Trong Tan on a trip to visit Ea So Nature Reserve, early June 2023. Photo: Character provided

The days in the forest made the two boys darker, both lost dozens of kilos but their spirits were at peace. Viet said that here he learned how to look at the wind direction to predict rain and predict the season; knew which tree species had strong vitality to support other trees; as well as learned the medicinal herbs of the local people to cure diseases.

Above all, he feels useful when the small things he does can bring joy and change the lives of those around him. Recently, Viet's family has created jobs for villagers. They also use community funds from their businesses to help poor households in the village build houses. People love him more and more, they ask him about any problems they have, and they bring him whatever delicious harvest they have from the garden.

The biggest difficulty for the couple was that there was a period when their family strongly opposed their decision. Because of love, everyone would be worried when seeing their children return to a remote place, living in a lack of comfort. Both of them tried to explain and share so that their parents and siblings would understand that people need to return to and submit to nature, not conquer it; and reduce the consumption of goods, because the origin of goods is exploited from natural resources.

Seeing their children determined to follow their own path, the family no longer objects but supports them in building their future. A relative manages the coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Their daughter, who is in first grade this year, is being cared for by her family in "Xom nha yen". Viet and Tan go to Can Tho for a few days a month to visit home, visit their children and manage their business. When life here is stable, they will make new adjustments.

Luckily, they still have a stable income from their businesses and have a detailed itinerary for the forest , so they always maintain a peaceful mindset. "When there is not much economic pressure, we devote a lot of our attention to building forests and helping the local community," the couple shared.

Ngoc Viet (left) and Trong Tan show off the mangosteens they received - a reward from their sharing in a recent forest gardening community. Photo: Character provided

After a year in the forest, they are about to complete a house for their family and another house for friends and volunteers who want to practice a minimalist lifestyle, reduce consumption and grow food. In the new house, the couple prioritized the best location for the wood stove, so that while cooking, they can slowly watch the mountains and hills changing before their eyes.

See more photos of Ngoc Viet - Trong Tan's journey from the city to the forest:

Wood stove corner - the most beautiful location in the home in Dak Lak.

For now, their daughter will study in the countryside with relatives. Once life in this highland area has stabilized, the couple will bring their daughter back home. They believe in giving their daughter a free life, with many experiences, so that she can express her own talents. When her dream comes true, the couple will help her realize it.

A peaceful village in the suburbs of Can Tho, where Ngoc Viet and Trong Tan built in 2020 to live in harmony with nature.

Vnexpress.net