Silently in the forest paths

I am fortunate to have been born, worked, and lived in the Central region of Vietnam, specifically in the provinces of Quang Nam , Thua Thien-Hue, and Quang Tri, giving me some understanding of the lives and culture of the ethnic minorities in the highlands . Although generations of my predecessors have worked on this land, the customs of the ethnic minorities in the Truong Son mountain range and at the foot of Ngoc Linh mountain still hold many mysteries and fascinating aspects. The allure of this type of subject matter always motivates me to seek out characters and stories to share with readers.

Journalist Hoang Son (right) during a work trip to Tay Giang District (Quang Nam) in early 2022.

To create unique and original articles, I choose to go it alone. Although I'm confident in my skills, I sometimes worry about potential problems.

These stories, which even the locals understand only implicitly among themselves and dare not speak aloud, were even less likely to be told to a stranger like me, a Kinh person. Yet, my solitary and silent travels through the villages and forests have brought me much luck in creating unique reports.

I remember that in early 2022, to produce the series of reports " Mysterious Tales of the Great Forest ," I made a 10-day trip from the two highland districts of Nam Tra My and Tay Giang (Quang Nam) to A Luoi (Thua Thien- Hue ). In Nam Tra My, while writing the report " Strange Tales," Following directions from locals, I rode my motorbike alone through the communes of Tra Nam and Tra Mai, searching for the "hanging umbilical cord forest." However, even after arriving at the exact spot I was looking for – the "umbilical cord forest" in Tra Linh commune – many locals still didn't know. Around noon, trudging along the road munching on a loaf of bread, I was fortunate enough to meet a woman who directed me to an elder. From the elder's story , the secrets, sacredness, and taboos surrounding the "umbilical cord forest" gradually began to unfold. It was more exciting than finding gold!

Elder A Lăng Lơ recounted stories about the "head-paying ritual" to the interpreter and the writer before his death in May 2022.

When I went to Tay Giang District to write the documentary "The Horrifying Memory of 'Head Revenge' ," I was still traveling alone. Fortunately, a local person helped guide me and translate from Co Tu to Kinh. The village elders had passed away one by one, so the story of revenge stemming from conflicts between villages was no longer known to anyone. Only Elder A Lang Lo (residing in Ta Lang village, Bha Leee commune) was still lucid enough to tell the story. He passed away at the age of 83 before the documentary was published. My travel companion said that besides him, I was the only one who understood the story of the "head revenge" from 100 years ago in the most detail. Traveling alone often allows me to possess valuable information until the very end.

Traveling alone on assignments in the mountains and forests allows the writer to produce many unique reports.

In Ha Luoi, when I went alone to meet Mr. LTT to hear about the strange "blowing medicine" in Truong Son and the haunting "poisonous medicine ," I felt fortunate not only to meet the right person but also to gain extremely valuable information about the lives of the Ta Oi and Pa Ko people. These are stories that even the local people themselves only understand implicitly among themselves, and wouldn't dare speak aloud. To a stranger like me, a Kinh person, they certainly wouldn't tell them. Yet, my quiet solitude in the villages, wandering through the forests, brought me so much luck that I was able to produce these unique reports.

At this point, some might think I'm selfish for not sharing journalistic topics with my colleagues. But let me explain that, given the nature of my assigned work, I can't travel with my colleagues to remote villages for days because of the worry of missing or neglecting certain areas. As for my colleagues, perhaps not many would dedicate the time, even half a month, to pursuing a long-term topic without knowing the outcome.

Nothing in journalism is more rewarding than when readers finish reading your article and slap your thigh in praise for its originality. Suddenly, I thought of the saying, "If you want to go fast, go alone," and I adapted it to suit my situation: If you want something unique and original, you have to go alone. Even though going alone is sad and worrying…

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/tham-lang-tren-nhung-neo-rung-185230617184929927.htm