Night on the Plateau - Short story contest by Quoc Viet

She looked up at the sky, dyed in the soft yellow light of late afternoon. The cool air of the highlands rushed in, carrying the scent of wild grass, pine resin, and a bit of the earthy after-rain scent. She took a deep breath. In August, Da Lat was not as bright as spring, nor as cold as winter, but there was something vague, as if everything wanted to slow down.

Leaving the bus station, as usual, Nhien looked around as if searching for someone waiting for her. Then she laughed when she remembered that Nhien went to Da Lat alone and it was the first time in her life that she had traveled far away without anyone by her side.

Remembering the time I sat with Le at a coffee shop in the middle of Saigon on a windless afternoon, when Nhien said she planned to go to Da Lat alone, Le opened his eyes wide: "Are you joking, Nhien? Are you also planning to follow the healing trend like Gen Z?".

Nhien did not reply. She looked into the distance, where there was a wallflower bush with pale pink petals. Da Lat had left her with many memories. It had been 7 years but those memories were still like a slow motion film passing by her…

Back then, every few months, Khanh would take Nhien to Da Lat. A backpack, a few sets of clothes, and Khanh’s motorbike were enough for the two of them to set off. Khanh didn’t really love Da Lat, but he followed Nhien’s wishes. Because Nhien liked watching the sunset on the plateau, liked the feeling of standing on the balcony with Khanh behind her, hugging her waist, letting her lean on Khanh’s shoulder. At times like that, Nhien felt at peace and thought that everything around her was just for the two of them.

But sweet love affairs often do not last long. Khanh suddenly disappeared without a word of goodbye. Nhien almost went crazy. She rushed to search for Khanh in the places where Khanh used to work, the places where Khanh used to go. All received head shakes as if Khanh had never existed in this world. Nhien collapsed to the point of depression. It took a long time for her to regain her balance and start a new life.

***

The hotel was a few slopes away from the bus station. After checking in, it was already dark. Nhien stepped out, letting her feet take the lead, wandering among the small, nameless streets.

From the center, she went down to the market. The cries of vendors and the sound of vehicles blended into a lively melody. The smell of baked potatoes, grilled rice paper, and the smell of dew mixed together to create a unique smell that only Da Lat has.

Đêm trên cao nguyên - Truyện ngắn dự thi của Quốc Việt - Ảnh 1.

Leaving the market, Nhien turned into a small alley, initially intending to find a shortcut up the hill. But the further she went, the quieter and darker the road became. On both sides were low-roofed houses with mottled walls and dented tin roofs. Under the weak yellow light, human shadows stretched out on the damp ground.

A baby’s cry echoed from a nearby house. Through the half-open wooden door, she saw a thin woman coaxing her child while quickly bundling vegetables. Her hands were calloused, her fingernails were covered in dirt, her eyes were dark from lack of sleep.

Seeing someone appear, the woman looked out the door and called out: "Buy some vegetables, miss! The vegetables picked this afternoon are delicious."

Nhien stopped. She had no intention of buying vegetables, not knowing what to do with them, especially when it was already dark. But the image of the woman reminded her of her mother. Her mother had also had to wake up at 3am to cut vegetables to sell at the market, saving every penny to send her to school, and it was also her mother who had to stay up all night to watch over her when she was depressed. All mothers in this world love their children unconditionally, whether they are businessmen, doctors, or hard-working farmers.

"Please get me two bunches of vegetables. I'll send you the money."

The woman hurriedly put the vegetables in a bag and gave it to Nhien: "Here are your vegetables. Thirty thousand in total."

Nhien paid, took the vegetables, intending to give them to the hotel cleaner later. She continued walking and realized that she had entered another world , a world not seen in the promotional photos of Da Lat. In front of Nhien, an old woman sat on the side of the road with only a few packs of chewing gum, some watermelon seeds and a few bags of dried persimmons. The old woman did not advertise her goods, just quietly watched people pass by. Not far away, a man was busy loading bags of ice onto a tricycle. He must be preparing to deliver the goods to some eateries or restaurants.

The rain poured down so hard that no one had time to prepare. Nhien forgot that she had not brought an umbrella. She quickly ran to take shelter under the eaves of a house. There, a family of three was gathered around a blazing fire. The woman saw Nhien and invited her in: "Come in here and sit down to warm up. It's wet and cold outside."

Nhien looked up at the sky, it seemed like the rain would take a long time to stop. Without being polite, she walked into the house, sat next to the three people, and held her hands out to warm them by the fire. The house was shabby and had nothing of value, except for the child's study table which looked neater. The woman poured her a cup of hot tea, smiling gently: "Please understand, please sit here for now, the house is so simple."

"You guys are so kind to let me shelter from the rain" - Nhien replied.

Only then did she get a clear look at the woman. Her legs were shrunken, smaller than her wrists. Seeing Nhien’s curious gaze, the woman spoke up: “I had it when I was little…”.

Outside, the rain was pouring down harder and harder. Inside the house, the woman began to tell Nhien the story of her life…

***

At the age of 4, after a long fever, Thoan's legs began to atrophy. The family was poor, her father had left her forever, and her mother could not take care of her child and make ends meet, so she had to leave Thoan at home, making friends with the four walls of a dilapidated house. Many times, seeing her friends of the same age running around in the street, Thoan burst into tears. Then she naively asked her mother why she could not walk. The only response was her mother's sad eyes and a pat on the head: "Your legs cannot walk, but you still have your hands." Her mother was right. Thoan still had hands and a head. Thoan could ask her mother to teach her to read, write, and do housework to help her.

Fifteen years old. Unable to bear the sight of staying at home all day while her mother was getting older, Thoan asked to go sell cotton swabs. So every morning, her mother would take her on a broken-down motorbike to the front gate of the district market with a bottle of water, a plastic basket of cotton swabs and a board with four wheels. The board replaced Thoan's legs to go around the market, up several streets at the top of the hill. The market was small, the streets were sparse, and there were few people, so all day she could only sell a few dozen packages of cotton swabs. But that was enough to make her happy, at least it was the money she earned herself.

When she was 19 years old, a relative who was working in Da Lat knew about the situation and invited Thoan to sell goods there. It was a tourist city, crowded with customers and people, unlike the market town here where there were not many people. After staying up all night thinking, Thoan finally decided to go far away. Well, if she couldn't do it, she would go back to her hometown with her mother. It was also a time to challenge herself.

Moving in here to stay with her cousin, Thoan started by selling cotton swabs. After a while, seeing that things were not going well, she wanted to switch to selling lottery tickets. But to get tickets to sell, she had to pay the agent in advance while she only had a few hundred thousand in her pocket. Furthermore, Thoan was a newcomer so not many people trusted her. When she was stuck, a sympathetic agent let her buy lottery tickets on credit. So Thoan started again by selling her luck on the streets...

"I didn't expect you to stick with it until now…".

It was raining. The night on the plateau seemed to fall faster than usual. The fire in the stove was about to go out. She bent down to pick up some firewood and threw it into the stove. Nhien was afraid that when she looked up, she would see a few drops of water in her eyes, so she asked absentmindedly: "When will I see him again?"

The woman's eyes seemed to shine with happiness. "That was when I was 27 years old. I met him while selling lottery tickets. He was a construction worker for a nearby project. At first, when he teased me, I didn't think anything of it. Who would have thought that a few days later, he would come to my room to find me. Later, I found out that he had known me before. Women of that age have someone to care for them, and who wouldn't feel their hearts flutter? But when he proposed to me, I refused. I was afraid that my disability wouldn't be able to bring him happiness. Then, seeing how persistent he was, I had to give up..."

The woman finished speaking and turned to look at the man next to her, smiling with satisfaction.

"For me now, that's enough. Even though I'm still poor, I have him and now I have Cu Tit. Seeing Cu Tit grow up healthy and smart makes me happy."

Nhien silently looked at them, feeling the warmth of the fire not only spread to her skin, but also seeped into her heart.

The rain stopped. Nhien stood up to say goodbye to their family, not forgetting to give back the bunch of vegetables she had bought earlier. She walked out the door, booked a taxi to take her back to the hotel, carrying with her a thought that had just flashed through her mind.

***

Nhien woke up early and did not go to the cloud-hunting cafe as planned. She went to the market to buy some cakes, a few books and some household items, then hired a car to take her back to the old alley. Nhien thought that she came not to do charity but to thank the family for letting her shelter from the rain, to make her realize that Da Lat is not only a city of fog and flowers, but also a place where people quietly make a living in the cold but still keep the fire in their hearts.

Going to Da Lat to "heal" as Le said, is also possible. She smiled when thinking about the project "Foster bookshelf" that she once heard Le talk about...

The fifth Living Well Writing Contest was held to encourage people to write about noble actions that have helped individuals or communities. This year, the contest focused on praising individuals or groups that have performed acts of kindness, bringing hope to those in difficult circumstances.

The highlight is the new environmental award category, honoring works that inspire and encourage action for a green, clean living environment. Through this, the Organizing Committee hopes to raise public awareness in protecting the planet for future generations.

The contest has diverse categories and prize structure, including:

Article categories: Journalism, reportage, notes or short stories, no more than 1,600 words for articles and 2,500 words for short stories.

Articles, reports, notes:

- 1 first prize: 30,000,000 VND

- 2 second prizes: 15,000,000 VND

- 3 third prizes: 10,000,000 VND

- 5 consolation prizes: 3,000,000 VND

Short story:

- 1 first prize: 30,000,000 VND

- 1 second prize: 20,000,000 VND

- 2 third prizes: 10,000,000 VND

- 4 consolation prizes: 5,000,000 VND

Photo category: Submit a photo series of at least 5 photos related to volunteer activities or environmental protection, along with the name of the photo series and a short description.

- 1 first prize: 10,000,000 VND

- 1 second prize: 5,000,000 VND

- 1 third prize: 3,000,000 VND

- 5 consolation prizes: 2,000,000 VND

Most Popular Prize: 5,000,000 VND

Prize for Excellent Essay on Environmental Topic: 5,000,000 VND

Honored Character Award: 30,000,000 VND

The deadline for submissions is October 16, 2025. The works will be evaluated through the preliminary and final rounds with the participation of a jury of famous names. The organizing committee will announce the list of winners on the "Beautiful Life" page. See detailed rules at thanhnien.vn .

Organizing Committee of the Beautiful Living Contest