Dao mother takes her 4-year-old child on a trip across the country

Mother and child check in at Lo Xo Pass, Lam Dong , 2022

Giang - the nickname of 4-year-old boy Duong Phuc Bao, a Dao ethnic group - has so far traveled to all 63 provinces and cities, the four extremes of the country: east, west, south and north. He has had a "long history" of traveling by motorbike with his mother since he was 18 months old. Ms. Canh, a Dao ethnic group, works as a herbal medicine seller in Thai Nguyen , maintains 3-4 long trips each year with her son. The shortest trip is about 5 days, the rest are about 10-15 days. Ms. Canh often chooses to go by motorbike, then return by bus or plane.

From the East - Northwest route, down to the Central region and up to the Central Highlands, both mother and son have set foot. In recent years, she has prioritized taking her son to provinces and cities where Dao people live, famous historical sites so that he can communicate with Dao people everywhere.

Most recently, in April 2024, Ms. Canh took her children to visit Dao ethnic villages in the Central Highlands, to the Nup hero memorial house in Gia Lai , then stopped by the Ba To Guerrilla relic site; Son My relic site, Quang Ngai. From here, she went to Quang Tri ancient citadel, Uncle Ho's hometown Lang Sen in Nghe An to arouse national pride with her children.

"I am a person who loves Vietnamese history and the glorious victories of the battles. I hope my child will also have such a passionate love for the country," said Ms. Canh.

Ms. Canh said that Giang was always eager to move everywhere with his mother. He was never whining, tired or gloomy. Giang also refused to sit behind his mother because he thought her back was too big and he could not see anything. Giang wanted to sit in front to observe the beautiful scenery and majestic nature along the way. "Only when it rained too much did he agree to hide behind his mother," Ms. Canh said.

Every time they go out, Ms. Canh often chats with her child in Dao language. After driving for about 1.5 to 2 hours, she will stop so that the mother and child can start playing or visit the stops.

She feels "very healthy" when traveling with her child. Giang is independent in everything from eating, going to the bathroom, and changing clothes. When it's too cold, he has to wear a thick sweater, and he asks his mother to help him because he can't take it off himself.

The boy is also in good health. "Maybe because he goes out with his mother, he has a high resistance," said the mother. The cold weather in Sa Pa does not make him sick. He also "didn't cough" when going to Hue, Quang Tri, and Quang Nam. "I consider that a success because I helped my child experience all kinds of weather," said Ms. Canh.

Mother and child camping at Sam Chiem - Bac Kan, March 2022

The trips left many memorable memories for the mother and child. In February 2022, when Ms. Canh went from Dien Bien to Sa Pa, the temperature dropped from 6 degrees to 0 degrees Celsius, making them "drive in shivers". Then, on the way from Sa Pa to Lao Cai, it started to rain heavily. Seeing people lighting fires, she stopped her car and asked to let her child warm up.

Once, Ms. Canh carried her 18-month-old child on her back to climb Chieu Lau Thi peak in Ha Giang in the cold of 6-7 degrees Celsius. Halfway there, her blood pressure dropped, while her child cried. But she just stopped to eat some candy to regain her strength, comfort her child, and then continued on.

During their trip in April, their car ran out of gas while passing through Kon Tum National Park. The road was deserted, with no electricity or phone signal. Ms. Canh and her child waited for half an hour before meeting a ranger patrolling the forest. She took two scarves from her backpack and tied them to the car so he could pull them out to the main road 14 kilometers away to refuel.

Traveling with his mother was "hard", but after a while, Giang asked: "When are we going again, Mom?"

The mother, who has been backpacking for more than 10 years, said she will continue to take her child to Dao areas before Giang enters first grade. She imagines that when learning the Xa Nu Forest lesson, her child will exclaim, "I know this place, my mother took me there before." Or when learning about Cua Tung beach, her child can easily compare the text in the textbook with reality. Giang also knows about the Truong Son mountain range, where there is sea, where there is forest.

According to her, if parents want to travel with their children, they must have experience, understand the lands they will visit, and must research and anticipate risks along the way. Parents should ensure their children are healthy and monitor them for any health risks. If the child is tired, parents should stop the trip immediately.

She also lost her child for a moment because of Giang's hyperactivity. But mother Dao always feels happy after each trip. "Giang knows many new things that many of his friends from the same hometown only know through pictures or on TV or the phone," said Ms. Canh.

HQ (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/nguoi-me-dao-dua-con-4-tuoi-di-phuot-khap-dat-nuoc-383248.html