Dao mother tells the story of taking her 4-year-old child on a Tet holiday trip on an old motorbike

(Dan Tri) - In 2024, the backpacking trips of Ms. Kim Canh and her 4-year-old son - Giang - attracted a lot of attention from everyone. According to Ms. Canh, backpacking is the way she inspires patriotism in her son.

Tet reunion of the Dao people

On the first morning of the year, Ms. Kim Canh and her son, Giang (real name Duong Phuc Bao, born in 2020) loaded their belongings and belongings onto an old motorbike. Ms. Canh checked everything one last time, while Giang was talking and laughing, expressing his excitement because he knew he was about to have a new trip with many interesting things.

Every year, when Tet comes, Ms. Kim Canh arranges time to take Giang on a backpacking trip. This year, Ms. Canh and her child traveled to Hoa Binh province to celebrate Tet with the Dao ethnic group there.

Ms. Canh is a Dao ethnic person, practices traditional herbal medicine and has a Dao language class in Thai Nguyen. Recently, she has become known to many people when she often shares about her backpacking trips with her son.

"Last year I celebrated Tet with the Dao people in Lang Son, this year my mother and I celebrated Tet with the Dao village in Hoa Binh. Tet is also the season when plum blossoms bloom, so we went to Son La to see the flowers," she said.

Ms. Canh said that for the Dao people, Tet is an occasion for families to rest and reunite after a year of hard work. Some Dao groups celebrate Tet in the first days of the year and others celebrate Tet at the end of the year.

She explained: "The Dao people in Thai Nguyen - where I live - usually celebrate Tet at the end of the year, which is in the 12th lunar month. Some other Dao groups will celebrate Tet from around the 2nd or 3rd of January."

Ms. Kim Canh and baby Giang (Photo: Provided by the character).

The Dao people's Tet holiday lasts nearly a month. On this occasion, boys and girls in the village gather to pound rice cakes, cook square cakes, play crossbow shooting, tug of war, push sticks... very lively. Afterwards, everyone gathers around the food tray to talk about what they have achieved in the past year.

The Dao people's feast is not too elaborate but has many dishes and no vegetables. Ms. Canh said that the bigger the holiday, the more the Dao people eat, because according to tradition, the Dao people must eat to be healthy and participate in production.

"In the past, the Dao people had a difficult life, they didn't always have meat or fish to eat, so on Tet, the Dao people only ate meat and not vegetables. The Dao people's Tet feast was lavish, with all kinds of stir-fried, grilled, and steamed dishes made from chicken and pork...", she said.

Up to now, Ms. Canh has visited most of the Dao ethnic groups in the Northern region. She said that as a Dao ethnic group, even if we have never met or known each other, we are still brothers and sisters, we can eat, talk, live, play and celebrate Tet together.

"I took my son to visit this house for a few days, then stopped by another house. Everyone I met warmly welcomed me and treated me and my son like family. Each trip to celebrate Tet lasted from the 2nd, 3rd to the 15th of the first lunar month," said Ms. Canh.

Thanks to these trips, Ms. Canh's son has been able to explore and interact with many different people and environments. Since then, Giang has become more active, smart and cheerful. Currently, Giang is 4 years old and can speak fluently in Dao and Kinh.

Every trip is a lesson for me

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Canh said that backpacking trips have become very familiar to her and her child. When Giang was only 18 months old, Ms. Canh took her child on his first 11-day journey through the provinces of the Northeast.

Little Giang gets to explore nature and immerse himself in different climates and weather patterns. Little Giang's trips are the shortest of 5 days, the longest of 32 days, with routes ranging from 500km to 5,000km.

Little Giang excitedly experienced the country's historical sites with his mother (Photo: Character provided).

She said: "When my child was young, I took him there just to train his physical strength in different environmental and weather conditions, challenging his health. When he grew up, I took him there to train his patriotism through each stage of the country, helping him gain more knowledge, memories, and a deeper understanding of the country's history."

At this age, little Giang asks a lot of questions, every time he encounters something new he thinks back to the old. When he sees the communal house, little Giang happily tells his mother about the hero Nup - an outstanding son of the Central Highlands.

"In particular, my child always remembers Uncle Ho, General Vo Nguyen Giap, the national heroes that I always whisper in his ear," said Ms. Kim Canh.

Up to now, at only 4 years old, Giang has explored all 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam. He has experienced all kinds of weather from 0 to 44 degrees Celsius, from cold rain to hot sun to exercise and enjoy food from many regions.

In 2024, Giang will visit the Nup Hero Memorial House (Gia Lai), Son My Relic Site (or My Lai Relic Site, Quang Ngai), Dong Loc T-junction Relic Site (Ha Tinh), Quang Tri Citadel, Vinh Moc Tunnels (Quang Tri), Tay Truong Son Road and some historical sites along National Highway 1A...

Looking back on her and her child's journey, Ms. Canh is satisfied that through each trip, she has somehow inspired her child's patriotism, teaching him to remember the merits of the heroes who sacrificed for the Fatherland.

Every time her child asks questions about buildings, factories, long roads or historical relics stained by time, Ms. Canh feels a little more successful.

The mother and daughter's companion on the trip was an old motorbike (Photo: Character provided).

This year, Ms. Canh aims to take short and long trips with her child, returning to places they have been to, as well as exploring many new routes.

"Currently and in the future, I will try to take my child to more places, so that he can know more about the country's famous landscapes, historical sites and relics. In particular, I want him to appreciate the glorious feats of heroes, thereby knowing gratitude, loving and being proud of the country, people and nation of Vietnam," said Ms. Canh.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/tet-2025/me-nguoi-dao-ke-hanh-trinh-dua-con-4-tuoi-di-phuot-ngay-tet-voi-xe-may-cu-20250119174703259.htm