Coming to Dac Toi commune, Nam Giang border district (Quang Nam) without enjoying the "heavenly water" is truly a waste. Throughout the Truong Son range, the green Doak forests contain the milky white, sweet, and passionate water that has been attached to the Ta Rieng people (a local group of the Gie-Trieng ethnic group) and has become a specialty of Nam Giang. This place is called Ta Vat wine. A return is the beginning of many good things. A return is an endless inspiration for the effort to overcome difficulties and rise up in life. There is a return to pay the debt to the homeland, to show gratitude to the village... The young people who left their villages, crossed the mountains to pursue education to become doctors, whom we met on many border roads of Nghe An, are proof of all of that. On the afternoon of February 9, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the working delegation worked with the Standing Committee of the Quang Ngai Provincial Party Committee on the socio-economic situation in 2024, the direction and tasks in 2025, resolving the province's proposals and recommendations, and removing difficulties and obstacles. Coming to Dac Toi commune, Nam Giang border district (Quang Nam) without once enjoying "heavenly water" is truly a waste. Throughout the Truong Son range, the green Doak forests contain the milky white, sweet, and passionate water that has been attached to the Ta Rieng people (a local group of the Gie-Trieng ethnic group) and has become a specialty of Nam Giang homeland. This place is called Ta Vat wine. Focusing on investing in and developing tourism infrastructure in the ginseng region and promoting the unique cultural values of the Xo Dang ethnic group, creating a highlight for the tourism picture of Nam Tra My is the direction that the local government has been implementing. On February 9, in Dong Dinh village, Phong Du commune, Tien Yen district (Quang Ninh), the opening ceremony of Dong Dinh communal house festival and the Tay ethnic culture and sports festival in Tien Yen district in 2025 was held. The festival attracted a large number of people and tourists to participate. On February 8, in Vinh Son commune (Vinh Thanh district, Binh Dinh), the Peach Blossom Festival took place with the theme "Spring peach blossom colors - Cultural connection". The festival takes place over 2 days (February 8-9), this is an opportunity to connect, exchange, share and promote traditional cultural values to visitors inside and outside the province, contributing to the development of tourism and the local economy. As part of the series of events of the Culture - Tourism Week of Bac Giang province in 2025, on the morning of February 8, at Tay Yen Tu Spiritual - Ecological Tourism Area, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VHTTDL) of Bac Giang province organized the opening of the exhibition "The Path of Propagating Buddhism of the founders of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism". General news of the Ethnic and Development Newspaper. The morning news of February 8, 2025, has the following notable information: Flower Boat Festival and Boat Racing on Dinh River. An Phu Commune Fishing Festival. Truc Phe Village Rice Cake Making Custom. Along with other news in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have just arrested Trinh Phuong Mai in Thanh Hoa for defrauding a woman in Bac Ninh of more than 1 billion VND through online fortune telling and fortune-telling. On the evening of February 7, 2025, at the yard of the Quynh Nhai District Media and Culture Center, Son La Province, the Opening Ceremony of the Quynh Nhai District Culture, Sports and Tourism Week 2025 took place, with many exciting activities, attracting a large number of people and tourists to attend. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has just signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 13/CD-TTg on urgently reviewing and reporting all investment projects with difficulties, obstacles, and long-term backlogs to promptly resolve and immediately deploy the projects. Official Dispatch sent to Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, and agencies under the Government; Chairman of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities. On the morning of February 9, during the working program in Quang Ngai, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the working delegation visited the household of Mr. Tran Trung Kien in Duc Chanh commune, Mo Duc district, and inspected the implementation of the program to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses in Quang Ngai province. On the morning of February 9, during the working program in Quang Ngai, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the working delegation surveyed two important road projects in the area, the Dung Quat - Sa Huynh coastal road and the Quang Ngai - Hoai Nhon expressway, encouraged the construction force and continued to remove difficulties and obstacles, and promote the projects.
We followed Mr. To Ngol Nhun (71 years old), Dac Ta Vang village, Dac Toi commune, Nam Giang district, who has many years of experience in exploiting Ta Vat wine. Crossing the Dac Ry stream, Mr. Nhun's hands quickly cut off all the branches blocking the road. When our legs were tired, the Doak tree appeared before our eyes. The Doak tree has a straight trunk, like a coconut tree, has a bunch like a banyan tree and Doak trees often grow in areas along streams in the forest. And we were lucky to experience the way of harvesting Ta Vat wine from the Doak tree trunk of the Ta Rieng residents in this Truong Son region.
According to Mr. To Ngol Nhun, every year, when the forest bird calls “catch the girl and tie the pole”, from February to March is the time when the Doak tree produces clusters of flowers with abundant and sweet water. At this time, the Ta Rieng people are busy harvesting from the Doak tree trunk to get the water to make Ta Vat wine to quench their thirst.
The process of getting water from the Doak tree is very elaborate and time-consuming. To climb the Doak tree, which is more than 10 meters tall, Mr. Nhun has to build a ladder up the Doak tree. Then, he chooses the largest bunches to cut off the stem and then places a funnel made of leaves to collect the water flowing out into a plastic can tied underneath. At the same time, Mr. Nhun takes out a few pieces of dried Chuon tree bark from his pocket and puts them in a plastic bottle, then covers it with a thin layer of the tree bark called bui nhiu and a mesh cloth to preserve the water.
According to Mr. Nhun, a doak tree can produce water to make ta vat wine all year round, but it is best to do it during the season when the tree has flowered and bears fruit from March to July. If you take a small tree, the wine will not be delicious and will not be able to grow.
The first time the trees are tapped, they will produce 12 to 15 liters of water per day. The bigger the tree, the less water it will produce. The water from the tree is milky white and has a mild aroma. When the wine is harvested, you have to tie leaves or mesh to the tree charcoal to prevent insects from sticking to it, and preserve it for the next time you tap it. It takes about half a day for the tree to secrete all its water. At this point, you just need to climb the ladder and bring down the plastic bottle. When you want to continue getting water, use a machete or knife to cut a thin piece of the tree and put another plastic bottle in it to collect the next day.
The Ta Rieng people put the bark of the tree into the water of the Doak tree, it will create yeast to create a drink with a sweet and bitter taste, numbing. Depending on each person's preference, add more or less bark of the tree. Because the forest tree does not have preservatives, the Ta Vat wine from the Doak tree trunk can only be used for one day, it is very delicious to drink without causing headaches. In particular, this is also a precious medicinal herb of the Ta Rieng people.
"When they can get a lot of water from the Doak tree, the Ta Rieng people boil the glue, dry it, put it in bamboo tubes, seal it and store it for later use. When women give birth and have a lack of milk, the elderly, children with rickets, etc., they use a few pieces of dried fruit in rice or porridge to nourish their health," Mr. Nhun shared more.
In the past, Ta Rieng families who owned many Doak trees in the forest were considered to have been given by Yang. Now, in addition to the Doak trees growing wild in the forest, the Ta Rieng people also plant Doak trees in their gardens for easy exploitation. This is an absolutely clean "heavenly water", containing the soul of the mountains and forests and the people here. Ta Vat wine is used in festivals, to welcome distinguished guests. Anyone who has been to Nam Giang is moved by this heavenly water imbued with the hospitality of the people here.
Source: https://baodantoc.vn/nuoc-troi-cua-nguoi-ta-rieng-1737213963805.htm
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