VTC News reporters returned to Thach Thanh district (Thanh Hoa) in late April 2023 to learn about the life of a family called "ghost soldiers" by locals.
After the conversation at the headquarters of the People's Committee of Van Du town, we were led by Mr. Le Van Dung - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of the town - to visit Mrs. Thanh's family garden, which was once considered "inviolable".
Following Mr. Dung, we couldn't help but shiver when recalling our encounters nearly 6 years ago.
Mid-July 2017. With the desire to go inside to see how Mrs. Thanh’s family lives, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dung - Secretary of the Thanh Van Forest Protection Station Party Cell - agreed to take us. Before deciding to step into the “mysterious garden”, we had also received many warnings from local people.
Some people say that Mrs. Thanh has built a strict security system around the garden. In addition, members of Mrs. Thanh’s family often hide in the bushes to listen. If anyone breaks into the garden, they immediately appear with knives and sticks in their hands…
Because danger was always lurking, when she knew we were entering Mrs. Thanh's house, Mrs. Bui Thi Muoi - Secretary of Thach Thanh District Party Committee at that time - called the reporter three times to advise: " You must be very careful, you must see that it is safe before entering. If you are not well prepared, you absolutely must not enter there ."
Fearing that something might go wrong, Ms. Muoi directed the Thanh Van commune police and the commune People's Committee Chairman - Mr. Le Van Dung - to personally support the reporter. In addition, some officers from the Thanh Van forest management and protection station were also mobilized to go along to support in case of any unusual incidents.
Late in the afternoon, the sky was gloomy, making Mrs. Thanh’s garden even colder. Before deciding to enter the garden from the sugarcane field next door, the group deliberately talked loudly so that the members of Mrs. Thanh’s family could hear. Not only that, Mrs. Dung also called out. She called out all the names of the family members, but the only response was the rustling of leaves.
Seeing no one answer, Mrs. Dung still decided to lead us into the garden through the main entrance. This path was farther but had fewer trees. “ Ms. Thanh, Dung, I’m here to visit you ,” Mrs. Dung called out loudly as she walked, as if she wanted to let the members of Mrs. Thanh’s family know that an acquaintance had come.
The deeper we went into the alley, the more gloomy the scene became. Mosquitoes were flying everywhere, buzzing in our ears. Any noise from the bushes and grass nearby would startle us. When the group approached the first tiny hut out of eight, while we were looking around, a shout of “Stop!” made the whole group jump.
Immediately after, a figure suddenly stepped out from the bushes, blocking the path. Looking at the strange way that person was dressed, a faint-hearted person would probably faint.
Mai Thi Thanh, Mrs. Thanh's eldest daughter.
The person wore a homemade canvas hat, covering most of his face, and his voice was deep, so we couldn’t tell if he was male or female. However, after a moment of silence, Mrs. Dung realized that it was Mai Thi Thanh, Mrs. Thanh’s eldest daughter.
Different from what was imagined, besides his ragged appearance and shabby hat, along with his gray skin due to living in the dark for many years, Thanh spoke with a clear head and a concise voice. Thanh called himself nephew and Mrs. Dung "aunt" very politely. However, when Mrs. Dung tried to take another step, Thanh said sternly: " No one is allowed in without orders! "
Despite Mrs. Dung's efforts to persuade her, Thanh was determined not to let anyone cross the iron wire blocking the entrance to the garden. When someone in the group tried to lean in, Thanh raised his stick to block them, just like a guard in the past guarding the gate.
“ Where is your mother? I want to see her. I haven’t seen her for a long time. Let me in, just me!” Mrs. Dung pleaded. However, Thanh’s face did not change color despite Mrs. Dung’s pleas. “No, no one can come in without an order, including me. There must be rules everywhere. You can’t come in! ” Thanh said firmly.
Unable to persuade Thanh, we had no choice but to retreat. Mrs. Dung said that Thanh usually blocked us at the first “guard post”. Anyone who tried to cross this “barrier” would suddenly appear after walking a dozen meters. Toan was strong and had a bad temper. If we faced him, something bad would happen.
Unable to enter Mrs. Thanh's house, we returned to Mrs. Dung's house with the question of whether Mrs. Thanh was alive or dead? Was the girl named Thanh telling the truth about the health of the family members?
Talking to us, the Thanh Van commune officials and the Thach Thanh forest protection station officials all told strange stories related to members of Mrs. Thanh’s family. According to them, for many years, whenever they heard rumors about the life or death of this or that person in Mrs. Thanh’s family, they immediately came to find out the truth.
However, like us, they were only allowed to “stand on the outside”. When they saw people coming, someone from inside the garden gave a scary warning so no one dared to step further.
While we were chatting, Mr. Pham Van Ho - Director of Thach Thanh Protective Forest Management Board, Mrs. Dung's husband - came back from work. Sympathizing with our eagerness, Mr. Ho said that he would return to Mrs. Thanh's house with the reporter one more time.
Sitting on the back of the motorbike, Mr. Ho confided: “ Before, we tricked her into going to a mental hospital, but she refused and wanted to go home. Even when we bought her medicine, she refused to take it and kept it. Even after losing a child, she still refused to come to her senses .”
When they reached the alley, Mr. Ho did not get out but drove straight into Mrs. Thanh's gate. At this time, seeing someone turning back, Ms. Thanh ran out to stop them. When she saw Mr. Ho and Mrs. Dung, Ms. Thanh was a bit apprehensive. Although she was very upset, Ms. Thanh still did not dare to act rashly towards Mr. Ho.
After failing to stop them, Ms. Thanh ran in and called her younger brother to come to the rescue. At this time, the rain had stopped and the sky was brighter, so I could see their faces clearly. The two of them were dressed exactly the same - in torn and patched flight suits. On their heads, each wore a hand-knitted raincoat cap. They looked very much like soldiers from the feudal era.
Mr. Ho said: “ Why are you dressed like this? You look like a ghost? You are a good student but you don’t know how to advise your parents to do the right thing. Do you see anyone living like that nowadays? ”
“ Being a good student is a thing of the past. I am different now. Let bygones be bygones. You have changed too. You went from being a security guard to being a boss. Being rich has changed, why should you care about my family anymore? ” Ms. Thanh’s words were very strong when she answered Mr. Ho.
We could not advise Mr. Ho, so Thanh and her sister approached and dragged him out. They were carrying two sticks, so we did not dare to go near them. Only when Mr. Ho was inside the yard, standing close to the wall of the house, did we dare to speak up.
When he learned that we were journalists, Mrs. Thanh’s youngest son shouted: “ What are you doing in this poor place as a journalist? Don’t talk nonsense or the gods here will get angry. If you have some education, listen to me and get out of here .”
While Mr. Ho tried to distract Mrs. Thanh’s two children, we took the opportunity to observe the strange architecture of the house. In the middle of the densely forested hill, in addition to the corrugated iron roofed house where Mrs. Thanh’s family lived, they also built tents around it.
These huts were so low that even a child could not get in. Inside each hut were strung wires. What was special was a stick with two teeth placed in the middle.
I don't know what these things mean to them, but even the sticks in their hands have a similar shape. Here, if you step carelessly, you will trip because of the surrounding 6-iron system.
In addition to chili, Mrs. Thanh’s family also grows cassava and squash. I also observed a few chickens running around in the garden. Perhaps, this is the food that serves their life. But the squash trellis here is also very strange. All the trellis sticks are planted upside down. That is, the base is up and the top is planted into the ground.
I asked my son Nguyen Van Toan why he did such strange things. At first he was silent but after a while he answered softly: “ There is a reason for doing so. I don’t understand even if you explain it .”
I continued to ask: " Where is Tam's grave? " At this time, Toan's face darkened, he became silent and continued to be silent.
I stood right next to a rather large pillar, made of hundreds of plowshares. In fact, the pillar was even taller than the ancient mahogany trees in the garden.
“ There, in the past, I went to a small mahogany tree, now it has grown to this size. But you two are still so ignorant, refusing to wake up. If you two listen, let me in and advise your mother. Don’t you want to get married to continue the family line? You two must live differently, not miserable like this .”
Hearing Mr. Ho's strong voice in the yard, Mrs. Thanh inside the house finally spoke up: " Uncle Ho, go home. You have no right to know about my family's affairs. Don't make me angry. Get your people out of my house. We can take care of our own family matters ."
Mr. Ho had to keep prodding her to speak up. Only when she spoke did he know whether she was alive or dead. For more than ten years, no one had seen or heard her, so he was worried about whether she was alive or dead. He was as scared as Tam, who died but no one in the family or the neighbors knew.
Mr. Ho turned to Ms. Thanh and asked: " Where did dad go? Let me go talk to dad! ". After waiting for a long time but still not hearing Mr. Thai speak, Ms. Thanh replied: " My dad is not home, he is away. He went back to the countryside to get his salary ."
At this time, the woman inside the house continued to speak in a harsh voice: “ Get out of my house now. Don’t make me angry .”
Mr. Ho was more gentle: “ I was worried about you and your child, so I came to ask. I am happy to know that you are still healthy. You promised to meet my wife and me in 2010, but why haven't you met me yet? I will go home today, and I will come back another day .”
Before leaving, I reached out to shake hands with Thanh and Toan, but they quickly withdrew their hands. “ Why shake hands? Poor people don’t shake hands with rich people. Our dirty hands will ruin yours. Go home, don’t come back here again, ” Thanh said angrily, but her voice was still that of a good Literature student back then, Mr. Ho commented.
Two children of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh share about their current life.
My memories of the encounters 6 years ago ended when I heard Le Van Dung's loud voice calling out: " Toan, Thanh, are you home? "
“ Mr. Dung? What are you here for today? Who are you bringing with you? ”. A series of questions from the nearly 40-year-old man as soon as we entered the garden, along with his scrutinizing and cautious eyes, made the atmosphere tense. That was Mai Van Toan - the third child of Mr. Thai and Mrs. Thanh.
“ These two men want to come and ask about your living situation .” As soon as Mr. Dung finished speaking, another woman appeared before us - it was Mai Thi Thanh (Mr. Toan's sister).
The way the two sisters Mai Thi Thanh and Mai Van Toan dress is still as strange as it was 6 years ago. Still wearing the same loose, yellow, long-sleeved flight shirt, in the heat of over 30 degrees Celsius, they still cover their heads with hats they knitted themselves from fishing line, and wear hats over it.
They still seemed to be wearing many wires and irons. The biggest difference between the two sisters was that their previously ashen skin had been replaced with a rosy color, making them look younger than their age.
We expressed our wish to go deeper into the garden. We thought that our request would be strongly rejected like the time we met 6 years ago, but we received a fairly quick agreement from Thanh and Toan.
After 6 years, the dense garden mixed with dozens of low-lying huts has been replaced by rows of peanuts and green corn fields. In the middle of the land is a green corrugated iron house. In addition, there are 3 thatched houses, which according to Mr. Toan are the kitchen and the chicken farm.
Sharing with us about the current life of the two sisters, Toan openly said that in addition to farming and raising more than a dozen chickens in the garden, he also works for hire, doing whatever he is hired to do. Some neighbors hired him to harvest acacia trees in the forest for 300,000 VND/day.
“ The harvested fruits will be brought to the market or to the agent for purchase. In the past, my parents had a salary, but now that they are dead, I have to go to work. Before, the family of four had to spend 20,000 VND/day on food, mainly eating rice with fish sauce and salt. Now, when we go to the market, we have meat and fish to eat. Life is not rich, but being healthy is enough, ” said Toan.
The image of Mr. Toan pointing to each corn field, peanut field, and flock of chickens as if showing off the results of the two sisters' hard work made us quite surprised. Perhaps if it weren't for their strange way of dressing, it would be difficult to recognize the two guards of the forbidden land in the past.
When asked if he intended to get married, Toan laughed out loud: " To tell you the truth, people see that I'm poor and run away ."
Read part 3: 'Treasure' of the 'ghost' family
Approaching the garden of the "ghost" family, besides learning about the current life of sisters Mai Thi Thanh and Mai Van Toan, the reporter wanted to see the "treasure" hidden in the garden.
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