Vietnamese wife - Dutch husband left the city for the forest to live in a wooden house, no electric stove, no TV

(Dan Tri) - Ms. Thuy said: "We converted to a lifestyle that many people today call "old-fashioned". We cook with wood stoves, wash clothes by hand and with ash water, use dry toilets, use rainwater...".

Unexpected decision after the love story of the Vietnamese - Dutch couple

On a weekend morning, Ms. Dang Thi Thanh Thuy brought a bamboo basket and a few clean boxes to the market to buy food for her family. The mother of two had already made a list of the foods she needed to buy so as not to use plastic bags. Returning home, in the small kitchen in the middle of the Central Highlands forest, Ms. Thuy lit a wood stove, cooked rice and a few dishes for her husband and two children. For about 3 years now, her small family and her Dutch husband - Jack - have chosen a minimalist lifestyle with no TV, no electric stove, no air conditioner, no washing machine, no tap water, reduced littering and behaviors that harm the environment... Many people think that they are "old-fashioned, backward", "hindering the development of society". However, the couple does not care and believes in the big goal they are aiming for.

Thuy's family chose a minimalist lifestyle. Thanh Thuy (from Ha Tinh) is a social work specialist at a non-governmental organization in Hanoi. Having moved from Da Lat (Lam Dong) to Hanoi to work, Thuy thought she would stick with this job forever. However, all her plans changed when she met Jack. Jack was an engineer with a stable job and high salary in Korea. In 2018, while traveling to Vietnam, the Dutch man accidentally met Thuy and the couple quickly fell in love. Shortly after, they moved in together.

Vietnamese wife - Dutch husband couple.

"When we met and fell in love, Jack always expressed his wish to retire early to have the opportunity to enjoy life while he was still healthy. Therefore, he wanted my family to return to a rural area to live and do farming. Although I was born in the countryside, I never thought I would return to farming. However, when I heard my husband's suggestion, I thought it was not a bad idea. When I agreed, he immediately quit his job in Korea and returned to Da Lat with me - where I had studied and worked for 14 years," Ms. Thuy recalled. The news that Thuy and her husband had left the capital to live in a mountainous area surprised and worried many relatives and friends. However, Ms. Thuy remained steadfast in her choice. At first, they rented a piece of land of about 1,500 square meters in Da Lat to build a farm and open an accommodation service. For the first time in his life, Jack was able to hold a hoe, catch worms, and learn how to compost organic waste. For the first time in his life, this man experienced the feeling of eating vegetables and fruits that he grew himself.

Jack and Thuy's bamboo house in Da Lat. Some time later, they transferred the farm to buy land to build their own house. On that land, Jack realized his dream of an ivy-leaf-shaped house made from 500 bamboo trees and 300 rattan trees. The couple mainly chose environmentally friendly materials, and most of the household appliances were also made from bamboo. "However, we still use too many conveniences such as induction cookers, washing machines, water heaters, ovens, rice cookers... Every day, life is still too modern and consumes a lot of electricity. The house has a construction stage and chooses environmentally friendly materials, but when we practice the lifestyle in it, we are still very dependent on conveniences," said Thuy. Living in this house for a year, the couple realized more deeply than ever that "this earth is overloaded because of the way people treat it, people exploit resources excessively, and consume too much." "I really like the saying: 'Be the change you want to see in the world'. When you want people to take action, you have to take action yourself. So we decided to leave the house we spent so much effort building and move to Eah'leo district, Dak Lak," the Vietnamese wife shared.

Dutch man passionate about farming.

Natural farming, minimalist living, considering every instant noodle package

To achieve the goal of self-sufficiency and minimize energy consumption, Thuy and her husband bought a 10,000m2 plot of land. This time, they did not use new materials but bought an old wooden house from a local to build a house. Although they still left the city for the forest, Thuy's family's life in Dak Lak is very different from the days in Da Lat. Thuy said: "We switched to a lifestyle that many people today call "old-fashioned" or "regressive". We cook with a wood stove, wash clothes by hand and with ash water, use dry toilets, collect rainwater for use...

Local people demolished wooden houses to build brick houses, Thuy's family bought them back to build their own house. Thuy assessed her own needs and those of her family members to see what could be cut down and still live happily, then she would cut down. What was necessary, her family still used, not "rejecting conveniences" as many people think. "This way, we are more connected to our own and our family's needs. I realized that there are very few needs, most of the things people own or want to own today are just desires. In my house, there is no TV, microwave... Electrical appliances only include light bulbs, refrigerators and computers, phones and machines for construction and gardening such as drills, saws... I use a refrigerator to limit going to the market in conditions where I cannot be completely self-sufficient. The computer supports the work of both husband and wife and the children's studies", said the mother of two.

Ms. Thuy and her husband grow their own vegetables, raise chickens, prioritize using local foods, learn how to identify and use wild vegetables and herbs around the garden. Each week, they only go to the market a few times with a pre-made shopping list. She prepares baskets and food containers to avoid using plastic bags. In situations where she must use bags, she will bring them home, wash them, and give them to vendors. Her family even limits eating instant noodles, candy, or other packaged products because they do not want to litter the environment after each meal, in addition to health benefits. She said: "Everything we do is aimed at minimizing consumption, making the most of available resources that are environmentally friendly to serve the family's life." For the past two or three years, Ms. Thuy and her husband have hardly bought new clothes. They mainly use old clothes that they own or that others have given them. Her children learn from their parents and are very cooperative in reducing purchases and increasing recycling. Both children do not hesitate to wear old clothes. However, she also balances their interests so that they do not feel deprived or stressed.

With a 10,000m2 plot of land, Thuy and her husband have the opportunity to implement many ideas about natural agriculture that have not been implemented before. They pursue the method of growing forest gardens, respecting the arrangement of nature, not plowing the soil, not using fertilizers or chemicals, not weeding but only clearing when the grass grows too high and blocks the light of other plants... Her family builds an ecological circle where everything is reused, there is no wastewater, no leftover food, no weeds... To them, everything is an asset and has value.

The water crisis and the beetle attack

Choosing a different life from the majority and a natural farming method, Ms. Thuy's family also encountered many difficulties. The hot weather conditions and physical limitations discouraged them many times, especially her Dutch husband. In May 2023, the whole family encountered a "water crisis". Ms. Thuy's family used to store rainwater for use. That time, when the whole family brought her husband's aunt from the Netherlands to Vietnam for a trip, the first rain of the season poured down at home. Because they did not have time to sweep the leaves and dust on the roof, all the leaves and dust flowed down the gutters into the water tanks. All the water in the tanks was therefore dirty and could not be used for daily activities. Because they did not know when the rain would come again, Ms. Thuy did not dare to drain all the water to wash. They were forced to make a filter system from crushed stone, sand and charcoal to filter the water for temporary use.

The forest beetles invaded Ms. Thuy's house, turning her family's life upside down. While she was exhausted after long days of traveling and the shock of the water, when she entered the house, Ms. Thuy was shocked to see black bean beetles all over the house. They tried every way to get rid of the beetles, from sweeping to fumigating eucalyptus leaves and cashew shells, but they still refused to leave. The feeling of having to live with thousands of beetles made the couple frustrated. They were forced to stay in a tent for a month, but the beetles still refused to leave. Finally, they had to use biological mosquito repellent, but the beetles only flew from the bedroom to the storage area. Every time, Mr. Jack asked himself: "Why do I have to make things difficult for myself like this?" If they were in the city, they would have an easy life with an apartment, a car, and trips with lots of delicious food. "At that time, we sat down and talked together. And after all the analysis, we still felt that the current choice was the most correct. Especially, when we saw the change in awareness, actions and desire for a clean living environment of our children, we could not ignore it and live leisurely," Ms. Thuy shared about how they overcame the difficulties. In Eah'leo district, Dak Lak, many young families also chose to leave the city to live in the forest. Ms. Thuy therefore received a lot of help from like-minded people and found that she was not alone on the path she had chosen.

Aim for self-sufficiency, living basically from the garden

Looking back on her journey, Ms. Thuy believes that we should not romanticize leaving the city for the forest. Those who intend to choose a life of leaving the city for the forest need to be carefully prepared mentally. The most important thing for each family is to have consensus and understanding from the members. In addition, they need to equip themselves with knowledge, skills and a certain amount of finance. For Jack, he shared that leaving the city for the forest for him is not just a passion. It is also a rational choice. When he sees the trees grow, sees a whole life existing in his garden, he has the motivation to overcome difficulties and is passionate about gardening and planting forests to the point of forgetting the days.

Living in Dak Lak, Ms. Thuy's family can now rely on themselves more at 80-90% without having to depend on the outside. With the goal of self-sufficiency, the Vietnamese wife - Dutch husband couple has completed the design and construction of basic systems such as houses, electricity and water, tree planting areas, irrigation, livestock areas... They expect that in about 3-5 years they can basically live off the garden. "We will embark on a number of energy self-sufficiency projects this year and next year such as self-generating electricity for the family, self-propelled water pumps, and solar food dryers. During this process, we will continuously share the knowledge and experiences we have learned to spread and motivate the forest gardening community. Hopefully, more and more people will practice natural farming, stop using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and create a diverse and healthy ecosystem," the Vietnamese woman expressed her family's plans and wishes. Photo: NVCC

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