Three decades ago, many Chut people could not speak Vietnamese and schooling was rare. Today, their children attend university and young workers are building new livelihoods far from home.
Editor’s note: Deep in the forests of western Ha Tinh Province, the Chut community in Rao Tre Village once lived in isolation and extreme hardship. Practices such as giving birth beside streams, consanguineous marriage and outdated farming methods persisted for generations, creating barriers to the community’s development.
Over the past three decades, as the Chut settled into permanent communities, policies and programs introduced by the Party and State for ethnic minority groups have gradually taken root. The sustained support of Border Guard soldiers, local authorities, teachers and grassroots officials, together with the Chut people’s own determination to build better lives, has brought visible change to Rao Tre.
VietNamNet presents the series “The Chut people: From the shadow of old customs toward a modern life,” documenting the transformation of a community through changes in awareness, education and livelihoods, and its aspirations for a new future.
Every morning at the foot of Ka Day Mountain, the voices of teachers and children fill the Huong Lien preschool site in Rao Tre Village, Phuc Trach Commune, Ha Tinh Province. Chut children study, have meals at school, play and develop skills appropriate to their age.
A new generation is growing up with books and classrooms, something almost unimaginable to their parents and grandparents more than three decades ago, when life was still closely tied to the wilderness of the mountains and forests.
When the Chut left their caves and settled in Rao Tre in 1991, most could not speak Vietnamese, the country’s common language. Their livelihoods depended entirely on small plots of upland farmland, while longstanding customs meant many families paid little attention to their children’s education. More than 30 years later, literacy and schooling have become a familiar and essential part of village life.
According to Phan Quoc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Phuc Trach Commune People’s Committee, Rao Tre has now largely eradicated illiteracy, while 100% of school-age Chut children attend school.
“In the past, officials and teachers had to visit families one by one to persuade parents to send their children to school. Today, parents take their children to class themselves and hope they will finish high school, receive vocational training or even go to university if circumstances allow,” Thanh said.
Illiteracy has largely been eradicated among the Chut in Rao Tre, with 100% of school-age children attending school.
Where officials once had to ring a gong to encourage villagers to attend classes, Chut families now prepare schoolbooks and encourage their children to go to school every day.
The transformation can be seen most clearly in young people who have continued their education. Ho Thi Suong, born in 2003, became the first female university graduate from the Chut community after earning a degree in Early Childhood Education from Ha Tinh University.
“Being literate allows people to know more and understand more. It gives them greater opportunities to study, earn a living and change their lives,” Suong said.
Ho Thi Suong, the first female university graduate from the Chut community in Rao Tre.
After graduation, Suong was unable to find a job suited to her field of study and is currently working as a factory worker to support herself. Even so, she still hopes to return home one day, stand in front of a classroom and continue bringing education to Chut children.
Rao Tre is also home to Ho Viet Duc, a third-year law student at Ha Tinh University. From a community where literacy was once rare, young Chut people are now entering university lecture halls, carrying with them the hope of building a better future through education.
From trading buffaloes for alcohol to journeys beyond the village
Major Doan Van Tiep, head of the Border Guard team stationed in Rao Tre, believes the community’s greatest transformation lies not simply in the village’s changing appearance, but in the way people think, work and gradually take greater control of their own lives.
“There was a time when villagers would sell buffaloes and cattle in exchange for alcohol. Now, people know how to preserve their assets, regard them as capital for development, save money and think about the long term,” Tiep said.
Ho Xuan Nam, far left, is among the Chut people who have made notable strides toward building an independent livelihood.
Beyond attending university, many young Chut people are now willing to leave the village to learn trades and seek jobs in industrial zones. Vehicles leaving the foot of Ka Day Mountain no longer carry villagers away only for medical treatment. They also carry young people pursuing the hope of a new life.
Around 30 Rao Tre residents are currently working in Vinh, Hai Phong and several other localities. With some earning monthly incomes equivalent to hundreds or even more than a thousand US dollars, factory wages are becoming an important resource helping families gradually improve their living standards.
The family of Ho Thanh Sy, born in 1967, illustrates the change. All three of his children now work in factories in Thai Nguyen, earning stable incomes and regularly sending money home to support the family.
“Life used to be very difficult, and our home lacked almost everything. Now that the children have jobs and send money home, we have been able to buy a motorbike, television and refrigerator, renovate the house and escape poverty. The children have also bought Internet-connected phones so we can stay in touch. The grandchildren have better conditions for studying, and it is much easier to look up information than before,” Sy said.
Border Guard soldiers help Chut residents cultivate agarwood-producing trees to develop their livelihoods.
For him, however, the most valuable change is not the new possessions in the house. It is that his children have jobs, can support themselves and have become a source of support for the family.
Among the Chut people who have ventured beyond the village in search of new opportunities, Ho Xuan Nam, born in 1987, stands out as a notable example.
Born at the foot of Ka Day Mountain, Nam experienced the same hardships as many other families in the community. His household relied largely on small rice fields and assistance provided through government policies.
About four years ago, Nam and his wife left Rao Tre for Hai Phong to work at a factory. With their combined monthly income of nearly US$1,150, the family gradually escaped poverty. They renovated their house, built a sturdy roof extension and an additional kitchen, bought a motorbike and acquired essential household items. Their children also gained better access to education and care.
Despite working far from home, Nam and his wife still return to Rao Tre during each farming season to tend their fields and family land. For Nam, leaving his hometown for factory work is a way to generate additional income and build a more stable life.
Rao Tre village head Ho Thi Kien told VietNamNet that one of the most encouraging changes is that residents have learned to plan and work for themselves rather than relying on assistance.
One example is Ho The Xoan, born in 1994, among Rao Tre’s hardworking young residents. His family raises poultry and livestock, grows acacia and cultivates around one hectare of agarwood-producing trees. In addition to working on their farm, Xoan and his wife take on various jobs to supplement their income. He is also the only person in the village to have purchased both a brush cutter and an acacia-cutting machine.
Policies lay the foundation and provide resources
Chut families now live in permanent homes supported by infrastructure built for their new way of life.
The changes in Rao Tre have not come solely from the efforts of individual families. Alongside broader policies supporting ethnic minority communities, the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, known as Program 1719, has provided additional resources for the community’s transformation.
In Rao Tre, Phuc Trach Commune, and Giang II, Huong Xuan Commune - the two areas where Chut communities live - program resources have been directed toward essential infrastructure, livelihood support, education and cultural preservation.
Roads have been widened, while schools and community cultural houses have received investment. Farming and livestock models have also been introduced. Many households have received crop varieties, livestock, production tools and technical training, gradually helping them move beyond subsistence farming toward more proactive and sustainable livelihoods.
Roads have been expanded, schools and community cultural houses upgraded, and new farming and livestock models established. Households have received seedlings, livestock, farming equipment and technical training. Some initiatives, including the cultivation of agarwood-producing trees, have opened up new livelihood opportunities and gradually helped villagers move away from subsistence production.
At the same time, traditional cultural practices and heritage, including the Lap Lo, Cham Cha Boi and Cha Leng festivals, traditional clothing and ethnic musical instruments, have been revived and passed on to younger generations.
Nguyen Xuan Thai, head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division of Phuc Trach Commune, said that after years of implementation, Program 1719 has become an important “lever” in transforming Chut communities, improving living standards and strengthening public confidence in government policies.
Yet transformation does not mean every difficulty has been resolved. Rao Tre’s journey still has a long way to go. Employment remains unstable for some young workers, vocational skills are still limited, and many families need more time to master basic agricultural techniques and establish sustainable livelihoods.
Challenges remain, but the milestones of change are increasingly visible. From small classrooms at the foot of Ka Day Mountain to the vehicles carrying young people far beyond the village, the Chut are gradually shaping their own future through education, hard work and confidence in the life ahead.
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