Hamlets of Tay Giang District in the morning dew. Tay Giang Township is lit up with lamps at night. Solid bridges were built in Tay Giang, facilitating the local people’s transportation. Tay Giang Bank, under the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development grants loans to the local people with quick and convenient procedures. Co Tu elderly at a worshipping ceremony to welcome the new rice. Co Tu women in Tay Giang have developed traditional brocade weaving. Doctor A Lang Via, a Co Tu ethnic native, gives an ultrasound check-up to a pregnant woman at Tay Giang General Hospital. Elder Bh’riu Po has prospered from growing Marinda officinalis how. He also helps other villagers promote this business. Fresh sea products are delivered to Tay Giang from the lowland areas, thanks to the convenient, newly-built Ho Chi Minh Trail. Co Tu pupils learn with computers. Co Tu excellent pupils receive awards from Tay Giang People’s Committee . Travelling for the first time along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and staying in the mountainous district of Tay Giang in Quang Nam Province is incredible, keeping in mind that this area was devastated by US bombs during the war but today it is a marvellously strong piece of our country. During our trip of over 1,000km from the capital of Hanoi to the Central province of Quang Nam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, we passed many sites that defined the meaning of hardships during the war, such as Long Dai Ferry (in Quang Binh Province), Cu Bai, A Xoc, Ta Rung, Khe Sanh (Quang Tri), A Luoi (Thua Thien-Hue), Xa Oi, A So, A Tep (Quang Nam), and others. Images of roads, villages and forests damaged by shells and toxic chemicals have been replaced by thriving hamlets and luxuriant green fields as far as the eye can see.  The journey began in the morning darkness and continued until the sun disappeared behind the western slope of the Truong Son Mountain Range, arriving in Tay Giang District. Along the way, there were forests of Trau trees with blooming white flowers. On the mountain side with newly-reclaimed soil, ethnic Co Tu women were sowing seeds. Nearby a few cows and buffaloes were grazing lazily at the foot of the mountain. Gone are any reminders of the past war. At night, Tay Giang was lit up with electric lamps. In town, from coffee shops was the colourful glow emitted by lanterns amid cultural musical melodies. Some ethnic Co Tu youth were playing quality billiards similar to the youth in the lowland cities. To break the ice I joined them in a game. In the light of a bright neon lamp, a young man said: "We are very content here. We have almost everything that is available in the lowland area." He showed me a new mobile phone for which he had to pay two million VND.   That night in the guests' house of Giang Tay District Party Committee, we stayed awake late, talking with some local people about changes in the district and the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail. The next early morning we walked around the local market. It was not so crowded, but full of merchandise. Some trucks were relieved of containers full of fresh sea fish and shrimp. The scene reminded me of a story told by a local young man the night before: "In the past, before the Ho Chi Minh Trail had been built, it was difficult to get goods from the lowland areas. There is a funny story saying that three out of four eggs that were brought here from the lowland would hatch into chicks due to the long journey!" We met Bh'riu Liec, Chairman of Tay Giang District People's Committee at the district head office. A native of Co Tu ethnic group, Bh'riu Liec is known as an intelligent and dynamic man. Our handshake was as warm as that of two friends reuniting after a long separation. The Chairman openly confided: "Tay Giang District has been independent for only a short time, so it still faces many difficulties. Co Tu ethnic people make up 95% of the District's population. I'm a Co Tu native, so I know them and their culture very well. The District's authority will issue a resolution to preserve our traditional cultural identities, which will play as a foundation for social development. Losing the traditional culture means that Co Tu ethnic people will cease to exist." Looking at the district chairman, I saw in his eyes a flame of devotion and enthusiasm.  He said that being ranked one of the 61 poorest districts nationwide, Tay Giang was formerly known as a locality having five "nos": no electricity, no road, no school, no medical station and no food. But construction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail has helped facilitate the district's improvement. Over the past five years, infrastructure has been developed, with schools, stadiums, offices, hospitals, banks and post offices being built. Roads and electricity are now accessible to almost all hamlets. Many projects are under construction, but the panoramic view of the district is taking shape, spaciously and in a modern way. We were accompanied by Nguyen Huu Sang, Secretary of the District Party Committee, on a tour around the District's township. At P'ning Hamlet in Lang Commune, we met Clau Nam who has been recommended by the provincial leaders to be awarded the title "Hero of the Armed Forces in the anti-US Resistance War for National Salvation". Clau Nam held the Party Secretary in his warm embrace, like two close friends, sharing with him one of his stories: "My water trough was broken a few days ago. I went to the District People's Committee head office and asked for help. My request was done immediately, so now I have a new trough to water my rice field!" "During the war, Tay Giang was heavily devastated by the US troops, who were nothing less than barbaric," elder Clau Nam recalled. "They built lookout stations wherever they went, forced the local people to live under their control and hunted for the revolutionary cadres with the aim of isolating and cutting off the Ho Chi Minh Trail running across this district. Now, seeing the trail become a large road, we are here so happy. I can now die with peace of mind." We visited a 6-ha field of elder Bh'riu Po who was growing ginseng. With each kilogram of ginseng sold for 200,000 VND, every year elder Bh'riu Po earns about 200 million VND. On the way back to the township, we called at the boarding school for ethnic children and the district general hospital. The school was spacious and clean. In the computer room we saw dozens of computers installed on the tables standing in rows. Bh'nuoch Thi Nhi, an 8th grade pupil, happily said: "I want to become a doctor or an engineer". Her dream seemed very simple, but it is very meaningful to her, because her parents and grandparents never dared to think of that when they didn't have enough food to eat and could not afford to go to school. The district general hospital has five doctors, who are Co Tu ethnic natives. This is rather special for the mountainous district of Tay Giang. Alang Via, a young doctor said: "Construction of the hospital has just been completed. It has two wards with more than 30 beds and is equipped with an ultrasonic machine and other medical devices, and has enough medicines for treatment. We can treat general diseases and need to transfer only the most complicated cases to the provincial hospitals. Co Tu people no longer need to rely only on the witch-doctors and their herbal plants for treatment".  We departed Tay Giang in a late afternoon when the township was lit up with lamps. The view was so peaceful. Many changes have taken place for the better. No more hunger, cold or illiteracy. People in Tay Giang have overcome hardships to become wealthy.  Children can go to school to become doctors, engineers or teachers. These achievements have taken place due to the changes of the historical Ho Chi Minh Trail. Located near the Truong Son Range, the newly-built Tay Giang Township is spaciously modern. We believe that when the project on building the Ho Chi Minh Trail which extends from Pac Bo in the northern province of Cao Bang to Dat Mui in the southernmost province of Ca Mau is completed, many localities, including Tay Giang District, along this historical road will get more benefits for their development. “Tay Giang people in general and the Co Tu ethnic people in particular are always faithful to the Party and Uncle Ho. This is a firm foundation for Tay Giang District's Party Committee, authority and people to build a happy and prosperous life". (Nguyen Huu Sang, Secretary of Tay Giang District's Party Committee ) The project to build the Ho Chi Minh Trail was approved by the Vietnamese National Assembly at the 6th session of its 11th legislature, on December 3, 2004. The road was built to the standards of a highway, with a total length of 3,167km, of which the main road is 2,667km long and the western branch is 500km long. The Trail runs through 30 cities and provinces, starting from the northernmost point of Bac Bo in Cao Bang Province to the southernmost point of Dat Mui in Ca Mau Province. The project, implemented into three phases, is scheduled to be completed by 2020. To date, Phase 1 with construction of the road from Hoa Lac ( Hanoi) to Tan Canh ( Kon Tum Province ) was completed and put into use in May 2008. Phase 2 began on September 20, 2008. “Taking advantages of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Tay Giang people are implementing resolutions of the Party Central Committee's 7th Congress in the area of agriculture, for economic development. In addition, we preserve traditional culture and make it a foundation for socio-cultural development, hence promoting sustainable economic development".  (Bh'riu Liec, Chairman of Tay Giang District People's Committee)  Story by Thanh Hoa - Photos by Nam Suong – Cong Dien