Despite the stuffy weather, more than 50 people of all ages are attending a special class in Khe Ca hamlet, Van Chan district. Ms. Duong Thi Mai, Secretary of Khe Ca hamlet’s Party Cell, says 99 percent of the population of Khe Ca are Dao ethnic people. Most of the locals can speak their language well, but not many know Dao writing and the history of their customs and traditions. That’s the reason the class was organized.

“It is very useful to teach the Dao language because it reflects Dao people, good deeds, customs, and traditions,” said Mai.

The Dao have a writing system based on Chinese characters, but its pronunciation is different. It’s called Nom-Dao. In order to read and write the Dao language, one has to remember many rules and irregular cases. Students learn the letters first, then combine them to make words and sentences. Though learning the Dao language is difficult, these students including villager Trieu Sinh Luan are determined to master it.

“The class has more than 50 students and meets every Tuesday and Thursday. Despite being busy with daily work, we all attend the class regularly,” said Sinh.

The class has lots of books about the customs and rituals of the Dao people. Trieu Van Vuong, another student, said, “These rituals are part of the cultural identity of the Dao. I attend this class as a way to preserve and uphold them.”

The students are inspired by their teacher, Trieu Quy Tin, who is considered a living treasure of Nom-Dao. Worried that the Dao culture may be lost, Tin goes from house to house encouraging the children to learn the Dao language. He said Dao language classes are the key to preserving their traditional culture and developing their economy. Tin goes to the class every week to teach the locals to read and write Dao. 

“Many villagers attend the class regularly. Everyone is happy to be here,” said Tin.