They came up with the idea after attending a wedding party in the mountain resort town of Da Lat in 2019.
Thuy was then working for an NGO based in Hanoi, while Jack had a stable job in South Korea. But then they both left all that behind, moved to Da Lat, and began to learn about the farmer’s way of life.
The couple bought a 450 square meter plot in a rural area just outside the ‘city of dreams’ in 2021. They have completed construction of their new home, designed to look like an evergreen, eight months later.
Jack built the house from 800 bamboos with his own hands. The house quickly caught the eye and people started visiting it just to see it with their own eyes.
The couple now say that succeeding in building their own home made them believe they could turn all their dreams into reality.
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Thuy and Jack’s former home on the outskirts of the central highlands city of Da Lat. The house is entirely made of bamboo. Photo courtesy of Thuy and Jack |
Thuy realized that human beings are just “thieves” who steal from nature. She came to believe that humans use natural resources without asking permission, from birth to death.
“What if the Earth one day runs out of things for humans to steal? she asked Jack.
She was surprised when Jack completely agreed and shared her same concerns. He said he didn’t share that sentiment with her because he was afraid it would worry her.
After this discussion, the couple quickly realized that their lifestyle was still “too modern and practical”. They still had an induction hob and various kitchen appliances in their house. They bought their food from retailers instead of planting on their land and sourcing it themselves.
They wanted to lead a more eco-friendly and minimalist life, and self-reliance became a major driver of what they wanted to do.
They then decided to sell their bamboo house and moved to the more remote and mountainous district of Eah’leo, neighboring Dak Lak province. They buy a plot of 10,000 square meters and settle there. Coincidentally, there were already about thirty households that had left the city and settled there like them.
Thuy and Jack spent the entire first year preparing to adjust to their new lives. This time they bought a used wooden house instead of building a brand new bamboo house, in order to be even more environmentally friendly. They have grown beans that have the ability to make the soil even more nutrient dense, protect the land from erosion, store water for longer periods of time, and create natural habitats for new plants.
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Thuy and Jack buy and renovate an old wooden house in the central province of Dak Lak. Photo courtesy of Thuy and Jack |
Aiming to self-produce their own food, the couple turned their land into a wooded orchard and garden – a mini-farm, if you will – covered in fruit trees, perennial vegetables and wild trees.
They transformed the land into a “giant water reservoir”, aiming to preserve the underground water system. Jack has designed various dams, pools and siphons throughout his garden, so that the water is absorbed by the ground instead of being washed away.
Rainwater is the only source of water Thuy and Jack have used ever since. They have five tanks in their house, each of which can store 25 cubic meters of water, to conserve rainwater for use during the dry season. They learned to identify, differentiate and use vegetables and medicinal herbs from their garden. They have also built a “dry sanitation” system, which does not require the use of water, and therefore has a much lower impact on the local environment.
“I’ve had some really interesting experiences since I started this new lifestyle, including cooking with wood and using lye or ash water to wash clothes,” Thuy said.
“I feel like rice tastes better when cooked with a cast iron pot, while using detergent to wash clothes saves my hands from being affected by chemicals.”
Thuy and Jack currently produce eggs, water and vegetables. The only electrical appliances in their house are a refrigerator and a fan.
“We believe that the pursuit of a modern way of life drives people to destroy the natural environment more and more,” Thuy said, “without remembering that we are only a part of the whole world. ‘ecosystem”.
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Thuy and Jack fertilize their garden. Photo courtesy of Thuy and Jack |
Many people think that relocating from urban to rural areas requires huge financial and intellectual resources, a notion that Thuy doesn’t want to agree with. For her, a strong mentality is the most important condition. Based on her experience, she knows that many problems can and do arise after leaving modern life in urban areas and moving to the countryside.
For example, Jack was used to the temperate climate, so he suffered during their first dry season in the mountains. He sweats as soon as he starts working, which exhausts him and makes him no longer want to lift a finger.
Bugs were another challenge for Jack last May when their home was taken over by bugs. Jack tried every solution he could find, from sweeping them up to vacuuming them up with a vacuum cleaner and using eucalyptus smoke, hoping the smell would scare the bugs away. But nothing worked.
The couple had to accept that they could do nothing but share their living space with the insects. Yet they couldn’t sleep for an entire week at first because they felt like insects were crawling all over their bodies at night.
“I’ve been through all kinds of challenges since moving here, but this time it’s different,” Jack told Thuy before grabbing his pillows and heading into their kids’ room. “I don’t think I can stand these bugs.”
But when he looked out the window and saw the forest he and Thuy had planted from tiny seeds, he remembered that they were chasing a dream, and that it was foolish to lie awake at night scheming. and brooding over plans to kill insects.
“Settling in the forest helps me feel independent,” he said. “Now I can do what I want, when I want, for myself and my family.”
Thuy views her and Jack’s current lifestyle as an escape from materialistic needs, namely fame, social status, and money. His current daily interests are watching a new plant shoot rise above the ground or watching a butterfly break free from its cocoon.
“I became more humble,” she said. “I am constantly reminded of how everything, including me, constantly arises and disappears.”
