Boy who survived Vietnam's ethnic custom of burial at birth now uplifts his village

His story started in the winter of 1996.

His single mother Y Soang, of Con Roang Village, Thuong Trach Commune, Bo Trach District in the central province of Quang Binh, died from postpartum complications. According to Ma Coong tradition, a child was not considered part of the earthly world until they reached three months of age, could eat solid food, and were given a name. Before then, they were believed to belong to their spiritual deity, and were to be buried with their mothers.

Y Soang's newborn was set to be laid to rest beside her.

As the villagers prepared for the ritual, Nguyen Dieu, a Kinh man who had married into the community, learned of the plan. Without hesitation, he sought help from the local border guards. That night, he and a group of soldiers navigated rugged terrain to reach the village in time.

"When I arrived, the baby was already lying at his mother’s feet, about to be buried with her. Without much thought, I grabbed the child and ran straight into the forest," recalled Dieu, now 62.

The border guards held back the villagers who tried to pursue Dieu, explaining that the child could survive with proper care and that no misfortune would befall the village if he was spared.

Out of respect for the soldiers, the village elders reluctantly allowed Dieu and his wife, Y Nhong, to adopt the infant. However, they warned that if the child died, the couple would bear spiritual penalties and would have to make offerings to the village's gods.

With no breast milk or alternative nutrition available, the newborn's survival was uncertain. But the border soldiers from Con Roang regularly carried milk, sugar, and rice from their own supplies to help Dieu care for the child.

After three months, the baby grew stronger. In a rare event, a naming ceremony was held, and the couple named him Nguyen Van Vinh. The villagers also gave him the name Dinh Duong—taking the Dinh surname from Ma Coong men and Duong (meaning "sugar" in Vietnamese) to honor the soldiers' sugar that had kept him alive.

The entire village gathered, drinking and celebrating an unprecedented moment: a "child of deity" had survived without bringing misfortune to the village.

Vinh became the first Ma Coong person to adopt a Kinh surname.

Nguyen Van Vinh (C) with his adoptive parents and a border officer in Quang Binh Province, 2014. Photo courtesy of the family

New family, new future

Dieu, originally from Hue, more than 200 km from Quang Binh, had settled in Con Roang in the early 1990s while trading forest goods. During one trip into the jungle, he was bitten by a venomous snake and was saved by Y Nhong and her father. To repay their kindness, he married Nhong, who already had two children, and decided to build a life in the village.

After adopting Vinh, the couple agreed not to have more children, focusing on raising their three kids well.

To survive in the remote border region, Dieu and his family take on various jobs, from growing acacia trees and staple crops to raising livestock. Their hard work helps them avoid the hunger that plagues many others in the village.

Dieu's belief in education transformed the future of his family—and his community.

Vinh's sister attended college and became a village official, while Vinh and his brother Minh became the first Ma Coong teachers.

Nguyen Van Vinh handing out popcorn to students at a primary school in Quang Binh Province, December 2024. Photo by Phan Duong

During his years studying away from home, Vinh became a bridge between Con Roang and the outside world. Every time he returned, elders and children would gather to hear his stories of life beyond the mountains. He also traveled to more distant areas to raise awareness about the need for education, and for getting rid of child marriage, levirate marriage, and certain outdated healing practices.

"Wherever I go, the villagers greet me warmly, saying, 'The boy who almost got buried with his mother is now a teacher,'" Vinh shared.

Vinh's survival and success became a powerful precedent for Ma Coong children still bound by outdated traditions.

Three years ago, when a mother passed away after childbirth, the village prepared to follow the old burial custom. But this time, the local Women's Union intervened. They encouraged the family to adopt the child, and Vinh himself was invited to serve as living proof—the boy once condemned by tradition had overcome it and thrived.

The Women's Union later provided milk and essentials to help raise the child.

A Ma Coong woman with her two children and the neighbors' kids in Thuong Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, late 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Phan Duong

According to Dinh Cu, Chairman of Thuong Trach, the commune is home to about 3,000 people, 90% of whom are Ma Coong, with the rest belonging to Sach, Muong and Kinh groups. Living deep in the forest near the border, the people have little access to arable land, and poverty remains a challenge.

Dieu's family, with three educated children who now hold stable jobs, stands out as one of the few in the area to have broken the cycle.

"Vinh is the first child to escape the custom of being buried alongside their mother. Since his case in 1995, this practice in Thuong Trach has been completely abolished," said Cu.