Buzz
Although the hanging burial tradition of the Giay Trieng people in Vai Trang Village, Dak Long, Dak Glei, is almost extinct, the 'heavenly burial' forest area still remains intact over the years.
Like many villages in the Central Highlands, Vai Trang exudes a rustic beauty, characteristic of the Giay Trieng ethnic group living here. If the early morning finds the village immersed in thick fog, then in the evening light, Vai Trang glows golden like honey spilled over the roofs of houses.
Along the dusty red dirt trail leading back to the village, you'll see a few Giay Trieng women carrying firewood on their backs returning from the fields. Captivated not only by the peaceful beauty of nature intertwined with hardworking rural life, Vai Trang is also renowned for its mystical stories.
For the ancient Giay Trieng people, the wealthy and noble family members were not buried but instead suspended in a dense, secluded forest. Today, when visiting the village, people often seek out the hanging cemetery that locals commonly refer to as the 'ghost forest'.
Located on the sunset side, the hanging cemetery in Vai Trang is a forest just under 2 km from the village, yet eerily quiet. From the outside, the 'ghost forest' lacks towering trees but is eerie due to the dense undergrowth, obscuring visibility. Even a gust of wind is enough to rustle the leaves and startle many, even sending shivers down their spines and raising goosebumps.
Entering the burial grounds requires navigating through trees, threading through leaves, sometimes needing a machete to clear bushes and vines. On cloudy days, the entire forest seems veiled in an eerie, mysterious atmosphere. Some graves are constructed with bricks and cement, typically by the Kinh people and placed on the periphery.
Venturing deeper, after traversing several dozen meters, hanging coffins gradually come into view. Despite its modest size of just over 200 square meters, this cemetery hosts over a dozen coffin structures. Here, instead of using ropes, the Giay Trieng people utilize 2 or 4 sturdy wooden stakes to suspend the coffins. Most coffins are fashioned from round wood, weighing up to a ton and hanging about 70 cm above the ground.
Throughout the area, every few meters, hanging coffins sway gently. Couples' coffins are hung side by side, with wives on the left and husbands on the right. Descendants' coffins are positioned beneath those of their grandparents, while children's coffins hang around them. Over time and through weathering, many coffins have deteriorated, falling to the ground as the supporting stakes decay or break, sinking into the dense undergrowth and forest vines.
However, the most remarkable feature of this 'ghost forest' is two coffins placed side by side, crafted from aluminum and suspended on four sturdy wooden stakes. This indicates that the deceased belonged to the wealthiest, most esteemed families in the village. Below these coffins lie carefully arranged items that the family has bestowed upon the deceased for their journey to the afterlife. Particularly notable are two antique wine jars, one of which remains fairly intact.
The Giay Trieng people believe that even the deceased need sustenance and livelihoods. Hence, this is the wealth that the living share with the departed, ensuring they need not endure poverty and deprivation in the afterlife. Thus, the souls of the Giay Trieng find solace beneath the canopy of ancient forests and amidst the towering bushes.
Arriving at the hanging cemetery nestled in the depths of the mountainous forests of the Central Highlands, one cannot help but feel an eerie chill or a spine-tingling shiver. But beyond that, you will gain a deeper understanding of the ancient culture of the Giay Trieng people of yesteryears.
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Source: Travel Guide by Mytour – As reported by Vnexpress
MytourJune 23, 2014
