Wishing to live in peace, relaxation, close to nature, Xuan Thuong decided to leave the busy and “prosperous” city to return to D’ran town to do a healing tour with friends.

Decided to leave the city and go to the forest

With a hobby of traveling, a passion for capturing peaceful moments in the countryside with a camera and a desire to live in harmony with nature, Nguyen Xuan Thuong (SN 1997) decided to leave Ho Chi Minh City to move back to D’ran town (Don Duong district, Lam Dong province) to live. He moved here to live and work in February 2022.

For Thuong, leaving this town for the forest is also the way he loves himself more. Thuong shared: “Leaving the street to the forest is the time when I can live as myself, ignoring many prejudices and standards of others. Being close to nature gives me a feeling of freedom, closeness to beautiful things and inner peace.”

Xuan Thuong’s life after returning to the forest had a big change compared to before. 9X said, before going to the forest, his job was a wedding photographer in Ho Chi Minh City, Thuong’s life every day is “rolled” around work and making money. At that time, Thuong rarely had time to care about his own emotional states or the things that made him feel happy.

“When I returned to the forest and was near nature, I had many mental changes. I find each day worth living, I feel peace from the simple things around, my spirit becomes open and I have a lot of enthusiasm in my work. Being close to nature is a clean environment from the air to the water source, so my body is healthy and less sick,” said Xuan Thuong.

Peaceful life in the forest

Before starting the journey to leave the city to the forest, Xuan Thuong spent a lot of time preparing mentally, mentally, mentally and intellectually. 9X shared: “Leaving the street to the forest and living a simple and peaceful life is something that many people long for, but inside it is a fierce inner struggle. From a young age we have set ourselves the model of a certain successful person or a stable life according to the common standards of family or society, it becomes difficult to do something different. than. For me, the most important condition for leaving the city to return to the forest is determination and belief in what I do. I thoroughly understand and consult those who have gone before to avoid the illusion of life in the countryside. Get ready for a new start and accept a new environment.”

When starting a new life in D’ran town, Xuan Thuong also faced many difficulties. Thuong said that his family was not reassured and approved of this decision about the forest, so it took him a long time to explain to his relatives the positive things he received on this journey. In addition, another difficulty is that the daily routine is also changed and Thuong has to adapt to the lack of amenities.

The new life when returning to the forest, and living in harmony with nature gave Thuong a lot of time to listen to himself. Going to the forest, every day, Thuong and his friends will enjoy the freshness of the dawn together, plant flowers, take care of dogs and cats, and learn from each other such as guitar lessons, cooking, photography lessons. In addition, he and his companions prepare for the weekend tour.

“In the morning people will have time to watch the sunrise, read a book or meditate. In the evening, we cook together, sit down and share our life experiences or the upcoming orientations of the group ,” Thuong said.

Do a healing tour

On his new journey, Thuong is not alone when he meets friends with the same ideals and passions. He and his companions founded Lac Tour – a healing tour, organizing trekking, camping close to nature.

Sharing the reason for doing a healing tour on his new journey, Thuong said: “After the Covid 19 epidemic took place, witnessing many changes around, looking back at my previous life, I realized the things I’ve been pursuing so far like money, fame… do not satisfy me and can be lost at any time. After the translation, I met Mr. Son, who has many years of experience in doing tours, bringing people to live close to nature. Following his thought of giving and giving, I decided to go back to the forest with him to make the journey back to healing with nature.”

The healing tour in D’ran by Xuan Thuong and his friends is a journey back to the forest, temporarily putting aside the worries and pressures of life to return to listen to nature and listen to yourself. “The forest is a pure and quiet environment that makes it easy for you to reflect and strongly face your inner hurts. This place arouses the peace and compassion of each person’s soul through the connection of their inner self with nature, connecting with their companions,” Thuong added.

After a period of time leaving the city to return to the forest, Thuong feels that this choice is right and worthy. Thuong loves what he is doing because he feels the joy and freedom of his companions when he is “returning” to nature. For Thuong, going with friends is also going for himself, every day he feels happier and his heart is more open.

In the near future, Xuan Thuong wishes to spread this form of healing tourism experience to more people. Thuong and his group plan to expand to new trails to offer a more diverse level of experience and combine their interest in photography to capture many wonderful moments with nature.