Bushcraft Camping is a form of camping that is popular in the world but not yet popular in Vietnam. If camping is an outdoor recreational activity and sleeping in a tent, bushcraft requires additional necessary survival skills, including taking advantage of natural resources, the camper’s mindset and related risks.
“Currently in Vietnam, this bushcraft camping is known by only a small number of people because of its nature of requiring a lot of skills and knowledge. However, there is still a small community with the same passion,” Cong Nhat shared.
Bushcraft campers often proactively go deep into the mountains and forests, the wildest places to challenge themselves. An interesting thing about bushcraft that Cong Nhat shared is that in addition to its functional value, campers also look for collectibles with classic and historical value. Therefore, to be able to participate in this hobby, you must be truly passionate. The skills you need to prepare are how to set up a tent – camp, how to make fire in addition to supporting tools… Most importantly are the skills of knots, creating supporting tools such as making beds, stoves, tables from available materials such as dry firewood, leaves… In addition to equipment, campers need to prepare a strong mentality for any situation that may occur.
Usually, Nhat chooses a camping site at the edge of the forest, about 1-2 km from the trail. During the camping process, he encountered wild animals such as snakes, monkeys, squirrels… several times, but surprisingly they all chose to avoid humans so he was not in danger. However, Nhat also prepared many tools and medicines to prevent snake or insect bites.
Every time he bushcrafts, Cong Nhat feels like he has entered another world. There, there is no phone signal, no Internet and no worries of daily life. This makes people closer and more open to each other. He listened to the sounds of nature, “forest bathing” and purified his soul.
To adjust the bushcraft skills to be more suitable for Vietnam, he did not set traps, hunt or kill animals while in the original version, campers need to find their own food sources without bringing any. Cong Nhat often chooses to camp near a water source so that they can easily get water because the water in the forest stream is quite clear and cool.
A beautiful memory of Nhat’s bushcraft was encountering a heavy rain after two days of camping, exhausted. Carrying about 20 kg of things on his back, including tents and trash, made his steps heavier, the forest path was muddy due to heavy rain, but luckily the whole group prepared suitable shoes so it was not too difficult to move.
Cong Nhat shared that this type of activity may not become a strong trend, but it is a way to express the personality of those who are passionate about nature, love the classics and have a spirit of exploration. The skill requirement and difficulty level in playing are quite a big barrier for beginners.
“I am sure that if anyone has a love for nature, wants to pursue a healthy hobby and especially wants to express their personality, then this is something you cannot ignore. This is not just a hobby but also a lifestyle,” said Cong Nhat.
