{"id":6121,"date":"2025-10-06T10:09:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T10:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/?post_type=product&#038;p=6121"},"modified":"2026-03-30T08:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T08:07:03","slug":"my-island-home-donkho-%e0%ba%aa%e0%ba%b2%e0%ba%a7%e0%ba%9a%e0%bb%89%e0%ba%b2%e0%ba%99%e0%ba%94%e0%ba%ad%e0%ba%99","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/product\/my-island-home-donkho-%e0%ba%aa%e0%ba%b2%e0%ba%a7%e0%ba%9a%e0%bb%89%e0%ba%b2%e0%ba%99%e0%ba%94%e0%ba%ad%e0%ba%99\/","title":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wcmp-player-container product-6121\"><audio controlslist=\"nodownload\" data-product=\"6121\"  volume=\"1\" id=\"6121\" preload=\"none\" data-lazyloading=\"none\" class=\"wcmp-player track mejs-classic\" data-duration=\"3:24\"><source src=\"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/wcmp\/ea378403457cc9bbe12d597fecf6952e.mp3\" type=\"audio\/mp3\" \/><\/audio><\/div>MY ISLAND HOME: DONKHO (\u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e9a\u0ec9\u0eb2\u0e99\u0e94\u0ead\u0e99)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I last stood on Mekong riverbank in Saphay looking over to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>\u00a0in 2000. It might be 1980, the year that we left\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>, my island home, my birthplace.<\/p>\n<p>Back then, the river was our playground. We ran barefoot on sandbars, fished with homemade nets, and hunted grasshoppers in the dry fields or nearby islands.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>\u2019s soil gave us everything: rice, sweet potatoes, beans, watermelons, herbs, vegetables any at all.<\/p>\n<p>When the tide dropped, the river revealed its secrets\u2014rocks, beaches, hidden pools\u2014and we\u2019d explore them like adventurers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>\u00a0has some of the best freshwater beaches anywhere in the world. Used to go for endless beach walking during sunset and had the fantastic time.<\/p>\n<p>But time changes things. The rice paddies look so much smaller now, divided by new roads. I don\u2019t recognize the faces of the people.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the river stays the same. It flows as it always did, but the stranger I\u2019ve become.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>\u00a0doesn\u2019t ask why I left. It doesn\u2019t need to. The island simply is \u2014a quiet reminder that home lives not in a place, but in the stories we carry.<\/p>\n<p>Come to visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>\u00a0everyone! Homestays are available now and there are fun adventurous activities to be done.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a song dedicated to my other island home, birthplace. It\u2019s called \u201d \u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e9a\u0ec9\u0eb2\u0e99\u0e94\u0ead\u0e99\u201d meaning\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/White+Beach\/@15.1659269,105.6913579,16306m\/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x311454356662db8d:0xf505cdfc8e461835!2sDon+Kho!8m2!3d15.1519444!4d105.7386111!16zL20vMGRrNnFq!3m5!1s0x311455ce193a99e3:0x26fff05c9a863acd!8m2!3d15.191776!4d105.702162!16s%2Fg%2F11fr2qjp1h?authuser=0&amp;entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMwOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\">Donkho<\/a>\u00a0Girl.<\/p>\n<p>Cover girl by mom: a remarkable, inspirational, naturally beautiful woman and a native of Donkho.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">\u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e9a\u0ec9\u0eb2\u0e99\u0e94\u0ead\u0e99<\/h2>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u0e9f\u0eb2\u0e81\u0ec0\u0e9e\u0eb1\u0e87\u0eaa\u0ebb\u0ec8\u0e87\u0ec0\u0e96\u0eb5\u0e87\u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e94\u0ead\u0e99\u0ec2\u0e84<\/p>\n<p>\u0ec2\u0e97\u0ec9\u2026\u0ea2\u0eb1\u0e87\u0e88\u0eb3\u0eaa\u0ebd\u0e87\u0eae\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e87\u0ec4\u0e94\u0ec9\u0e9a\u0ecd\u0ec0\u0e94<\/p>\n<p>\u0eaa\u0ebd\u0e87\u0eae\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e87\u0e97\u0eb5\u0ec8\u0ec0\u0e84\u0eb5\u0e8d\u0e81\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e87\u0e95\u0eb2\u0ea1\u0e96\u0ebd\u0e87\u0e99\u0eb2<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u0e9a\u0ecd\u0ec8\u0eae\u0eb9\u0ec9\u0ea7\u0ec8\u0eb2\u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e8d\u0eb1\u0e87\u0eaa\u0eb0\u0e9a\u0eb2\u0e8d\u0eab\u0ea5\u0eb7\u0ec3\u0e94<\/p>\n<p>\u0ec3\u0e88\u0ea1\u0eb1\u0e99\u0eae\u0ebd\u0e81\u0eae\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e87\u0ea2\u0eb2\u0e81\u0eaa\u0ebb\u0ec8\u0e87\u0eaa\u0ebd\u0e87\u0e96\u0eb5\u0e87<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column has-white-background-color has-background has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u0ea2\u0eb2\u0e81\u0ec0\u0eab\u0eb1\u0e99\u0eae\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e8d\u0ea2\u0eb5\u0ec9\u0ea1\u0ead\u0eb5\u0e81\u0e88\u0eb2\u0e81\u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e94\u0ead\u0e99\u0ec2\u0e84<\/p>\n<p>\u0ec2\u0ead\u2026. \u0eab\u0ea5\u0eb2\u0e8d\u0e9b\u0eb5\u0e97\u0eb5\u0ec8\u0ec4\u0e94\u0ec9\u0edc\u0eb5\u0e88\u0eb2\u0e81\u0ec4\u0e9b<\/p>\n<p>\u0ec4\u0e9b\u0ea2\u0eb9\u0ec8\u0ec1\u0eaa\u0e99\u0ec4\u0e81\u0e88\u0eb2\u0e81\u0e9a\u0ec9\u0eb2\u0e99\u0e94\u0ead\u0e99<\/p>\n<p>\u0ea2\u0eb1\u0e87\u0ec0\u0eab\u0eb1\u0e99\u0eae\u0ead\u0e8d\u0ea2\u0eb5\u0ec9\u0ea1\u0e82\u0ead\u0e87\u0eaa\u0eb2\u0ea7\u0e9a\u0ec9\u0eb2\u0e99\u0ec0\u0eae\u0ebb\u0eb2<\/p>\n<p>\u0eab\u0ebb\u0ea7\u0ec3\u0e88\u0ea1\u0eb1\u0e99\u0eae\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e99\u0e95\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e87\u0ea2\u0ec9\u0ead\u0e99\u0e81\u0eb1\u0e9a\u0e84\u0eb7\u0e99\u0ea1\u0eb2<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I last stood on Mekong riverbank in Saphay looking over to Donkho in 2000. It might be 1980, the year that we left Donkho, my island home, my birthplace.<\/p>\n<p>Back then, the river was our playground. We ran barefoot on sandbars, fished with homemade nets, and hunted grasshoppers in the dry fields or nearby islands. Donkho\u2019s soil gave us everything: rice, sweet potatoes, beans, watermelons, herbs, vegetables any at all.<\/p>\n<p>When the tide dropped, the river revealed its secrets\u2014rocks, beaches, hidden pools\u2014and we\u2019d explore them like adventurers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_cat":[60],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-6121","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","product_cat-cd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/6121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6121"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/6121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7619,"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/6121\/revisions\/7619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=6121"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laopress.com\/press\/wpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=6121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}