- Preserving the heritage of Uncle Ba Phi's stories
- One time meeting Uncle Ba Phi
- When Uncle Ba Phi met the Prince of Bac Lieu
Illustration: To Minh Tan |
Afternoon under the canopy of U Minh forest
That afternoon, the wind blew through the U Minh cajuput forest , making the scent of dry leaves waft up. Uncle Ba Phi sat by the pond, swinging a hammock tied between two cajuput trees. In his hand was a half-burnt cigarette. His eyes were still as bright as when he was young, “even snakes avoided him when he went into the forest”, just quieter than before.
“Look around now,” he said, his voice becoming lower. “Back then, this forest was always poor, people lived on fish, vegetable stalks, bamboo shoots, and cassava roots. To go to the market, they rowed boats all day. But now, the road cuts through the forest, the bridge crosses the canal, and motorbikes can quickly reach the purchasing place. The students no longer have to wade through mud to go to school, but instead have buses to take them there. Back then, my child didn’t even have sandals when he was in first grade, but now my grandson uses a tablet that the kids call something like a tablet!”
From the old forest to the young province
“I often tell lies to make people laugh, but in my heart I still want people to live less miserable lives. Back then, I laughed to forget my hunger. Now... I laugh to live a healthy life!”
Then he lit another cigarette, gently stroked his gray beard, and said: “I heard that Ca Mau merged with Bac Lieu to form a new province. Someone asked me if I was worried. I said: What are you worried about? In the past, boats and canoes would row past each other to borrow a bowl of salt, now it would be strange if our people were not from the same province. The merger is to become stronger and more united, no one will lose anything.”
“We in the forest are good at enduring, but we also have to learn to move forward together. I lived through the time when snakes crawled into the kitchen, mosquitoes bit like rain, now it’s time to live through the time when shrimp are raised cleanly, the forest can be preserved and there is still money. Without innovation, no one will remember our forest!”
“Now talk about shrimp!”.
Uncle Ba Phi chuckled when someone mentioned that shrimp is the "national treasure" of this land. "In the past, shrimp was a gift from heaven. We set traps and caught fish, and ate as much as we had. Now shrimp is... money! And if you want to have money all the time, you have to raise it properly."
“Don’t chase after output, raise shrimp but forget to conserve water and destroy forests. Ca Mau’s forest land will not accept it! Today, the kids learned about technology, learned how to use phones to control oxygen for shrimp farms, and learned how to measure pH with an app. I heard it and wanted to learn too!”
He pondered, his eyes looking far away towards the pond shimmering in the evening: “The young people are good now, but they also need support. There must be a shrimp industry cluster, gathering, supporting each other, and linking together properly. The big guys lead the way, the State acts as a bridge, and our farmers contribute. Ca Mau shrimp is not only delicious, but also kind, clean, and responsible. To do that, we must love this profession as much as we love our own homeland!”
Sitting in the forest, talking in the sky
Uncle Ba Phi looked up at the sky and saw a plane flying overhead. “Back then, when I told the story of riding a stork to Saigon, everyone laughed. Now the plane is really flying to Ca Mau, but who still remembers me?”
His voice was a little joking, a little sincere. “I tell stories so that people don’t forget who they are. Even if they go to the city, work for a company, or go to university, they still have to remember where their hometown is. Remember to love, remember to return, remember to help.”
Uncle Ba Phi - The cultural soul of the land at the end of the world
Someone asked him: "Sir, Ca Mau is now a new province, should we rebrand?"
He just smiled: “The biggest brand is the people. And the people of this land are as salty as the water, honest and straightforward as the mangrove and cajuput trees. When building a brand, don’t forget your personality. I don’t have much education, but I know that a humorous smile, deep affection, and neighborly love, those are the “identity”.
Then Uncle Ba slowly continued: "I have been sifting through words and phrases, so if anyone talks about brands, I don't know much about them. I'll just say this: Brands are the names that people love. People love the people of Dat Mui, love the U Minh forest, love the eroding coast, love the culture of the Southern forest area."
In conclusion: The end of the sky, the beginning of a great dream
Uncle Ba Phi, the storyteller of the past, is now a living witness to the transformation of Ca Mau.
From wilderness - to high-tech shrimp farming.
From remote countryside - to become a destination of green tourism and digital connection.
From the story told in the thatched roof - into a dream spread across the country, across the world with the idea of experiencing tourism "Legendary U Minh Night".
“I am old, I live each day to the fullest. But every morning when I wake up and see my children and grandchildren living healthily, happily, and kindly with the forest and the land, I know that this land is on the right path,” Uncle Ba Phi sobbed.
New Ca Mau is not just a combined administrative map.
That is the land of memories that is preserved, the land of love, the land of dreams that are coming true every day.
If we had to choose someone to tell this story, no one would be better than Uncle Ba Phi, the storyteller of the forest, of the people, of a land that refuses to retreat, refuses to give up, and always smiles and moves forward.
Le Minh Hoan
Source: https://baocamau.vn/bac-ba-phi-ke-chuyen-miet-rung-gio-da-thanh-miet-uoc-mo-a40036.html
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