1. Rubber forests are beautiful in every season. The beauty of nature changes with time. The dominant color is the lush green of the leaves from March to November. In late autumn, when the weather turns cool, the rubber trees begin to shed their leaves. Interestingly, the leaves don't turn yellow all at once, but gradually change to many different colors. This is also the time when the rubber forests don their most vibrant coats of the year.
Rubber forest during the leaf-changing season.
Layers of yellow, red, brown, and green leaves intertwine, causing the traveler's steps to momentarily falter, as if lost in a maple forest in a cold climate. Only by strolling beneath the rubber trees at dawn, when the morning light filters through the leaves, can you fully appreciate the magnificent beauty of the rubber forest during its leaf-changing season.
In the late days of winter, even a gentle breeze is enough to make the leaves on the branches flutter like countless butterflies before softly landing on a carpet of crisp, dry leaves. The once lush rubber tree canopy is now just bare branches, like a watercolor painting against the backdrop of the sky and earth.
When spring arrives, the vibrant green shoots burst into bloom, marking the beginning of a new harvest season.
2. From the late 19th century, the first rubber trees brought by the French quickly adapted to the red basalt soil of this region. Their roots penetrate deep into the earth, keeping the trunks firm while diligently absorbing nutrients to sustain life. Whether planted along roadsides or deep in the forest, these rubber trees, unnoticed, diligently reach for the sunlight. To offer their pure white sap to the world, the trees endure pain throughout their lives, their wounds deepening day by day.
Each rubber tree, with its spreading canopy, intertwines to form sturdy forests that withstand the harshness of nature. Even when old, the tree trunks are still utilized to create valuable products. Rubber wood is durable, has beautiful grain, and is considered environmentally friendly because it is only harvested when the tree stops producing sap.
The growth, adaptation, and development of the rubber tree somehow reflects the character of the hardworking, loyal, indomitable, and steadfast people of the Southeast region of Vietnam. Looking back in time, many generations have come and settled on this land. They have faced countless dangers from poisonous water and dense forests; from the oppression and exploitation of tyrannical landlords. However, they have united to resist the injustice and unfairness that has been placed upon them. And in the end, victory and justice have belonged to the honest laborers.
3. She recounted how her childhood was closely intertwined with rubber trees, from a young age she saw rows upon rows of rubber trees stretching endlessly around her. The lush green canopies of the rubber trees always provided shelter and a livelihood for her family as well as many others who came here to settle.
Adults started work at 2-3 in the morning, so children like me were used to being independent and managing things at home from a young age. As we got older, we helped our parents carry buckets to each tree to empty the latex or bring food and water from home to the plantation. Under the rubber forest canopy were countless fun activities associated with our childhood. In the dry season, we'd gather rubber seeds to sell to those who extracted the essential oil. In the rainy season, we'd dig for termite mushrooms and pick wild vegetables to earn a little money to buy books and school supplies.
Rubber trees have contributed to changing the landscape and creating prosperity in our homeland today, along with a comfortable life for tens of thousands of workers.
My parents came here to start a new life with nothing but their bare hands. It was this vibrant land of the Southeast region and its kind neighbors who warmly welcomed and supported them. The people of the East are enthusiastic and open-minded, accepting everyone without exclusion, discrimination, or scrutinizing anyone's past. Those who came before guide those who come after, treating each other like family. Everyone works and lives together, sharing joys and sorrows on this land steeped in human kindness.
Amidst the rubber forest, though still facing hardships, life remains warm and joyful, filled with neighborly love and community spirit. And now, my family has become true residents of the Eastern region, always welcoming everyone with open arms.
4. The rubber tree also carries within it the heroic historical story of the working class, with Phu Rieng Red - one of the first workers' movements in Vietnam carried out by rubber plantation workers at Phu Rieng plantation, which was the place where the first Indochinese Communist Party branch in the Southeast region was established.
Furthermore, during the two wars of resistance against foreign invaders, the rubber forests provided shelter for our troops and acted like a "heavenly net" to hinder the enemy's advance, contributing to resounding victories.
With peace restored, natural rubber became one of the country's key export commodities. Rubber trees have contributed to changing the landscape and creating prosperity in the homeland today, along with a comfortable life for tens of thousands of workers.
In the red soil region of Eastern Vietnam, the rubber tree is not just a tree, but also a long story intertwined with the love for the land and the people…
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