Chat with friends from Thanh Hoa

At the end of the year, I sat counting on my fingers... I've lost count of how many times I've been back to Thanh Hoa province.

Portraits of friends from Thanh Hoa province. (Painting by Huynh Dung Nhan)

I'm called "returning to Thanh Hoa" because I was born in Thanh Hoa in early 1955 during my parents' relocation to the North, exactly 70 years ago.

But my family only lived in Thanh Hoa for one year before moving to Hanoi , and then in 1975 we moved to Ho Chi Minh City to live and work, where we've been ever since.

Over the past three years, due to various jobs and circumstances, I've had many opportunities to return to Thanh Hoa, sometimes to teach journalism training courses, other times to attend events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the relocation of people from the South to the North. There were also times when I returned simply to find the place where my mother gave birth to me at Thanh Hoa Hospital.

Once, upon hearing that I was going to teach a training course in Thanh Hoa, journalist and writer Xuan Ba, a former reporter for Tien Phong Newspaper, wrote a letter as an introduction of me to the training course:

"Who is Huynh Dung Nhan?"

He is indeed from the Hoang family! His family members migrated south to make a living, so he followed the customs of his ancestors, avoiding the taboo of the founding lord Nguyen Hoang wielding a sword to expand the territory, hence the name Hoang Thanh Huynh! As for the phrase "Brave Man," there's no need to discuss it further.

I heard he was searching for his birthplace, the place where he was born and raised? It was late one afternoon, when a mother from the South, who had been relocated to the North, rushed to the "real" hospital in Thanh Hoa town, the place that had recently been called the "real" village hospital, where he was born.

Is it in this land, this region, and this profession that the kind of person Huynh Dung Nhan once was, imbued with the spirit of Thanh Hoa province, when he was touched by the very roots of this land?

Born in Central Vietnam, he rose to prominence in the South (Thanh Hoa being the northernmost point of Central Vietnam). Nam is the city named after President Ho Chi Minh. Huynh Dung Nhan truly lives up to the reputation of his birthplace. He has worked so hard to accumulate a name that matches his age, and to achieve the prestigious titles associated with journalism!

If there are any questions or doubts about why he chose Thanh Hoa province for his journey north, perhaps it's for that very reason?"

...

I really like this letter from journalist and writer Xuan Ba, because it's like a certificate confirming that I belong to Thanh Hoa province.

Another journalist, Mr. Cao Ngo, was also very enthusiastic in guiding me on my visits to Thanh Hoa province, regardless of distance or timing. He personally arranged the trips, drove me around, and introduced me to his colleagues and friends. Everywhere we went, he would excitedly introduce me: "This old man was born in Thanh Hoa!" Thanks to him, I was able to update myself on the situation of the land and people of Thanh Hoa, learn how modern Thanh Hoa has become, and enjoy the local specialties: "If you want to eat, go to Moi Crossroads. If you want to contemplate life, go to Bia Crossroads." He took me to visit the Ben En tourist area, known as the "Ha Long Bay of Thanh Hoa," to visit the Hai Van blast furnace, a precursor to the Vietnamese army's military industry during the resistance war, and to visit Nong Cong district, his hometown...

I remember once he personally drove to Tho Xuan airport to pick me up, and even carefully washed the car before leaving. He rarely writes poetry, but that day he went home and scribbled a few verses for me.

On several subsequent occasions, when we met again in Thanh Hoa province, knowing that I was still using a cane to carry out my "Wishing for a Year Old" program (dedicating a year to visit friends and places full of memories), he wrote another heartfelt poem expressing his affection...

Throughout my career as a journalist, my guiding principle has always been to ensure that when I go, I must reach my destination, meet people, ask questions, and thoroughly understand everything. During my trips to Thanh Hoa, I achieved all of that thanks to meeting truly friendly and kind people.

Another local expert who helped me learn a great deal about Sam Son was the poet Dinh Ngoc Diep. He was clueless about technology, house numbers, street names... but he had an amazing memory and a remarkable ability to recite poetry. Each of his poems was like a love story from Thanh Hoa province, deeply moving and impactful. He took me to a familiar cafe on the mountain and... recited poetry. He recited loudly, regardless of the strangers around.

When I visited his house, I gave his wife a traditional Southern Vietnamese checkered scarf. That was all, but the next day he was inspired to write a poem for me, which included the lines: "The poet gives the young woman of Sam Son a checkered scarf of longing / Tomorrow, when the monsoon winds blow, the scarf will gently drape over someone's shoulder"...

...

Thanh Hoa province is a land of "spiritual and talented people," a land steeped in history, known as the "king of Thanh Hoa, the god of Nghe An," and a place with a rich cultural heritage that has produced many famous artists and writers. I suspect that not only artists and writers, but also ordinary people from Thanh Hoa province have a burning love for their homeland, readily transforming themselves into tour guides or contributors to newspapers and television to express their love for their country. I have a friend, Le Trung Anh, who is the head of the pharmacy department at a hospital in Thanh Hoa City. He is also an active contributor to many newspapers and television stations, especially the "Medicine and Health" newspaper. When I arrived in Thanh Hoa, still unfamiliar with the area, he drove me to visit Ham Rong Bridge, Truong Le Mountain, Trong Mai Rock... and introduced me to them like a true tour guide. Upon leaving Thanh Hoa, I wrote a poem about this place to thank this special tour guide.

Male and Female

For thousands of years, the country has retained the ancient legend of the Rooster and Hen.

I've lived my whole life, the rooster and hen don't age.

Their love lasts until their hair turns gray, and they remain faithful to each other.

Even when angry or resentful, the rooster and hen never leave each other.

Where are the rocks and stones? It's just you and me.

Those breasts, those shoulders from days gone by.

Only water can shape stone.

Just stay together and keep embracing each other.

Yes, the rooster and hen for the sky above and the earth below.

The balance of yin and yang is essential for the order and harmony of life.

There is a rooster and hen, a stone embryo of happiness.

To conceive a legendary couple

Males are as big as mountains, females are as big as forests, they mate.

Whoever named the mountain Truong Le added to the sadness.

Endless green, tears fall from the eyes of the mountains.

Which couple is lighting a fire in the field?

We hear the voices of ancient stories and legends.

Still screaming with the yearning of love.

What would life be like without roosters and hens?

"Maybe he won't even have me..."

I'm posting these poems about Thanh Hoa not to show off my poetry, but to show off my friends from Thanh Hoa. Even people I don't know well have left me with truly memorable feelings. There's the taxi driver who took me to Doc Cuoc Temple; knowing I'm a journalist born in Thanh Hoa 70 years ago, he insisted on not charging me for the ride. There are the beautiful electric vehicle drivers in Sam Son, willing to act as tour guides and wait for customers along the way without charging a fee. There's the volunteer who looks after and preserves the Hai Van blast furnace historical site. Those three elderly ladies, guests at the live television broadcast in Sam Son commemorating the 70th anniversary of the regrouping of people from the South to the North, knew I was a "regrouping child in the womb" and kindly inquired about me like a long-lost child returning home... Those kind feelings made me, a "seasick fetus in the womb of a regrouping ship," someone who had crossed the sea with my parents during the "Ca Mau seasickness, Thanh Hoa shore sickness" journey 70 years ago, constantly regret how short and fleeting my days in Thanh Hoa were... But even those few days were filled with overwhelming love and emotion, prompting me to write these verses as I bid farewell to Thanh Hoa and returned to Saigon: "I'm going home, I don't know if I'll ever return / Oh shore, I dare not promise to repay my debts / The waves of longing are like a late-arriving sail / With the tide, I'm regrouping my life"...

Huynh Dung Nhan

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/chat-voi-ban-be-xu-thanh-238008.htm