A little love for Soc Trang

A festival in Soc Trang. Photo: AN HIEU

A bustling land

After wandering around Bac Lieu for a few days with friends, we said goodbye to the traditional folk music and melodies of "Dạ cổ hoài lang" and continued along National Highway 1A towards Can Tho . Just about 50 kilometers further, we reached Soc Trang.

Oh, just hearing the name Soc Trang fills our hearts with immeasurable excitement. Bac Lieu evokes sadness for me, Ben Tre brings back memories. Countless places along the main highway, each with its own unique color in my mind. But Soc Trang will always be the most vibrant and joyful place in my heart.

Soc Trang is a coastal province in the southern part of Vietnam, located in the lower reaches of the Hau Giang River. Of the nine branches of the Mekong River that flow into the sea from the Tien and Hau rivers, two branches, Tran De and Dinh An, are located in Soc Trang.

Due to the influence of both freshwater alluvial deposits and saltwater intrusion, the soil characteristics in Soc Trang are both diverse and challenging for local production.

With the severe erosion during the recent dry season in the Mekong Delta, Soc Trang province will likely be the most affected. Who knows how much longer it will be before the Mekong Delta becomes just a memory for the Khmer, Kinh, Hoa, Cham, and many other ethnic groups, along with their long history of reclaiming land and transforming this sacred, inhospitable region into one of the most prosperous lands in An Nam (Vietnam).

That's a story about climate change in 100 or 200 years—we can't predict. Nevertheless, in Soc Trang now, the rice fields are still vast, stretching as far as the eye can see. Anyone who has never been to the Mekong Delta before probably can't imagine this boundless expanse.

Unlike Ca Mau, which only has Tran Van Thoi, and Bac Lieu, which only has Hong Dan and Vinh Loi, Soc Trang is surrounded by rice paddies. Driving from Soc Trang City (located in the center) in all directions like a hand, forming an arc through Chau Thanh, My Tu, Nga Nam, Thanh Tri, then to My Xuyen, Tran De, and finally Long Phu to complete a full circuit, it seems that getting around in Soc Trang is much more convenient than in Ca Mau and Bac Lieu.

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Main roads, small roads, tiny roads, concrete roads branching into many lanes, smooth sailing although every now and then there's a jolt up and down on the steep bridges—truly steep in Soc Trang.

Meeting Place

Visiting this place during harvest season, I felt as if I were walking on roads gilded with gold—golden straw, golden rice stalks, and even the lovely golden sunlight of this land.

Khmer girls in traditional attire perform the ritual of carrying the calendar and deities to welcome the traditional New Year at Sro Lôn Pagoda, also known as Chén Kiểu Pagoda (Đại Tâm commune, Mỹ Xuyên district, Sóc Trăng province). Photo: AN HIẾU

Besides rice paddies, further downstream, Soc Trang also has a wide strip of islets located in Ke Sach and Long Phu districts, and especially Cu Lao Dung, which stretches all the way to the sea, with lush, sweet fruit trees. The farmers watch the tide rise and fall twice a day, waiting for changes, even if it's a bit far away.

The Tran De deep-water seaport, along with the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressways currently under construction, will create a synchronized transportation network upon completion. The Dai Ngai bridge, spanning Cu Lao Dung island, will seamlessly connect a route from Ho Chi Minh City via the Rach Mieu, Ham Luong, and Co Chien bridges.

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The things mentioned above, no matter how far away they may be, never make the people of Soc Trang sad. Through countless seasons of rain and sunshine, the people of Soc Trang have consistently held over a dozen festivals each year, the most prominent being the Ooc-om Boc festival and the Ngo boat race of the Khmer people, held around the middle of the 10th lunar month. Wherever you go, in Soc Trang, there's no shortage of Khmer people, and there's never a shortage of joy.

Looking back through history, one finds nowhere else such a harmonious coexistence of numerous ethnic groups exists: the Kinh, Khmer, and Chinese in the Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang regions.

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Because the Khmer people make up the majority of Soc Trang province, most of the temples here are Khmer temples, characterized by their isosceles triangle shape, three-tiered roofs with pointed and curved peaks, and sculptures of beautiful fairies. Surrounding these temples are rows of ancient trees such as Dipterocarpus or Palmyra palms.

Visiting Soc Trang for the first time, I felt like I was in an episode of Journey to the West, specifically when Tang Sanzang and his disciples encountered difficulties near the Western Heaven. The Chén Kiểu Pagoda, the Bat Pagoda, and countless other temples and shrines across this land made me feel as if I had wandered into the land of Shakyamuni Buddha.

What else does Soc Trang remind me of? I remember the smile of a dark-skinned Khmer girl with long, dark eyelashes and a pair of dimples that radiated sunshine when she smiled. Khmer girls are gentle, loving towards their husbands, and devoted to their families.

If you're lucky enough to marry a Khmer girl like that, believe me, your life will never lack joy. She'll sing the dù kê songs, she'll dance the lâm thôn dance, and she'll smile and greet guests from near and far, asking where you're from and where you're going: "Sóc Xì bai bồn, tâu na bồn, tâu na bồn ơi…."

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/chut-tinh-with-soc-trang-3145219.html