Memories of the casuarinas by the sea

The memories of the rows of casuarina trees along the old Nha Trang coast are still intact in my mind - a child who grew up, matured and attached to the sea, with rows of casuarina trees providing cool shade on the long sandy beach. The casuarina trees are also a "shield" protecting coastal fishing villages, protecting people from harsh natural disasters for generations.

My childhood was filled with memories of the green color of casuarinas covering the undulating sand dunes, stretching along the Nha Trang beach. Back then, my house was close to the sea, and every morning and evening, passing through the casuarinas, we could rush into the sea. We children grew up covered in sand, with sunny summer afternoons chasing wind crabs, and when tired, we would find shade to play hide and seek under the windy casuarina forest.

Back then, the poor sandy land could only hold back the hard-working, life-loving casuarina trees. When we were young, what we loved most was to invite each other to the casuarina forest to play. The casuarina trees, though thin, still steadfastly grew over the years. We climbed up the strong, flexible branches, and looked out to the open sea. The blue waves beat peacefully, and small fishing boats were far away. Sitting on the casuarina branches, looking back, I always saw my hometown village as peaceful. The afternoon smoke with the strong scent of dry casuarina leaves seemed to be drawing dreams of a prosperous life up to the sky. Occasionally, there were gentle gusts of wind blowing through, and the whole row of casuarina trees rustled. I seemed to hear in that familiar sound the breath of sand, of the sea with its intense salty flavor.

Childhood is full of dreams and aspirations. Many days, when we encounter sad events, we often write simple wishes on paper and hang them on small casuarina branches. The next morning, we run up the sand dunes, wondering where the wishes have flown to? Remembering the pretty round purple ink letters, we tell each other, surely the casuarina tree has sent those wishes to the vast sky...

To plant casuarinas, we had to pull up the saplings and plant them in the soil of the backyard, then when the rainy season came, we pulled them out and planted them again. Day by day, the casuarinas gradually grew, their tops towering over our heads before we knew it. Every time another casuarina stood firmly on the sandy soil, we felt joy in our hearts.

Our childhood also witnessed the hurricanes in the monsoon season that seemed to want to blow away the small roofs of houses along the coast. But then, the storms gradually dissipated, everything was peaceful again, only the rows of casuarinas along the coast were tired and withered after many hours of using their resilient bodies to protect and defend the mainland. For many years, the casuarina forest has protected and "embraced" the memories of many generations. The casuarina tree is also a friend of seafarers. I heard many stories from my uncles and aunts, when boats encountered fog or storms, they looked towards the casuarinas to reach the shore.

At that time, life was still difficult, almost all families used casuarina firewood as fuel for their daily activities. Every summer, we children often followed our parents to collect firewood from casuarina branches and leaves, then carried them home to dry, then tied the branches into bundles, and dried casuarina leaves to use for fuel. The casuarina leaves were pressed tightly into the sawdust stove instead of wood dust, when cooked, they had a very special aroma. In the summer, we children often created mounds of casuarina leaves to dry in the yard to make small huts or turn them into soft leaf beds.

We grew up with rows of casuarinas on the beloved sand dunes. The innocence of childhood was tinged with the worries and anxieties of a busy life. As we grew up, each of us wandered to other lands to make a living, but the memories of our homeland and childhood by the casuarina forests along the coast of the past were always beautiful memories. Every time we returned, we still felt the same familiar feeling when walking on Nha Trang beach, even though the scenery had changed a lot with the development of the tourist city. The dense casuarina forests of the past have now become coastal parks where city residents and tourists can take a walk and exercise every day. In the parks, there are still neatly trimmed casuarinas with many beautiful shapes, creating a highlight for the city's coastal parks to be greener and more beautiful.

Now, sitting on a stone bench, under the canopy of a casuarina tree, amidst the roar of the waves lulling my aspirations, I listen to the rustling sound of the green casuarinas on the sand dunes of my homeland. The casuarina roots are intertwined, clinging to each other to embrace each piece of the beloved land; the worn brown trunk has witnessed the ups and downs of the years. In each person, there is pride in the city's aspirations for development, and in that joy, there is still a part of the beautiful memory of the years of building and growing up of their homeland under the canopy of the beloved casuarina forest.

LE THI BICH NGOC

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