Old village, old hometown

The alleyway lined with rosewood trees. Photo: NGUYEN DIEN NGOC

Once beloved names like An Mỹ, An Xuân, Trường Xuân, Tam Thanh, Tam Phú, An Phú, Tam Thăng, Tân Thạnh, Hòa Thuận, Tam Ngọc, An Sơn, Hòa Hương have now merged into new names: Tam Kỳ, Quảng Phú, Bàn Thạch, Hương Trà.

This merger is not just an administrative change, but also a turning point, a milestone in the region's development journey.

I remember the tree-lined streets of An My, where ancient houses nestled among rows of betel nut trees. The sound of temple bells echoed from An Xuan, peaceful and tranquil. Or the image of the vast rice fields in Truong Xuan, the harvest season bringing a golden hue of abundance. These memories remain vivid in the minds of every resident of Tam Ky, as an indispensable part of their childhood and the years gone by.

Then we arrive in Quang Phu, a vast land with majestic mountains such as Mount Cam, Yen Ngua, and Mount Chua… Each mountain carries within it a story, a trace of time. The gentle Tam Ky, Ban Thach, and Truong Giang rivers flow peacefully, enriching the fertile fields.

This place still resonates with glorious historical events, the fervent revolutionary rallies at Nui Chua in 1939, a testament to the fervent patriotism of the people of Quang Nam . The majestic Monument to the Heroic Vietnamese Mother on the summit of Nui Cam further enhances the historical and cultural value of this land.

Ban Thach, as the ancients called it, possesses the gentle beauty of the river of the same name. The tranquil Ban Thach River flows through villages, witnessing countless changes in the land.

The ancient poem, " The Ban Thach River flows windingly / The Tuy Lam mountain rises in layers, " beautifully depicts the poetic natural landscape of this place. Our ancestors from distant lands came to reclaim land, establish villages, and build settlements along this river centuries ago, creating a fertile land rich in tradition.

Finally, there's Huong Tra, an ancient village nestled at the confluence of the Tam Ky and Ban Thach rivers. The old saying goes, "Every land has a soul, every village has a spirit." Perhaps that's why, when the name Huong Tra reappeared, I felt a profound sense of peace. It was as if every rice stalk, every row of betel trees, every small alleyway had silently awaited the day it would be called by its name. No matter how far my feet may travel, my heart can never escape that small, peaceful village.

Perhaps it's because that's where I was born and raised, the place where I spent my childhood playing in the sand by the river, where I spent sun-drenched afternoons breaking branches to build my dream house and happily selling my wares. Little did I know that the house, barely within my reach, would cast its shadow over my graying hair. Only now do I realize that my old village has been within me for millennia… Suddenly, Trinh Cong Son's "The Call of Eternity" resonates within me: " I lie down in the old town / Once I heard a lullaby in the garden ."

The city within me has just lost the echoes of my old village and hometown…

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/lang-xua-que-cu-3156747.html