Thank you, Hiep Thanh, for "holding onto" the spring flower season.

People who grow gladiolus in Hiep Thanh are gradually recovering after the days of severe flooding.

The Tet flower crop was swept away by the floodwaters.

Hiep Thanh is a flower-growing area with a long tradition, where gladiolus plants took root around 1990 and gradually became the main livelihood for hundreds of households.

Thanks to its mild climate and fertile soil, this area quickly developed into the "gladiolus capital" of Lam Dong province . Every year-end, the entire region is filled with the red, yellow, white, and purple hues of gladiolus flowers. From here, millions of stems are supplied to markets throughout the country.

But this year, before the vibrant colors of spring could fully bloom, they were crushed by successive floods. Hiep Thanh experienced the final month of the year with a feeling of emptiness, not only losing the flower season but also the familiar rhythm of life that had lasted for decades.

In the muddy rice paddies, Mr. Nguyen Van Nam, who has been involved in flower cultivation for over 35 years, is slowly replanting the remaining gladiolus plants. His rough hands lift the roots that have become soft and wilted after days of being submerged in water. “In my whole life growing flowers, I’ve never witnessed a situation where I planted three times and the flood swept away all three times. Nine acres of flowers for Tet (Lunar New Year) are completely lost. The remaining three acres are standing, but they look like sick plants; I don’t know how many will survive,” Mr. Nam said, his voice sinking.

Over 350 million VND invested in the Tet holiday crop, from seeds and fertilizers to the irrigation system, was almost completely washed away by the muddy water. Even though the water has receded, leaving behind a deep layer of mud and compacted soil covering most of the planted flower fields, he hasn't given up. Every day he goes to the fields, tending to the remaining flower plants.

Not far away, Ms. La Thi Phuong was hunched over, picking up sections of irrigation hose buried in the mud. Her 7 acres of gladiolus plants were submerged when they were only 20 days old, the most vulnerable stage for the plants. "In 20 years of growing gladiolus, I've never seen anything like this. Three floods in just a few weeks, the plants were submerged before they even had a chance to take root. Each Tet flower season costs money for food, school, and debt repayment… Now it's all gone," Ms. Phuong said, then bent down again to prop up the surviving plants, as if refusing to give up.

In late November and early December, the entire low-lying area of Hiep Thanh was submerged under water 1-2.5 meters high. Floods from the Da Tam stream, Ta Hoet lake, and upstream poured in simultaneously, while the stream bed was narrow and winding, causing the water to accumulate like a giant "basin." Of the more than 200 hectares of gladiolus flowers – the commune's main crop – nearly 100 hectares suffered severe damage. These floods caused Hiep Thanh commune to suffer losses exceeding 31 billion VND, mostly from crops.

Not only were flowers swept away, but the floodwaters also removed the topsoil. Fields were eroded, the soil became compacted, and many areas required complete reclamation before production could resume. The irrigation system, a family asset accumulated over many years, was destroyed by the raging floodwaters. Mr. K'Lam, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Hiep Thanh commune, said that the water receded slowly, the soil became muddy, and many areas had to be abandoned or the planting season postponed. This damage will not be easily repaired in a day or two.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong, who has been growing flowers for decades, is still in shock. — Ms. Nguyen Thi Luong takes care of gladiolus plants after the flood.

As long as there is land, we can plant again.

Despite the muddy ground, people immediately went to the fields after the floodwaters receded. They propped up each surviving flower plant, raked away the dry mud, and repaired broken irrigation pipes. Amidst the uneven, muddy fields, the sight of the flower growers patiently tending to each flower bed moved everyone who saw it. "How can we give up? Flowers are our profession, our livelihood to raise our children. As long as there's land, we'll keep planting," said Ms. Phuong, her hands still busily picking up what little remained in the flower field.

According to the local authorities, immediately after the floodwaters receded, the area implemented numerous emergency support measures to help people quickly stabilize their lives and resume production. In addition to providing rice and essential supplies to severely affected households, the commune allocated over 1.5 billion VND to support the resumption of production for those directly impacted.

In addition, the local authorities are proposing additional resources to support the provision of seeds and fertilizers, and are coordinating with the agricultural sector to organize technical guidance on post-flood recovery to help people restore areas that can still be salvaged.

Mr. Ho Huu Hieu, Head of the Economic Department of Hiep Thanh commune, said that the locality is proposing that the province expedite the construction of the Ta Hoet Reservoir project to reduce drainage pressure in the low-lying area; at the same time, proposing to redirect and widen the Da Tam stream over a length of 9 km, and to implement fundamental solutions to protect the flower production area.

This Lunar New Year season, Hiep Thanh doesn't have the vibrant red fields of gladioli as in previous years. Instead, we see farmers hunched over, carefully arranging the gladioli bulbs and washing away the mud. But amidst this hardship, one can see the enduring vitality of this land that has been closely associated with gladioli cultivation for so many years.

The people of Hiep Thanh commune have experienced years of natural disasters and market fluctuations that caused flower prices to rise and fall erratically. But each time they suffered setbacks, they bounced back, replanted, and preserved their craft as if it were a part of their way of life.

This year's Tet (Lunar New Year) may not be perfect, and the profits may not be enough to cover the debts incurred, but the gladiolus growers have never thought of giving up. For them, each flower bed is not just a means of livelihood, but also a source of hope, an affirmation that any difficulty can be overcome.

Amidst the fields still dotted with mud, young seedlings are beginning to sprout. And perhaps it is from these tiny green shoots that Hiep Thanh will build a new, more resilient and stronger flowering season, just as the people here silently overcome difficulties.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/lay-on-hiep-thanh-niu-mua-hoa-xuan-410379.html