New land, new joy.

Having studied together at university and then graduated, Mr. Duong Tan L. and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu T. were fortunate enough to be hired by the same agency. Their love, forged over those years, led them to build a small family in Phu Yen ward – in the eastern part of the province. Fourteen years passed, and after many difficulties, they had a son, Duong Tan M., who is now four years old. When Phu Yen and Dak Lak provinces merged to form the new Dak Lak province, Mr. L. and Ms. T. arranged their family affairs and traveled a long distance to the west to continue their work.

Ms. T. recalled the days of packing up to move to her new home: “While still living in the old house, I was very worried. I worried about how my husband and I would fare in our jobs, whether our young children would be affected by having to get used to new friends and a new school? Would the climate and living environment in the West be suitable for our family to settle down long-term?... That day, I hired a car to transport my luggage and belongings to a rented room in Buon Ma Thuot ward, about 5 km from my workplace. Looking at the neat, clean house, just enough for three people to live in, I began to feel the warmth of family, just like in my old home. A few days later, while strolling around, visiting the market and interacting with the locals, I gradually got used to my new life.”

After the initial unfamiliarity, life in the new land has become familiar to many people from the Nẫu region - formerly Phú Yên .

“Buon Ma Thuot is dynamic, has a cool climate, and friendly, approachable people. Family members not only feel familiar with the place but are also starting to think about settling down long-term,” Ms. T shared.

Like Ms. T.'s family, Mr. Tran Duc H. (Binh Kien ward) and his wife and two children packed their belongings and moved to the West for work. Mr. H. recounted: “Initially, the family had to rely on relatives to send vegetables, fruits, and seafood from the East. But now, we are used to going to the market and shopping in Buon Ma Thuot ourselves. Supermarkets and markets near our new residence are very convenient, and there are many ready-made foods and abundant agricultural products, so the family can easily choose what we need. Especially, my two children really enjoy the cool air in our new place.”

Knowing her husband had to work far from home, despite having her own house and a stable job, Ms. Pham Thi D. (from Tay Hoa commune) put everything aside and readily agreed to move to Buon Ma Thuot with him to start a new life. Ms. D. recounted: “Thinking about many of my siblings working far from home and not having the opportunity to cook regularly, I opened a family-style restaurant, serving authentic Phu Yen (old) cuisine. Initially, I saw this as a personal entrepreneurial experience. But later, realizing the bustling business environment in the West and the diverse culinary needs between the East and West, I expanded the menu, adding dishes like fish noodle soup, squid noodle soup, fish cakes… To preserve the flavors of my hometown, I hired three employees from my hometown, prioritized seafood ingredients, and constantly changed the dishes to meet customer preferences.”

Ms. D. further shared: “Initially, we faced difficulties, but to make customers aware of and familiar with the restaurant, I proactively promoted it on online platforms, registered my address, and partnered with delivery services. Now, many people in Buon Ma Thuot know about Nghinh Phong restaurant and frequently visit to enjoy the signature dishes of Phu Yen. My fellow villagers also come to support us, so I am very happy and will continue to offer more new dishes in the future.”

Recognizing that the western region has a wide variety of fruit trees and agricultural products such as pepper and coffee – which are the region's strengths; and Phu Yen has an abundance of fresh and dried seafood along with many traditional specialties such as fish sauce, rice paper, sun-dried beef, etc., Ms. Truong Thi N. enthusiastically expanded her business.

Ms. N shared: “I’ve been selling food for many years, and my customers are mainly people working at agencies and businesses. When they moved to work far from home, I lost many regular customers. So I looked for a way to supply food to my old customers while also serving people in both the East and West regions. For more than a month now, I’ve been transporting Phu Yen specialties to Buon Ma Thuot and bringing Buon Ma Thuot specialties back to serve customers in the coastal area. What’s even better is that now, there are more customers in the West than in the East.”

After the provincial merger, many officials and civil servants from the East had to leave their homes and move to the West to take up their duties. Not only that, many self-employed individuals also sought to adapt and build a new business environment. Getting used to new places of residence and work was inevitably challenging, but with the affection for their homeland, this seemingly unfamiliar journey gradually became more familiar and comfortable over time.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202508/mien-dat-moi-niem-vui-moi-f561072/