Attaching the coconut climbing tool to the tree trunk, draping the rope over his shoulder, and holding the machete in his hand, Mr. Dung quickly climbed up the towering coconut tree. Although he was nearly 60 years old, he appeared strong and healthy, and each movement was quick and decisive. As he settled on the coconut treetop, the wind from the river blew into the garden, causing the coconut treetop to sway as if dancing. The wind did not seem to affect his mood, but it made the viewer's heart skip a beat.
In the golden sunlight falling on the tree, the black shirt he was wearing seemed to be submerged in the green of the leaves. After turning back and forth on the treetop for a while, he saw the coconut bunch tied to a rope, slowly hanging down to the ground. Mrs. Vo Thi Viet (Huong Tho commune, Hue city), the owner of the coconut garden, was sitting in front of her house, hurriedly ran out to untie the rope, then hurriedly stepped back into the porch for fear of being hit by a coconut falling.
Mrs. Viet has a row of 5 coconut trees in front of her house. Every time the coconuts are ready to be harvested, she looks forward to Mr. Dung passing by the village. The row of coconut trees in front of her house is over 30 years old. When the trees were still short, she used a bamboo pole to pick them. Over time, the trees grew taller each day, and she could only wait for Mr. Dung to come and harvest them. When Mr. Dung did not come to the village, she had to let the coconuts grow old, dry, and fall, which was very dangerous. Not only Mrs. Viet, but almost all coconut gardens like Mrs. Minh's and Mr. Dang's look forward to Mr. Dung every time the coconuts are ready to be harvested.
Mr. Dung said that his coconut picking area stretches from Huong Tho, Binh Thanh, Binh Dien communes up to A Luoi. After picking coconuts, he just transports them to nearby markets or to nearby coffee shops for consumption. Mr. Dung does not remember when he started picking coconuts, but it must have been more than 25 years. From the time when the coconut trees in the villages he picked were still short, they are now towering at 15 - 20 meters.
Mr. Dung and his wife are farmers, so picking coconuts is not their main source of income, but it helps him make ends meet and helps his wife raise their children. He said that the golden age of his coconut picking career was in the 90s of the last century. At that time, dragon boats were still bustling with visitors to visit the Gia Long and Minh Mang tombs in his hometown. The shops were always crowded with customers at that time, and coconut water was always the first choice of customers.
According to Mr. Dung, the job of picking coconuts requires climbing trees all day long, so few people do it. Only people with good health and no fear of heights can do it. Making a living in the middle of the sky is difficult and dangerous, so if you don't love the job, it's hard to stick with it. For many years of climbing trees, Mr. Dung picked areca nuts, picked coconuts, and sometimes climbed up to the tops of lim trees and sen trees to prune branches for hire. Many times he had accidents, falling from trees and almost losing his life, but when he recovered, he carried his tools everywhere to pick coconuts.
Along with the job of climbing coconut trees to pick coconuts, Mr. Dung always helps the homeowner by weeding the coconuts. He said that coconuts must be cleaned of lint and bamboo shoots, and damaged and broken leaves must be cut off to leave the coconut tops bare, so that the next crop will bear more fruit. The homeowner often prepares cans of salt wrapped in cloth for him to place on the coconut tops to treat fungus and harmful insects. "I clean the coconuts, the next crop will bear more fruit, the gardener benefits and I also increase my income," Mr. Dung smiled brightly, sweat running down his face as he climbed down from a tree, preparing to load coconuts onto a truck to deliver to the shop.
For each coconut he picked, Mr. Dung paid the garden owner 7,000 VND. He sold 10,000 VND to the restaurant. There were days when he worked hard climbing trees, and sometimes he earned millions.
Now the children are grown up, life is more stable than before, but the coconut climbing career seems to have taken over. Although his children have tried many times to stop him, Mr. Dung still refuses to give up his job. He said that one day, when his arms are no longer strong enough to hug the tree, his legs are no longer steady enough to climb, he will give up the job that has been with him for half his life. But now, as long as he has the strength, he will continue to work. Because sometimes working is not for money, for a living, but also to find joy in life.
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