The guardian of the soul of coconut leaves on Thoi Son islet.

(DTO) Coming to Thoi Son Islet (Thoi Son Ward, Dong Thap Province), in addition to experiencing typical tourism products, many visitors are also "entangled" by the images of grasshoppers and meticulously woven green roses. The creator of these "country-style" products is Ms. Le Thi Linh - a woman who has devoted all her love to "breathing life" into each coconut leaf, turning inanimate products into gifts filled with memories.

RETURN TO PASSION

At the age of 60, Mrs. Linh’s hands are still agile and skillful on each fold of the coconut leaf. Looking at her passion, few people know that to have peaceful moments with this craft, she has gone through a daring change.

Every day, Mrs. Linh still diligently and meticulously breathes life into coconut leaves.

More than 20 years ago, Ms. Linh was a fruit trader. Her life consisted of days of going back and forth to buy plums and longans from gardens on the islets, then hurriedly transporting them to wholesalers everywhere, from Saigon to Vung Tau. The business brought in a stable income, enough to take care of her life.

In 2014, Ms. Linh made a decision that surprised many people: she stopped trading to devote herself wholeheartedly to coconut leaves.

Ms. Linh confided that it was not a momentary impulse, but a journey to return to her true passion in life. She chose to slow down, to do what she loves right in her homeland.

When asked about the origin of her passion, Ms. Linh's eyes showed emotion. Ms. Linh recalled: "This profession is an invisible thread connecting her to her late grandmother. When I was a child, my grandmother taught me how to weave coconut leaves. From her hands, the lifeless coconut leaves transformed into magical toys."

The first lessons that I learned back then were swallows, conical hats, crabs, grasshoppers, clocks and roses. Although my first products were not really perfect, the image of my grandmother diligently teaching me how to weave leaves became a precious asset that followed me throughout my life.

It was that memory that urged the woman who had worked hard to return to keep the fire burning for this traditional toy making profession.

PACKAGING HOMETOWN SOULS AS GIFTS FOR TOURISTS

Since 2014, Ms. Linh's talented hands have created more than a dozen different products from coconut leaves.

Many people seem to find their childhood memories through products made from coconut leaves.

With pre-cut coconut leaves, it only takes a few minutes for her to create a grasshopper or a lovely clock. More elaborate products like conical hats require more time and meticulousness.

At the small house near the end of Thoi Son islet, tourists, especially Western tourists, always enjoy watching her perform the art of leaf weaving.

A rose that never fades costs only 10,000 VND, a delicate conical hat only 50,000 VND. The amount of money is not much, but the spiritual value it brings is priceless.

Ms. Linh confided: “I made these products first for tourists to experience. If customers like them, they can buy them as gifts for their children or for the elderly to relive their childhood memories.”

For Ms. Linh, each product given away is not just a souvenir. It is a ticket to take the recipient back to their childhood with the most rustic and genuine things of the Western region.

And so, day after day, Mrs. Linh still quietly sits on the porch, surrounded by rivers and water, preserving the remaining soul of the countryside through each green coconut leaf.

Y PHUONG

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/nguoi-giu-hon-cho-la-dua-o-cu-lao-thoi-son-a233883.html