The keeper of the "soul" of the memories of the old fishing village.

For 36 years, artisan Nguyen Van Leo (Ba Leo), 75 years old, residing in Thoi Thuan commune (Vinh Long province), has preserved the memories of the past through unique wooden models of fishing boats, villages, airplanes, and canoes. He recreates the heroic land of Thoi Thuan during the resistance against the American war, helping to educate the younger generation about revolutionary traditions.

Artisan Nguyen Van Leo stands beside the fishing boats that have been a part of his life. (Photo: HOANG TRUNG)

For 36 years, they have been crafting miniature wooden models.

In the humble house of artisan Ba ​​Léo, there are countless models of fishing boats, canoes, airplanes, villages, prosperous areas, marine life, warships… Visiting here, many people feel as if they have stepped into a miniature version of the past.

Artisan Ba ​​Léo recounted: “At the age of 15, I joined a fishing boat and worked as a captain, sailing the open sea. In 1989, I came ashore, but my love for the sea and my homeland always remained in my mind, so I took pieces of jackfruit wood and carved them into the shapes of fishing boats, rare and extinct fish species, whales… to ease my longing for the sea. After that, I searched for information to create models of the US-backed South Vietnamese resistance base, airplanes, warships, various types of guns, and the modernized Thoi Thuan village… I worked day after day, for 36 years without rest, with hundreds of different models displayed right in my home.”

The aircraft used in the war against the US to save the country are recreated in wood by the artist Ba Léo.

In 2010, during the Fisheries Festival held in Can Tho city, artisan Ba ​​Leo's collection of "Fishing and Riverway Models" was recognized by the Vietnam Record Book Center in the Guinness Book of Records Vietnam for having the largest number of models, with 150 pieces. This further motivated him to continue creating more wooden models to preserve the memories of the past.

According to statistics, he has now collected over 500 models of boats and canoes; 49 models of airplanes and warships; many models of fishing tools, rudimentary weapons used by our army during the resistance war, strategic hamlets, booby traps, scenes of modernized rural villages, etc.

Artisan Ba ​​Léo said: “I don't know carpentry myself, but driven by passion, I researched and learned how to create wooden models that are as close to reality as possible, scaled down with meticulous details. Initially, I chose jackfruit wood with beautiful grain patterns for crafting, but when jackfruit wood ran out, I switched to teak wood and have continued crafting until now. Some models only take a few days to complete, but more complex ones can take a week, or even a month to finish.”

Memories of the 1960 Đồng Khởi Uprising in the former Bến Tre province, as seen through the eyes of artisan Ba ​​Léo.

For old images of rural villages, densely populated areas, booby traps, wartime bombs, airplanes, warships, etc., he had to travel to various museums to view the images, carefully record every detail, and even meet with living witnesses to find out how to restore them as accurately as possible.

Artisan Ba ​​Léo said: “During the resistance war against the Americans, right in Thới Thuận commune there was a concentrated resettlement area to force people to live there in order to separate the people from the revolution. I was young then and only went there once, so I don't remember many details. Therefore, I had to meet with many elderly people in the village who had been taken to the resettlement area so they could accurately describe the fences, gates, and houses inside… in order to recreate them accurately. These are historical relics to preserve and educate future generations.”

My dream is to establish an exhibition hall to educate the younger generation about revolutionary traditions.

Now 75 years old, artisan Ba ​​Léo still diligently carves wooden pieces every day to preserve his memories. His house is now like a miniature museum, with many themes neatly arranged on shelves and hanging on the walls.

Recently, Ms. Le Thi Kim Linh, owner of the eco-tourism model Homestay Con Ba Tu and Homestay Nha Ngoai in the same locality, expressed her intention to take visitors to tour the miniature museum of artisan Ba ​​Leo.

Thanks to this, artisan Ba ​​Léo can explain each model to visitors, helping them better understand the people and the revolutionary land of Thới Thuận.

Images of boats and canoes in the old Mekong Delta waterways.

Artisan Ba ​​Léo said: “Occasionally, when groups of tourists come here to visit, I don't charge any fees at all; I only sell each person a fresh coconut at market price for them to quench their thirst. In addition, I also make some fishing boats and canoes to sell to tourists who need them, but the exhibits on display are not sold at any price.”

Ms. Le Thi Kim Linh said: “Both of my homestays offer community tourism, allowing guests to experience activities with local people such as catching snails, pulling nets at sea, collecting shells to paint, visiting watermelon fields and harvesting watermelons, visiting salt fields, catching clams, fishing for crabs and fish, taking guests to local markets and boat docks... Especially recently, we've been taking guests to visit the house of artisan Ba ​​Leo, which tourists really enjoy with its wooden models that resemble a miniature museum.”

Artisan Ba ​​Léo wishes to have a showroom to preserve models representing the memories of the past in his coastal village of Thới Thuận.

Now advanced in age, artisan Ba ​​Léo dreams of the local community establishing a gallery to preserve all the old memories and educate future generations. When that happens, he will donate the products he has painstakingly created over several decades to the gallery.

Thoi Thuan village during the resistance war against the US to save the country.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, Secretary of the Thoi Thuan Commune Party Committee, commented: “The products made by artisan Nguyen Van Leo vividly portray and recreate artifacts that no longer exist today. These products have great significance, not only preserving old images but also allowing viewers to feel the glorious history of the locality. Currently, the artisan is preserving these artifacts and making them available for people, tourists, and students to visit and learn from.”

According to the Party Secretary of Thoi Thuan commune, the locality also plans to establish a showroom to preserve the historically valuable products of artisan Nguyen Van Leo. From there, it will serve as a place to promote and educate the younger generation about revolutionary traditions.

HOANG TRUNG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nguoi-giu-hon-ky-uc-lang-bien-xua-post915526.html