The hearths where rice is cooked with love and affection in Hoa Thinh.

campfire - Photo 1.

A group of philanthropists set up a makeshift kitchen in the flood-stricken area of Hoa Thinh commune, Dak Lak (formerly part of Tay Hoa district, Phu Yen province) to cook thousands of hot meals to support the local people - Photo: LE TRUNG

Four days after the flash flood left behind a scene of devastation, from noon on November 24th, in villages like Van Duc and Ha Yen (Tuy An Dong, Dak Lak) downstream of the Ky Lo River, the warmth of village life began to return.

Smoke billowed from every house after days of being submerged due to the severe flooding.

At 11 a.m., the concrete road leading into the middle of Ha Yen village was crowded with people hurrying to receive relief supplies. Beneath the coconut groves and banana trees that had been battered by the storm, smoke billowed from the kitchen of Mr. Le Phuoc Thanh and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh's house.

Normal life is gradually returning to normal, although many hardships and difficulties still lie ahead.

With a stove and a fire, you don't have to worry about hunger or cold.

Mr. Ho Van Tam

The kitchen group keeps the village and houses warm.

In his downstairs room, Mr. Thanh, his wife, and daughter were slurping down bowls of instant noodles. Only those who have experienced the devastating floods truly understand how precious a steaming bowl of instant noodles is these days.

Occasionally, during meals, Mrs. Linh would run to the kitchen annex next to the well to push firewood in to keep the fire from going out.

Ms. Linh hesitated when asked to open the lid of the large, steaming cast-iron pot on the stove. She explained that she was just boiling water in pot after pot to keep the stove occupied, and that the smoke and fire were drying everything out. Most importantly, she wanted to keep the house warm after many days of stagnation.

Families like Mrs. Linh and Mr. Thanh in Ha Yen village have just experienced the most terrifying flood in decades.

On the night of November 19th and the early morning of November 20th, the water downstream of the Ky Lo River overflowed the dike as if it were about to burst, rushing straight into the villages on the other side. The sounds of cattle bellowing, children crying, and adults calling out to each other to escape the flood mingled together.

But no one could outrun the water. In an instant, the peaceful village nestled along the dike, peeking out from beneath the tall, slender coconut trees, was submerged in a sea of water.

The hearth of "revival"

By noon on November 24th, the villages along the lower reaches of the Ky Lo River saw a return to the warmth of life. Houses, after days submerged in mud, were drying up, and the mud had been pushed away to make room for children to lie down and adults to rest.

With food supplies constantly arriving from benefactors, many people took advantage of their time at home to tidy up their belongings and dry their clothes. The kitchen, a sacred space for reunion and the warmest atmosphere in rural villages, was a place where mothers and grandmothers tried every way to rekindle the fire.

Along the muddy road, Mr. Ho Van Phi, his wife, Mrs. Dang Thi Thong Hang, and their two young children had their lunch laid out on the porch. Next to it, the wooden doors still stained with mud that hadn't been washed away, and several sacks of waterlogged rice were spread out on the ground to dry, but they were still soggy and smelled sour.

Mr. Phi and his wife and children sat down to eat their first home-cooked meal after four days submerged in floodwaters. On a small tray, a pot of white rice, cooked in an aluminum pot, was steaming.

Mr. Phi said that because the gas stove had been washed away and there was no lamp oil, he went to collect dry coconut leaves, and his wife used a few kilograms of rice donated by a benefactor to start a fire and cook a meal for their two children.

"The children have been eating instant noodles for several days, so they have indigestion and cry constantly at night. I told my wife that we had to light the stove somehow, but the lighter had also been washed away, so I went to get some firewood for her to light the stove. This is the first meal since the flood. The meal consists of hot rice, savory dishes, and some green vegetables," Mr. Phi said.

Among the hundreds of households along the Ky Lo River section passing through Ha Yen village, the family of Mr. Ho Van Tam, his wife Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, and their son are perhaps the first to resume cooking after the devastating flood.

On the morning of November 24th, Mr. Tam sat diligently with his neighbors, dismantling and cleaning his motorbike because the repair shop refused to take him in. Mr. Tam said that although his house was near the river, he was the luckiest because it didn't collapse, and he managed to save six cows and two calves. He also managed to salvage some rice and find his gas stove...

"On the night of November 19th, the water rose too quickly. I told my wife to stay upstairs and hold onto the sack of rice tightly so that if we got hungry, we would have something to eat. I swam down to the kitchen alone to dismantle the stove and pull out the gas hose, but the water was so strong that it swept away the stove."

I tossed the gas cylinder high into the air, ran out, grabbed the ropes of the six cows outside the barn, and held their noses above the water. I sat there holding them until the next morning when the water receded and all the cows were alive.

"The next day, when I went out to the garden, I saw the gas stove stuck in the bamboo grove, so I picked it up, cleaned it, reconnected the gas hose, and turned it on. After a while, a flame shot up. With a stove and a fire, we didn't have to worry about hunger or cold. My wife and I have had food to eat from meal to meal," Mr. Tam said.

campfire - Photo 2.

People from Hanoi went to the flood-stricken area of Hoa Thinh (Dak Lak) to light fires and cook meals, not only helping the locals fill their stomachs but also providing motivation to overcome the natural disaster - Photo: T.MAI

"I want to cook a meal for my husband and children!"

At a makeshift campfire set up near a gas station in Phu Huu village, Hoa Thinh commune, Dak Lak (formerly part of Tay Hoa district, Phu Yen province), thousands of meals are cooked and sent to the local people.

The aroma of warm rice wafting through the flood-stricken area amidst ongoing reconstruction evokes indescribable emotions. Each meal sent out instills a renewed belief that yesterday's devastation will fade away, paving the way for a better tomorrow.

Ms. Mai Thi Thu (56 years old, Canh Tinh village, Hoa Thinh commune) recounted that the floodwaters submerged her house very deeply, sweeping away many belongings and destroying all her rice and crops. Over the past few days, individual meals and loaves of bread have helped flood victims feel warm and focused on cleaning up their homes.

And from yesterday until now, the makeshift kitchen has been ablaze with fire, the aroma of stir-fried food spreading throughout the village, reminding many of peaceful days. Bright hopes, once fragile, have become stronger.

"I'll continue cleaning the house, and tomorrow after dropping my child off at school, I'll stop by to buy a stove to cook. I want to cook for my husband and children like I used to," Mrs. Thu said.

Simple things can create positive energy, like this makeshift kitchen which has "anchored" emotions that seemed to have been crushed by the flood. Many women in Hoa Thinh came to ask for vegetables to cook porridge for their young children, and the cooks selected the freshest and tastiest sprouts for them.

That field kitchen was set up by the "One-Hearted Kitchen" group, the "Soup Spreading Love" group, the Dong Anh Kind Hearts Club, and the Ngo Duc Tuan Compassion Motivation group, all from far-off Hanoi.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, leader of the "Soup Spreading Love" group, was busy peeling cabbage while explaining that the bustling kitchen always creates a warm atmosphere. Therefore, whenever there are major floods, we will come and cook. Previously, our mobile kitchens have been present in Thai Nguyen, Quang Tri, Hue, and other locations...

"During this flood, we were present in the flooded area of Binh Dinh (now Gia Lai province). Once the people there are stable, we will continue to Hoa Thinh. For us, the kitchen is not just about cooking; more importantly, it's about providing support and encouragement to the people in the flooded areas," Ms. Phuong said.

Faith and hope

The villages are still in ruins, but the mess is gradually being tidied up after two days of the floodwaters receding. Reconstruction is quietly underway in each house and bustling along the village roads, schools, and health centers...

Without being told what to do or waiting for help, the people stood up on their own, driven by faith and hope.

Ms. Thuy (from Hoa Thinh commune), queuing to receive relief supplies, said: "The flood has already happened, and the damage is immense. Now we have to stand up again, otherwise we will disappoint the kindness of people all over the country who are pouring their hearts into Phu Yen."

Meals made from rice grains filled with love and compassion.

Around noon, the sun began to shine in Thach Tuan 2 village, Hoa Xuan commune, Dak Lak province (formerly Phu Yen province), which had been in the heart of the flood zone for the past few days.

In the still damp kitchen, Mrs. Mai Thi Thu recounted: "The flood came as fast as a waterfall. I'm 81 years old and have never seen a flood like this, even worse than the one in 1993. I was terrified, all I knew was to run quickly to my son's house nearby to escape."

Throughout November 24th, traffic jams occurred all over Thach Tuan 2 and Ban Thach hamlets in Hoa Xuan commune due to the influx of numerous charitable groups. Rice and bottled water also began to find their way into kitchens that had been tidied up after the recent flooding.

Family reunions and meals have gradually returned to the areas affected by the flash floods.

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THAI BA DUNG - TAN LUC - TRUONG TRUNG - TRAN MAI - LE TRUNG - MINH HOA - SON LAM - DUC TRONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-bep-lua-hong-nau-com-tinh-nghia-o-hoa-thinh-20251124222415937.htm