Mr. Le Hai takes care of young vegetable beds after the flood.

Green is back

On a field of more than 750 square meters, Mr. Le Hai, 60 years old, Tay Thanh village, is busy plowing the soil and covering the newly sown vegetable beds with plastic sheets. For Mr. Hai, this field is his source of life. The flood at the end of October caused deep water, washing away more than a dozen vegetable beds that had not been harvested yet, considered a total loss. "I heard the weather forecast said it would rain again, but I was impatient, the land left untouched for a long time made me feel restless. In the past few days, I took advantage of the receding water to go to the field and work again. I sowed this row of cabbage 5 days ago. If the weather is favorable, it will be ready to sell in about half a month," he said while adjusting the cover.

Mr. Hai said that vegetables are only lost when there is a big flood, but on days with stable weather, the vegetable field always brings in income to support the family. "As long as the weather is calm, the vegetables grow very well, with a steady income, my whole family can live off these vegetable beds," he said, his eyes following the new sprouts as if following his most precious asset.

Without complaining, Mr. Hai is as calm as the life of a farmer who has experienced many flood seasons. In that calmness is the belief that after the mudslides, green patches will return to the fields.

In the late afternoon, there were only a few people in the fields. Many households here chose to plant crops but still checked the weather, waiting for the water to recede. "People took advantage of the opportunity to work in the garden first. Because there was a forecast of heavy rains again, many people were hesitant and did not plant in large numbers. When the weather stabilized, the vegetable fields would be bustling again as usual," explained Mr. Huynh Thanh Long, an official of Hoa Chau ward.

In front of her house, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thoi, 49 years old, Thanh Trung village is chatting with some neighbors in the yard.

While waiting for the soil in the field to dry completely, Mrs. Thoi took the opportunity to sow some rows of cabbage and lettuce in the garden on an area of ​​about 200 square meters, hoping to harvest in time while vegetable prices are still high. “Vegetables are very expensive now, before they were 5,000 VND per kilo, now they are 50,000 VND. Seeing the price of vegetables increase, everyone wants to grow them to increase their income,” she said.

During the recent floods, Mrs. Thoi's house was submerged by nearly a meter, but thanks to the timely removal of furniture, there was no major property damage, only the loss of all the vegetables that were in harvest time. "Normally, I earn 200,000 - 300,000 VND per day, and on many days I earn 500,000 VND. This whole month is considered empty-handed, with no income, but hopefully the next crop of vegetables will make up for it somewhat," Mrs. Thoi shared.

Maintain the strength of "vegetable barn"

These days, people in Hoa Chau ward are starting to restore vegetable areas after the flood. According to the report of the ward People's Committee, storm No. 12 (Fengshen) caused many areas to be flooded 1 - 1.8m deep, damaging 35 - 40 hectares of vegetables; in which Thanh Trung, Tay Thanh, Thanh Ha villages were the most affected areas. Nearly 15km of intra-field canals were silted up, directly affecting the 2025 - 2026 winter-spring crop.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of Hoa Chau Ward People's Committee, said that the ward has held a meeting with cooperatives to review the damage, agree on a plan to support seeds, materials, restore irrigation systems and improve the soil. "The ward has proposed about 39 billion VND in support to overcome the consequences of natural disasters, including 200 million VND to support farmers to restore vegetables. We have instructed people to choose short-term varieties to plant in the hope of having income again soon," Mr. Cuong said.

Hoa Chau has long been a traditional vegetable growing area supplying markets, supermarkets, schools... in the city. Restoring vegetable areas damaged by floods is therefore not only a matter of livelihood but also ensuring the supply of green vegetables for markets inside and outside the city. The ward also plans to convert some rice areas to vegetable growing to adapt to climate change and increase people's income.

On the way back home, Mr. Huynh Thanh Long pointed to the vegetable fields that had just sprouted with eyes full of faith and hope: "As long as the weather is stable, by the end of the month the vegetable fields will be green, and many rows will be ready for harvest. Hoa Chau land is fertile, and the people are familiar with the job, as long as the weather is favorable, the vegetables will grow very quickly."

Article and photos: HAI THUAN

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/nhung-mam-non-lai-xanh-sau-lu-160086.html