Phan Thiet, the river with so many memories

1. “Soi bong Ca Ty” is the name of a poetry collection with the participation of 24 authors from the Phan Thiet City Literature Association, licensed by the Ho Chi Minh City Culture and Arts Publishing House to be published in the third quarter of 2020. The collection includes 120 poems of many genres.

2. Slowly opening each page of “Soi bong Ca Ty”, letting your heart follow the poetic words of the poems, readers can easily recognize: the scenery of Phan Thiet homeland, the flavor of the homeland, the occupations of the people of the sea and of the whole rice fields, historical figures, sea culture, love between couples, thoughts about life… permeating the pages of poetry.

“Soi bong Ca Ty” has led readers and poetry lovers to find the most typical things of Phan Thiet. Perhaps, this is one of the local literary works that is rich in scenery and cultural features, easily reminding readers of the lovely things of Phan Thiet in the past, until now.

The Ca Ty River, along with the Quan Bridge, the water tower, and the trumpet vine flowers of the old days, appear a lot in the poetry collection, especially in the poems: Ca Ty River Singing Night, Phan Thiet Moonlit River (Nguyen Thi Lien Tam), Poetry in the handwritten poetry collection "Mountain" (Nguyen Nhu May), Phan Thiet Return Day (Ho Viet Khue), Phan Thiet Return Day (Nguyen Van Minh), By the Ca Ty River (Vo Nguyen), Ca Ty Reflection, Invite You Back to Spring This Day, Change (Thanh Tam), Spring Hope (Le Thi Tam Thu), Muong River Wind (La Van Tuan), Ca Ty January (Mai Viet)... This is a very unique thing in Binh Thuan literature, when the Ca Ty River and the water tower are the highlights of the peaceful coastal city.

Let me quote a couple of verses for readers and the authors of those poems to remember: “The river sings at night, echoing with laughter/ The green Ca Ty. The boat is alluring to people from all directions”/… “Oh my Muong Man! One side is eroding, the other is silting/ The salty stream is restless. The sweet stream lulls the cradle” (The River Sings at Night – Nguyen Thi Lien Tam). “How many ferry trips go upstream and downstream/ Are there any waves as gentle as the waves of the Muong River/ Is there any wind that blows the salty taste of Phan Thiet” (The Wind of the Muong River – La Van Tuan).

“On the Muong Man River I return/ Anchor the boat to sleep in the moonlit summer night/ On both banks the wind wanders/ Invites me to drink some golden moonlight and then get drunk” (Poem in the handwritten poetry collection “Mountain” – Nguyen Nhu May). “Bustling back to the old town/ Along Ca Ty looking for Quan bridge of that day” (Nostalgia for spring days… – Le Thi Tam Thu).

When talking about Phan Thiet, it is impossible not to mention fish sauce. Because Phan Thiet fish sauce has been famous for its deliciousness for a long time. When talking about Phan Thiet, it is also difficult to forget the food made from fresh seafood. Many poems in the poetry collection "Soi bong Ca Ty" were written about fish sauce, fresh seafood, and the richness of products from the coastal countryside. Poet La Van Tuan sent readers a poem imbued with the salty, sweet aroma of grilled and steamed seafood, the characteristic, passionate aroma of delicious fish sauce: "The brown color of my mother's shirt flutters in the old days/ You dance with your long hair in the old windy season/ Innocently, the rain of Con Cha/ The pot of steamed fish still smells good/ You open it and the wind carries it up to the sky", "But the Fisherman's scent wafts/ the scent of the four seasons of Phan Thiet" (Wind of the Muong River - La Van Tuan).

The delicious fish sauce of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan also appears in the poems of other authors: “This afternoon I came home to eat with my mother/ Delicious fish sauce with spicy chili/ Happiness like a small boat/ Bringing the wind to gather at the riverbank” (Returning to that place - Dao Van Chu). Here too: “I wandered, inhaling the fragrance... silence/ Con Cha wharf, feeling the salty taste of my feet/ Van Thuy Tu pondered, keeping the graces/ The wandering creatures from the sea/ The road smelled sweet and strong forever/ Incubated in the remaining sunlight from the day” (Phan Thiet, the salty smell of the sea - Nguyen Thi Lien Tam).

Not only famous for its delicious fish sauce, Binh Thuan is also famous nationwide for its specialty dragon fruit. Poet Vuong Dai Loi wrote about this specialty plant: “The dragon blooms golden silk/ Spring rice is golden bronze/ Green dragon dances/ Pearl fruit around” (Beautiful Dragon, Ripe Rice); along with other poems in the collection of poems about the dragon fruit of his homeland.

In another topic, the image of Uncle Ho and Mr. Nguyen Thong, through the poet's extremely respectful and admiring heart, has also entered the poems of poet Do Quang Vinh. The author sent to readers his heartfelt feelings when he wrote about studying and following the beloved Uncle Ho: "Uncle Ho has returned / In every work we do / Reminding, advising, caring, generous... / He taught us never to be negligent / "Cadres are servants of the people..." (Uncle Ho has returned - Do Quang Vinh). The poet also devoted respectful verses to Mr. Nguyen Thong: "The affairs of life "the sea turns into mulberry fields" / Still sparkle with a generous soul / The official affairs, I am helpless... / With the people, I have a heart full of pain" (In front of Nguyen Thong's grave - Do Quang Vinh).

The cultural features of the beloved land of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan have been preserved in the poems of poet Dao Van Chu. “The Vietnamese heart of a thousand years ago/ Has blended with the vast ocean/ The temples of the Holy Mother Thien YA Na/ Thien Hau Palace and the mausoleum of Ong Nam Hai”, “The sea sediments, layers of sea culture/ Nourish my soul and the souls of visitors from all over the world/ The sea buries the ships and warships/ Welcoming the green ships – green as the ocean…” (Sea Sediments – Dao Van Chu). The poem carries the belief in the development of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan, especially the focus on exploiting cultural characteristics in tourism, one of the three pillars of the province’s economic development.

In addition, the collection of poems also delves into other topics: love for the Fatherland, love for couples, the seafaring profession, the love for Tang poetry of the Bong Vong Tang poetry group, thoughts about life, and memories of Phan Thiet of each author, which are memories that always quietly flow in the hearts of Phan Thiet's children.

3. If in 1988, Phan Thiet town sent to readers the poetry collection “Salty Wind of Phan Thiet”; then this time, with “Soi bong Ca Ty”, Phan Thiet City Literature Association sent to readers poems with their own unique beauty.

In some poems, the poet has organized the verses and images in a way that is proportional to increase the aesthetic effect and expressive ability of the verses. For example, the lines: “The sea is agitated but the heart is calm/ The ground is still but too bumpy” (Noon in Phu Hai – La Van Tuan).

In another case, the poet used contrasting words placed close together in the connected lines of the same stanza to highlight the contrasting nature, creating conciseness, expressing the unforgettable feelings between the lyrical characters in the poem: "In the morning, D'Ran kisses the plump flowers with dew/ You are the drifting clouds waiting to make rain/ In the afternoon, D'Ran, the flowers are covered with dew and close their eyes/ The basalt land I long for and wait for" (Confessing Love to D'Ran - Ho Viet Khue).

Poet Thanh Tam also left his mark in “Soi bong Ca Ty” when the name of one of his poems was used as the general title of the collection. Along with that were beautiful, metaphorical verses: “Remembering the silk dress of the poem/ Holding my soul in the midst of the golden sunlight” (A day back to Phu Long – Thanh Tam).

Loving the sea and islands of the Fatherland, loving the soldiers who guard the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the homeland day and night, poet Vo Thi Hong To wrote these deeply emotional lines: “The drops of stars in the sky are like the eyes of a child/ Twinkling every night, leaning towards the small island/ After the storm/ The night is exhausted... the sea breathes/ A star lands on the shoulder of a person/ Loving the shore, the stars stay awake in the open sea. (The stars of the sea)…

4. The homeland is always in the hearts of the children of Phan Thiet. From the warm feelings, the image of the homeland enters the poems of poets. The nostalgia for the homeland is always evoked in the hearts of those far from home, even in those who are still attached to their homeland all year round.

Looking back at “Soi bong Ca Ty”, the author would like to borrow the lines of poet Mai Viet in place of the conclusion: “January, Ca Ty reflects the shadow of the tower by the bridge/ Where is the old color of the cotton trees burned in my youth/ Every time I return to meet the past/ There is a part of me that stays with love” (January, Ca Ty).

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/phan-thiet-dong-song-cung-bao-noi-nho-123958.html