Around the story of Buong Forest

I was born in Ham Tan just a few years before it became a base area during the war against the French. My early childhood was marked by the chilling, haunting presence of the dense forest at the foot of Mount Be, the base area of ​​Giao Loan – the vast Leaf Forest.

Night after night, in the darkness that enveloped the thatched hut with walls made of planks of wood, the roar of tigers echoed, making the fragility of human life even more apparent. Gradually, people got used to it as more houses of displaced people sprang up in the fields, and they grew to love nature more and feel the warmth of neighborly affection.

Giao Loan - Palm Leaf Forest

Even now, more than half a century later, with so many changes, it's hard to imagine those bygone days in my vast memories. But under the sky of Giao Loan base in the southeastern region, the image of the buong tree in the forest has been deeply ingrained in my mind. Back then, my mother and sisters went to the fields to plant rice, constantly listening to the sound of French bombers lurking in the sky. But the occupation that almost sustained the lives of a segment of the population year-round was weaving leaves, sharpening chopsticks, and braiding baskets using young buong branches and leaves. The rustling sounds from the sharp pins binding the leaves together, the clicking sounds of braiding each sail mat… became neatly bundled products transported by ox carts or carried on foot to the coastal villages of Tam Tan, La Gi, Thang Hai, and Binh Chau, to sell to merchants or exchange for clothing, medicine, soap, needles and thread… in the temporarily occupied areas.

More than 70 years have passed, yet the image of the dense forest at the foot of Mount Be, May Tau, and beyond the mountains, the land of Dong Nai - Xuyen Moc, remains vivid in my mind. I still breathe the life-giving air of the vast resistance base area formerly known as Giao Loan, stretching to Mount Chua Chan, the southernmost point of Central Vietnam, bordering the South.

I recall that the book Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi (Chronicle of Gia Dinh Province) beautifully calls the Buong tree by its Chinese characters as Boi Diep Giang, because Buong trees grow abundantly along a river in Xuan Loc and Long Khanh. Enthralled by the pages of the Dong Nai Gazetteer, I was led to a related heroic event. In 1863, the French attacked the Ly Nhon base. Truong Dinh's resistance fighters fought to the death to break through the siege, but due to Huynh Cong Tan's betrayal and ambush, Truong Dinh was killed (August 19, 1864). Truong Quyen, Truong Dinh's son, along with Phan Chinh (Phan Trung), continued their father's work, establishing the Giao Loan base (Rung La - Leaf Forest) and retreating further into the Tanh Linh area of ​​Binh Thuan province to cultivate plantations and build military supply depots. From 1956 to 1975 under the Republic of Vietnam, Binh Tuy province was placed under the Southeastern region, also with a strategic military purpose. This shows the importance of this area.

There are documents mentioning the name of the Buong leaf tree, originating from Boi Diep Giang (貝 葉 江/ Buong Leaf River), also known as Rach La Bon. However, the 1964 South Vietnamese military map incorrectly records it as "Buong Leaf River, originating from Da Ban stream flowing through Thong Nhat district (Dong Nai)... "Most of the inhabitants here make a living by using Buong leaves to weave sails, make mats, make ropes, and cut up boats to sell, hence the name of the river."

Recalling the difficult times

I fondly remember the tranquil, melancholic forest of buong leaves. The image of the buong tree and its uses in daily life—from the rounded edges of its leaves to chopsticks, arrows for slingshots, and branches for roofing and house walls—is so familiar in my memory. Even later, along National Highway 1 from the Ong Don intersection, Cam My, Suoi Cat, and Base 4 (Xuan Hoa), through the villages to Tan Minh and Tan Nghia (Ham Tan), the roadside drying yards with their pristine white buong leaves spread out like a rising sun evoked in me an image of the spirit of the forest and the land. Still using buong leaves as a raw material, after the reunification of the country in 1975, La Gi town and Ham Tan district ( Binh Thuan province ) then exploited the advantages of the buong tree, a forest specialty in the Giao Loan area of ​​the southeastern region. The Tien Tien, Doan Ket, and 19th April Tan An handicraft cooperatives in La Gi - Ham Tan, established after the liberation in 1975, attracted over ten thousand direct laborers, including secondary school students skilled in weaving bamboo strips for processing. Their brands, producing items such as chopsticks, baskets, bags, hats, and blinds, reached the Eastern European market.

The legendary Giao Loan Forest, also known as the Leaf Forest, has been a part of the heroic spirit of a historical period of resistance against foreign invaders, a proud symbol of the southeastern region of Vietnam. The leaf-covered trees stretch across southwestern Binh Thuan province, bordering areas such as Xuyen Moc, Loc An, Xuan Hoa, and Gia Ray… While leaf-covered trees may still be found in more distant areas, the Giao Loan region, and the southeastern region in later times, still considers the leaf-covered tree an integral part of the lives of rural laborers. If the southeastern region is a place of abundant land, rich soil, and a mild climate, then the Leaf Forest/Giao Loan area shines brightly as a symbol of patriotism and a yearning for freedom. In 2018, Dong Nai province issued a decision classifying the Leaf Forest base in Xuan Hoa commune (base 4/National Highway 1), Xuan Loc district, Dong Nai province, as a provincial-level historical site. There is confusion regarding the concept of "base," which refers to a large area, region, or territory of the resistance forces during the war against foreign invasion. This is completely different from the names Base 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… which were military outposts (small posts) of the Republic of Vietnam before 1975, guarding National Highway 1 from Gia Ray - Ong Don intersection (Xuan Loc) to the area of ​​Ham Tan, Binh Thuan.

Ancient Cham script on palm leaves

According to Cham cultural heritage, ancient texts, scriptures, and eulogies written on palm leaves (agal bac) have been lost for up to five generations. The techniques used in their creation and preservation are considered mystical and sacred. Elders in the Cham Ma Lam (Pajai) region and at the Po Klaong Girai temple (Ninh Thuan) claim that the palm leaves are sourced from the Tanh Linh mountain area or purchased from the Raglai people. The leaves must be young, carefully dried, and preserved to prevent insect infestation. Writing is done with a sharp knife, the tip of the pen heated over a fire. The ink used is black, derived from the sap of the ironwood tree. According to the secret techniques of the Cham people, the method of using palm leaves to create texts originated from Bali, Indonesia. This is because the soil and climate of some tropical regions in Southeast Asia are suitable for the growth of the palm tree. With the vicissitudes of history, the Cham people in the South Central provinces and the plains bordering Cambodia have continued the tradition of using palm leaf texts as sacred scriptures for religious ceremonies.

The source materials collected by Cham researchers have made a significant contribution to establishing the local formation process and promoting the cultural heritage of Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/quanh-chuyen-rung-buong-123760.html