Winter Sounds

If the four seasons were the different tones in a piece of music, then winter would be a deep, poignant, and lingering low note. Looking back to the old days, winter in Ha Tinh today resonates with vibrant sounds that blend seamlessly with those profound melodies.

Another winter has arrived, and across the countryside of Ha Tinh province, countless joyful and warm melodies are resounding.

Nostalgia for winter...

At 5 a.m. on a winter morning, the alarm clock rang, and Mai Thi Vinh (40 years old, residing in the Dong Yen resettlement area, Ky Loi commune, Ky Anh town) woke up. In the winter morning, amidst the rustling wind and rain in the garden, there were the soft sounds of oil sizzling in the pan on the stove. When everything was ready, it was time for Ms. Vinh to wake her children up for breakfast and prepare for school. At exactly 6:30 a.m., her husband went to work at the factory, she took her children to school, and then went to the sewing workshop of the association in the resettlement area. There, the women of the association were already gathered, preparing for a new day's work.

For the past two years, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the lives of Ms. Vinh's family, as well as many other women in the resettlement area, have gradually changed and stabilized. She feels happy to be close to her children. She remembers that in previous years, due to the need to earn a living, she and her husband had to leave their children with their grandparents while they worked in the South. When the pandemic became complicated, they returned home. Her husband worked as a factory worker at Formosa Ha Tinh Hung Nghiep Steel Company Limited, while she didn't know what to do to make a living. At that time, thanks to the sewing skills association opened by Ms. Tran Thi Thuyet from the same village, she and many other women found stable employment, earning 5-7 million VND per person per month.

Workers are seen at the workshop of the Dong Yen Resettlement Area Garment Association (Ky Loi, Ky Anh Town).

This year, as winter arrives in her cozy sewing workshop, amidst the steady hum of the sewing machines, Ms. Vinh is reminded of winters past. Those were the bitterly cold winters of her youth. When the radio broadcasts the "Northeast Monsoon" news, she sighs. She dreads the days of biting winds and drizzling rain, having to trek through the forests and fields on muddy roads. Along with the whistling wind and the muddy ground beneath her feet comes the bone-chilling cold.

Then the Vung Ang Economic Zone was built, and the once impoverished, desolate countryside, even in the winter, was transformed into a landscape of factories and construction sites. Workshops sprang up, new roads were opened... everything buzzed with the sounds of prosperity. Her family, along with many other villagers, moved to the resettlement area and quickly contributed to the development of the new rural community, then the model residential area. Many young people who had previously worked as laborers in various regions now became factory workers right in their hometown.

From a poor, desolate rural area, Ky Anh town has transformed into a vibrant and dynamic place. Photo: Huy Tung.

This winter, for Ms. Vinh and many other people in the southernmost countryside of Ha Tinh province, still begins with the northeast monsoon winds, but it feels warmer thanks to the sounds of vibrant life on construction sites, in factories, and in the well-equipped schools where children happily recite their lessons...

The melodious sound of ancient temple bells

4:30 a.m., a winter day. As usual, the bells of Dai Bi Pagoda, emanating from Dong Quan Mountain, rang out in rhythmic tones, reaching far into the villages of Hong Loc commune (Loc Ha district). In the cold, misty winter air, the sound of the bells was a familiar melody that awakened many villagers at the foot of Hong Mountain, preparing them to welcome a new day.

Dai Bi Pagoda, a famous ancient temple hundreds of years old, had become a ruin after the 1960s due to the ravages of time and war. In 2015, with the efforts of the local government, philanthropists and the people contributed nearly 1 billion VND to restore and renovate the pagoda. To promote its historical and cultural values, the government also contacted the Ha Tinh Buddhist Association to invite Venerable monks to preside over the temple and take care of the incense burning rituals for this spiritual and cultural relic.

Dai Bi Pagoda (Hong Loc commune, Loc Ha district) is a historical site that has been restored and renovated using funds raised through social mobilization.

For many years, the sound of the bell at Dai Bi Pagoda has become a familiar reminder for Mrs. Ho Thi Thoi (70 years old, Trung Son village) and Mrs. Tran Thi Dinh (64 years old, Thuong Phu village) to wake up and prepare to go to the pagoda for worship. Imbued with Buddhist teachings of doing good, avoiding evil, and living harmoniously and lovingly, they constantly teach their children and grandchildren to follow their example. As a result, the lives of Mrs. Thoi and Mrs. Dinh's families are not only warm and happy, but their children also strive to improve themselves and continuously share these positive values ​​with the community.

As if by fate, Mr. Phan Trong Hai (born in 1990, son of Mrs. Dinh), currently the General Director of H&T Investment and Construction Joint Stock Company (HTcons) headquartered in Hanoi , and Mr. Pham Ba Toan (born in 1990, son of Mrs. Thoi), recently appointed as the Director of HTcons' branch in Ha Tinh City, are both actively involved in numerous charitable activities for their hometown.

Over the years, the two brothers have implemented a series of programs to support the poor in Loc Ha district in particular and Ha Tinh province in general, worth hundreds of millions of VND, such as: calling for support for Tet gifts for lonely elderly people, orphaned children, and those in difficult circumstances; contributing to campaigns to support those in dire straits, affected by natural disasters, epidemics, etc. In addition, since the 2022-2023 school year, Mr. Phan Trong Hai and his friends have connected with the Board of Directors of Nguyen Van Troi High School to establish an annual scholarship fund to support poor but academically excellent students and teachers in difficult circumstances. To date, the fund has provided support in 3 rounds, each round ranging from 25-30 million VND. These days, Mr. Hai is coordinating with Nguyen Van Troi High School to prepare for the next scholarship awarding round in early December 2023.

Mr. Phan Trong Hai (center), along with his friends and the Board of Directors of Nguyen Van Troi High School, awarded scholarships to poor but academically excellent students in February 2023.

Mr. Phan Trong Hai expressed: “The beautiful traditional cultural values ​​of our homeland are always a source of pride and motivation for us to strive in life. And with that in mind, alongside our efforts to create success for ourselves and our families, within our capabilities, we always want to share good things with the community. This starts with charitable work, reaching out to those in difficult circumstances and underprivileged students who have the will to succeed in life.”

The story of Mrs. Ho Thi Thoi and Mrs. Tran Thi Dinh's family makes me think of the bells of Dai Bi Pagoda and many other pagodas, cultural and historical relics in my homeland. There, along with the efforts of the government at all levels and the people in restoring and preserving cultural relics in recent years, the beautiful traditional values ​​of the "Hong Mountain - La River" heritage homeland are gradually being awakened and spread in life.

The rural areas at the foot of Hong Mountain are becoming increasingly well-developed, resounding with the cheerful and happy sounds of winter. In the photo: A corner of the new rural area of ​​Hong Loc commune (Loc Ha district) today.

Winter still arrives with its biting monsoon winds, but the weather is now warmer thanks to prosperity and improved living standards across the region. The Party Committee, government, and people of Ha Tinh have continuously strived for progress. Resolutions of the provincial Party Congresses over the years have outlined numerous directions and tasks to promote development in the economic, cultural, social, educational, and health sectors. In particular, Ha Tinh has identified culture as its intrinsic strength, igniting aspirations and driving forces for development, and the entire political system is actively involved in implementing this with the goal of bringing prosperity and well-being to the homeland.

Another winter has arrived, and although the weather in Central Vietnam remains harsh, life in the countryside of Ha Tinh today resonates with countless vibrant and warm melodies of prosperity, well-being, and loving sharing.

Thien Vy

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nui-hong-song-la/thanh-am-mua-dong/256744.htm