Phuc Khanh Commune Inter-level School No. 1 is located at the end of the main road, a turn to Lang Nu village, a distance of nearly 5 kilometers. This is where students from all over the surrounding highlands come to study.
Students participate in games on the afternoon of December 11 - Photo: H.QUANG
From the intersection of National Highway 70 to Phuc Khanh commune (Bao Yen district, Lao Cai ), trees on both sides of the road are still withered and broken.
Along the only inter-commune road, many steep slopes are still littered with rocks and soil, with some sections of the road surface having collapsed to only half after the historic floods three months ago.
Joy after days of loss
The school bell rang out in the afternoon in the highlands. Hundreds of students rushed out of their classrooms. Their voices calling to each other echoed throughout the school yard.
Putting away their books, Bao (7 years old) and his friends quickly ran back to the warehouse, carrying red plastic chairs and arranging them neatly in a row. The voice of Ms. Trieu Thi Huong (officer of Bao Yen District Youth Union) urged the children to gather in the school yard.
Ms. Huong stirred up the bustling atmosphere with various games. Hundreds of students shouted along with the instructions. Many gifts were also given to the students.
Mr. Pham Duc Vinh, principal of Primary and Secondary School No. 1, Phuc Khanh Commune - Photo: H.QUANG
This is the first activity in the series of Pho Yeu Thuong events taking place on the 11th and 12th of Pho Day.
On the afternoon of December 11, Principal Pham Duc Vinh was busy with 27 teachers assigning tasks and preparing for an event they called "an unprecedented festival".
"Locals also have pho, but the concept of a good bowl of pho is a luxury for children in the highlands.
In the cold of the last days of the year, gathering together to cook and enjoy bowls of pho is an opportunity to connect teachers and students as well as local people" - Mr. Vinh added that for teachers in the highlands, this is also an opportunity to learn how to cook a delicious bowl of pho, and then share it in extracurricular hours.
For the event to take place, Mr. Vinh said that many strict regulations on ensuring food hygiene and safety in schools must be followed because "Theeducation sector said there are very strict requirements on ensuring the origin of input materials."
According to the leader of Phuc Khanh commune, information about the pho festival spread to many people. People in the highlands who are attached to the fields and hills all year round can enjoy and participate in an event like this, which is a great joy for them.
Ms. Loan (51 years old, local) said she has known about many chefs and restaurants from "downstream" coming to cook pho for people for nearly a week.
Having not had a chance to go to Hanoi , she said she was looking forward to the event: "A year of many losses, I hope December 12 will be a small joy for my fellow countrymen."
People and students of Phuc Khanh commune bring rice husks to the spot where the truck got stuck - Photo: H.QUANG
Highland children are eager for Pho Yeu Thuong
Earlier, on the night of December 10, the first trucks carrying Pho Yeu Thuong arrived at Phuc Khanh commune. After 10 pm, the truck driver called to inform that the truck was stuck in a landslide. The midnight rain made the mud even more muddy and slippery.
The teachers rushed to Phuc Khanh School No. 1, along with many local residents. After 15 minutes, they agreed to add a layer of rice husks to the slippery, potholed mud road... to give the truck more grip on the slope.
From the dormitory, seeing the teachers still keeping their lights on at midnight, Hoang Van Phuong and Duong Hoang Viet quickly ran down to the yard to volunteer to get sacks and ask for rice husks from houses near the school.
During the 5km journey to the point where the truck got stuck, two students from Lang Nu village kept talking about how harsh the rainy and flooded days of September were.
Spread with rice husks, the locals helped push the truck up, and it sped over the slippery spot. "Luckily, we'll still have pho to eat tomorrow" - Phuong beamed, not caring at all about her muddy feet.
The 9th grade student added that for many days, during recess, he and his friends were guided by their homeroom teacher to line up and prepare for the gift-giving ceremony to take place in an orderly manner: "We are really looking forward to eating pho from a famous restaurant and also receiving gifts. We didn't think people would come all the way to our hometown to cook pho."
Ms. Thu (Pho Thin Bo Ho) shares about the car stuck at the landslide on the journey to Lang Nu - Photo: H. QUANG
Speaking to Tuoi Tre, Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Bao Yen District (Lao Cai), said that the event Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 is a meaningful activity. He explained the first meaningful thing because pho is a product made from Vietnamese rice and is a favorite dish of Vietnamese people.
Pho Yeu Thuong brings to the highlanders a familiar dish but is prepared according to traditional recipes of famous brands.
No one ever thought this event could be held here: "Organizing Pho Yeu Thuong in Phuc Khanh commune is an activity to share and encourage people in flood-affected areas to overcome the consequences of natural disasters after a year of loss."
Mr. Dung said he highly appreciated Tuoi Tre newspaper for bringing to the people of Lang Nu and Phuc Khanh commune the hearts of philanthropists from all over the country.
In the last days of the year, Mr. Dung hopes that the event will be successful, bringing joy and helping people feel warm towards the days ahead.
Pho carries love to the highlands
Miss Charity Vietnam 2023 Tran My Huyen at the Pho Yeu Thuong event - Photo: H.QUANG
Present at the event, Miss Charity Vietnam 2023 Tran My Huyen said she felt extremely moved to come to Lang Nu.
Natural disasters cause a lot of damage here, but the pain makes the whole country turn towards:
"Since then, I have always wanted to contribute, wanting to come here to encourage, share, and join hands to help people."
Huyen also shared that during her journey to Pho Yeu Thuong, she was both moved and excited to see the new roofs that had been built. When Pho came to Lang Nu, it was the warm love that the organizers as well as many sharing hearts wanted to send to the people in this remote area.
"Hopefully the two-day activities of Pho Yeu Thuong will bring joy to the people of Lang Nu after a year full of loss," Huyen said.
She shared that the Pho Yeu Thuong event held at Primary and Secondary School No. 1 of Phuc Khanh commune is also a message to students in the highlands that only the path of education can help them overcome difficulties and move towards a better life.
Pho with love to Lang Nu
With the desire that the series of events on Pho Day 12-12 is not only about culture and cuisine but also about love, sharing, and full of emotions, Tuoi Tre newspaper cooperated with Lao Cai Provincial Youth Union and Bao Yen district to organize the program Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 at Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 on December 11 and 12.
Here, the artisans of the pho restaurants participating in the program will instruct the women of Phuc Khanh commune and the teachers of Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 how to cook delicious bowls of pho.
Tuoi Tre Newspaper also gave meaningful gifts to 33 households in Lang Nu (households who have just received houses in the new resettlement area), teachers and all students of Phuc Khanh School No. 1. Each of 320 students will receive a gift bag including a backpack, dried pho, sausage and 1 million VND in cash; each teacher will receive a gift of 2 million VND in cash...
And of course, delicious bowls of pho cooked by famous chefs who have won high prizes in the Pho Day event, inviting all the villagers, students and teachers in the commune. It is expected that there will be 2,000 bowls of pho lovingly given to the villagers.
Participating in this year's Pho Yeu Thuong event are famous pho restaurants/shops, such as Pho Thin Bo Ho (Hanoi), Pho 34 Cao Thang (HCMC), Pho S (Sam Ngoc Linh).
There is also the participation of two famous chefs in the culinary world: Master chef Do Nguyen Hoang Long, and "silver star anise" Phan Quy Long, who specializes in cooking pho for family and friends to enjoy.
In addition to the support of famous pho brands and chefs, Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 also received golden hearts of cash and in-kind support from HDBank, Greenfeed, Vietravel Airlines, An Nguyen Bao football team, Acecook, LC Foods, Yen Dao Can Gio, Saigon Cultural Corporation...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thay-tro-lang-nu-hao-huc-doi-pho-yeu-thuong-den-dung-ngay-cua-pho-12-12-20241212080540313.htm
Comment (0)