Truong Yen Preserves the Beauty of the Village Well

Village wells are an indispensable part of the rural landscape of Vietnam in general and Truong Yen commune (Hoa Lu district) in particular. Currently, the Party committee, government, and people of Truong Yen commune are making efforts to preserve the architectural beauty and rural spirit of these village wells, so as to retain beautiful memories for the people of the commune today and in the future.

There's an old saying, "Where there's a well, there's a village." For many, the village well is a deep wellspring of memories from a not-so-distant past, a place where the spirit of the countryside resides, a memory of a bygone era.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nhan, 85 years old, from Thong Bai village, Truong Son hamlet, Truong Yen commune, shared: "Having been connected to Thong Bai village since birth, the memories of the village well are always beautiful memories of a bygone era for elderly people like us."

Since I was born, I've seen the village well. The Thong Bai village well used to be the main water source serving the villagers' daily lives, providing cool, clean water for household use, from cooking to washing clothes and bathing. Everyone in the village had bottles and containers to carry water to their homes. Those who came home tired from working in the fields, tending buffalo, or cutting grass would use the water to drink and wash their faces. It was a bustling place, a stopover for lively conversations after a day's work in the fields...

Nowadays, with modern life and the use of tap water for daily life, although we no longer use water from the village well, we still go to the village well area every day to relax, reminisce about beautiful memories, and tell our children and grandchildren about the historical evidence of a time of poverty, a place that preserves many beautiful memories of community spirit and neighborly love.

Truong Yen Preserves the Beauty of the Village Well — The village well in Thong Bai hamlet, Truong Son village. Photo: Hong Van

The Thong Bai village well is considered a precious treasure of Truong Yen commune. Legend has it that the Thong Bai village well was built approximately 400 years ago. Therefore, the people of Truong Son village always preserve it as a heritage of the village.

Mr. Nguyen Minh De, Head of Truong Son village, Truong Yen commune, said: "From the cultural beauty of the village well, in contemporary life, Truong Son village encourages its descendants to preserve and protect it, regularly carrying out environmental sanitation work and improving the landscape around the well area to ensure it is green, clean, and beautiful."

What is quite special about the well in Thong Bai village, and even more significant, is that the people consider it a precious "dragon vein" because those from Truong Son village who drank from this well's water have all grown up to be successful, excelling in their studies and careers. Some are Lieutenant Generals of the People's Public Security, one is a former Deputy Minister of Transport , one is the General Director of Vietnam Shipping, one is a professor, and over 50 are PhDs and Master's degree holders... Currently, Truong Son village is a model village in the local emulation movements.

For generations, banyan trees, wells, and village communal houses have formed the picture of Vietnamese rural life in general. These images have become ingrained in the consciousness of the people, becoming symbols with spiritual value for many villages and communes.

Therefore, during the process of building new rural areas, advanced new rural areas, and model new rural areas, many village wells in Truong Yen commune have been carefully restored, repaired, and preserved by the local people.

Ms. Le Thi Van, Secretary of the Party branch of Yen Trach village, Truong Yen commune, said: "Yen Trach village has beautiful natural scenery inherited from our ancestors. The village has a village well and an ancient well that was built nearly 100 years ago. In 2020, along with the movement to build model residential areas, the village Party committee and government propagated and mobilized people to contribute funds to renovate and restore the well to ensure its aesthetic beauty in the village's cultural space, preserving the cultural beauty left by our ancestors for generations to come. With affection for the village well, the whole village enthusiastically responded, contributing labor and some donating money to contribute to the restoration of the village well."

Village wells act as an invisible glue, binding people together in harmony and closeness. Preserving this symbol of the countryside in modern times is essential, like a mirror reflecting the legacy of the past, like blood and flesh, like the very soul of the Vietnamese people, needing to be preserved for generations to come.

Comrade Bui Thi Thanh Nhan, a cultural and social affairs official of Truong Yen commune, said: Truong Yen commune has always regarded the village well as a treasure of the countryside, along with the banyan tree, the well, and the communal house courtyard, all of which have been associated with the ups and downs of history. Therefore, Truong Yen commune pays great attention to and focuses on the preservation of ancient wells.

The commune's cultural and social affairs officials have actively advised the Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune to develop projects and include them in annual resolutions to plan for the preservation, maintenance, and promotion of village wells.

In particular, implementing Resolution No. 105/2023/NQ-HĐND dated July 12, 2023, of the Provincial People's Council on a number of policies to support tourism development in the province during the 2023-2030 period, the province has a mechanism to pay special attention to tourism. We actively advised the leaders of Truong Yen commune to develop a plan and propagate and mobilize villages, hamlets, organizations, associations, and the people to participate in restoring and preserving the village well in conjunction with the development of local tourism.

Currently, Truong Yen commune has over 20 village wells. Besides those wells that are regularly maintained and used for community activities, Truong Yen commune is encouraging people to restore long-abandoned village wells to serve the cultural activities of the people, as places for those who have left their hometown to return to, connecting the lives of the people and helping the children of the homeland connect with their roots.

Hong Van

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