The peaceful beauty of the Sinh Duoc Cooperative space

The small road leading to the Sinh Duoc Cooperative is like a soft silk strip across the memory. Under the banyan tree, the bamboo hedge is green, the sunlight penetrates through the leaves, weaving golden streaks across the ground. The early summer wind carries the sweet scent of new straw, the scent of soapberry, and herbs wafting from the drying yards... Coming to this place, each step is like touching a fairyland, as if the old rhythm has stopped, never fading away...

The road to the cooperative was flagged before the country's important holiday.

Passing the drying yard, one comes across golden straw, stacked neatly like small hills, silent in the midday sun. Next to them, there are many earthenware jars. Listening to the cooperative manager's introduction, "The covered jars contain plum wine, the upside-down jars are waiting to ferment a new batch, there are so many jars, even if you invite people to come and visit, you never know when they will run out."

The cooperative has many areas with bold Vietnamese cultural designs.

Simple words mixed with the rustling, creaking sound of green bamboo. The whispers of nature, blending with many stories of the earth, of the sky and of the hard-working hands of farmers working day and night.

Over the past decades, the cooperative has produced many products from herbs: soap, shampoo, bath oil, essential oils... to: Bodhi leaf mosaics, embroidery... and other lines: reconstructed ancient costumes, antique models... typical of the ancient capital. All are imbued with the love of the land in the heart of love for the village, homeland, deeply rooted in traditional culture.

Children playing in experiential activities.

Sinh Duoc Cooperative is not rushing to join the tourism wave that is whispering throughout the countryside. Mr. Vu Trung Duc, the cooperative's director, advocates not building resorts, not homestays, not collecting entrance fees... but the gate is always left open as a simple invitation: anyone who stops by can stay, drink a cup of tea, walk barefoot on the cool brick floor, visit this corner and that corner, everywhere there is something good and interesting.

A familiar scene in the cooperative yard.

Vu Trung Duc was born in 1988, graduated from the University of Technology, although there were many career opportunities, he and his wife decided to return to their hometown to start a business, to nurture the economic and cultural life of the community. The person who keeps the fire burning for the cooperative has never considered himself a businessman. People affectionately call Duc "the head of the cooperative", from morning to night, meticulously and tirelessly doing this and that, without rest.

Jars of plum wine are brewed according to a special recipe.

His passion is not entirely focused on revenue, but on the people's life of production and labor, filled with excitement and optimism. They enjoy a friendly, clean, yet unique working environment, and after work they can return to their families, eat, sleep at home, and be close to their loved ones. Vu Trung Duc always has one thing in mind: How can people not live far from home?

Cooperative members work and produce all four seasons of the year.

That question is not a vague ideal but a genuine concern, stemming from witnessing many buses and trains leaving the village; many empty houses; many wishes of fathers and mothers and the struggles of people who choose to start a business in a faraway place. Because of that feeling, he chose to return and set up a cooperative not only for production but more importantly to keep people, keep land and keep the homeland.

The scene evokes memories.

"The head teacher" has a thin figure and is always busy. Sometimes in the morning, you can see him leisurely herding buffaloes to the field, and a moment later, he is busy with documents and research. He loves the village, listening to every beat to think and imagine what he wants to do for the village.

The cooperative produces a wide range of products that bear the shape of memories.

Vu Trung Duc has a special passion for traditional culture. Ancient costumes from the Ly and Tran dynasties; ancient mascots, from dragons, phoenixes to chimeras, toads... are all carefully restored by him. Under the hands of the "never-quiet" director, the treasure trove of memories that seemed to have slept deep in the ground has now come alive, vibrant and soulful.

The cooperative is covered with trees.

In Vu Trung Duc, there is a strange blend between the rusticity of a farmer and the sophistication of an artist, a scientist . Although his hands and feet are covered in mud, he is still full of thoughts, close and profound. And thanks to that, Sinh Duoc Cooperative not only produces products but also becomes a space to preserve and breathe life into local culture, so that the past does not fade away, but lives on in every breath of the present.

Bodhi trees are planted in many areas.

The cooperative has created jobs for the elderly, the young, anyone who wants to stay in the countryside, work hard to earn income, and have fun. Every day, people still collect herbs for processing, some embroider pictures, arrange Bodhi leaves, and perform steps to make handicraft products... Under the hands of Vu Trung Duc and like-minded people, a peaceful path has opened up, so that the people of Gia Sinh hometown do not have to leave their roots behind.

Drying Bodhi leaves after a few manual steps to make paintings.

The cooperative landscape is simply beautiful but full of aesthetics: shady bodhi trees, golden straw drying in the yard, wind playing through the thatched roof, herds of buffalo leisurely grazing in the fields... Every now and then, the internal newsletter resounds with lovely announcements about this buffalo "sister" or that buffalo "brother" family having a new member, what is the name of that "baby" calf... so that everyone can rejoice together. The rhythm of life is gentle, profound, keeping the integrity and sincerity from the smallest things, it seems easy but it is not easy at all.

Familiar image of "homeroom teacher".

There, the peace is real, the people's hearts are real, like a jar of water under the tree canopy, cool and not kept for anyone. The cooperative still carries the spirit from ancient times, where the story of Zen Master - Famous Physician Nguyen Minh Khong of the Ly Dynasty went to find medicine to cure the king's "tiger transformation" disease and found many precious medicinal herbs, so he named this place Sinh Duoc (where medicinal plants live).

People take a break after work.

Vu Trung Duc chose to build work and space in a sustainable and kind way, reawakening the old dream of Sinh Duoc village: a place where every leaf and every root can contribute to the homeland, helping people live healthy, happy and meaningful lives. In all four seasons, the cooperative space is like a country song, where the sound of labor blends with the sun and wind.

Peaceful features of Vietnamese countryside.

Everyone who comes here, no matter who they are, can find something interesting for themselves: some sit for hours admiring the paintings; some try their hand at herbal products; some like to touch the rustic but sincere handmade products; some are fascinated by the restored ancient costumes and antiques...

Although rustic, all the cooperative's works are arranged and planned reasonably.

That space is for viewing, living, experiencing and understanding a village that is quietly preserving memories, recreating traditions in every contemporary breath. The cooperative is like an open museum, because here, culture is to be touched, to feel and to "bring home" in each person's own way.

Loofah is dried before being made into many useful products.

Under the shade of the trees or in the workshop, people chatted animatedly, telling each other stories about the village, the seasons, and the years away from home and then returning. The atmosphere was one of community reunion, each person doing a hand, each doing a part, together creating a colorful, warm and affectionate picture of labor.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ve-dep-binh-yen-cua-khong-gian-hop-tac-xa-sinh-duoc-post879370.html