Reach out and take the honey from heaven.

Long ago, shortly after liberation, Mr. Chau Oanh Si (born in 1959) moved from Soc Trang to live in Van Giao commune (now An Cu commune). The population was sparse, with only small houses visible far apart. By my estimation, there were more palm trees than people. Without anyone telling them to, the able-bodied men focused on this tree as their livelihood. Their only "capital" for this profession was their fearless spirit!

Mr. Si starts his day by collecting palm sap.

This is because the palm tree, which belongs to the same family as the coconut tree, has a rough trunk, making it difficult to cling to. The biggest nightmare for those working in this profession is encountering weak fronds; grabbing onto them means certain death, leaving their lives to chance. Or, even more common, rotting bamboo stalks, causing the entire body's center of gravity to suddenly become unstable.

"The 'dai' is essentially a bamboo ladder attached to a palm tree, making it easier for people to climb. Skilled people source bamboo from villages and hamlets, selecting mature, straight-trunked trees that meet their standards, buying them for a few tens of thousands of dong each, and using them for up to two years."

But one shouldn't be complacent, because bamboo structures endure sun and rain day after day, rotting from the inside, a condition difficult to detect with the naked eye. Just last month, Mr. Si fell from a 5-6 meter tall tree, sprained his arm, and his face swelled up, forcing him to temporarily "hang up his sword."

"Palm sugar was dirt cheap a few decades ago, around 2,500 VND/kg. Those who were skilled could produce 20-30 kg a day. Life in the countryside was difficult; people would do whatever earned money, there weren't many choices. I didn't know how to climb trees to collect sap, I just watched others do it and imitated them."

"When you're young, your limbs are strong, you can grip the tree trunk firmly, pull a short rope under your feet, and in a dozen steps you'll reach the top. After you're no longer young, you climb using bamboo platforms, constantly maintaining your balance. Almost every palm tree climber has experienced falling from a tree, only the severity differs," Mr. Si sighed.

Mr. Chau Cop is skilled at the job of extracting palm sap.

But the profession has never been unforgiving to those who are diligent and hardworking. Early in the morning, before dawn, he would carry several plastic containers to the palm grove, climbing from tree to tree until the sun was too strong, then he would climb down and go home to rest. After lunch, he would carry his carrying pole back to the grove, searching for sap until the afternoon sun faded completely.

He diligently climbs 30 trees a day, collecting 120 liters of honey, which he brings home for his wife to cook. 30 liters of fresh honey yields 4 kg of sugar. Buyers purchase it for 27,000-28,000 VND per kg. After deducting the cost of burning the honey, he pockets 10,000 VND per kg. His income comes from hard work; he's not wealthy, but he's not destitute either.

Palm trees yield sap year-round, so those working in the trade don't fear unemployment. The only difference is that there's significantly more sap during the dry season. During the Chôl Chnăm Thmây season, palm trees are in high demand, with increased consumption in villages, hamlets, and temples – a "golden season" for palm tree climbers. This type of tree thrives around the Bảy Núi (Seven Mountains) region; it remains tall and strong even when transported far away, contributing little by little to the world's harvest.

The palm tree's life cycle, from planting to 30 years before it yields fruit, makes commercial cultivation a rare idea. Perhaps, the ripe palm fruit falls to the ground, silently sprouting into a tree, maturing under favorable weather conditions. The landowner then "makes a fortune" by renting out the trees at market prices. The most expensive option is 100,000 VND per tree per year, while cheaper options involve renting an entire plot of land, roughly 1-2 million VND per area regardless of the number of trees. In short, the palm tree provides a source of income for people, in one way or another. Calling it a "gift from heaven" is not an exaggeration.

Interestingly, if you harvest the nectar every day, the tree will produce more nectar the next day. Every day, people have to time it perfectly to see when the flowers release the right amount of water so they can climb the tree to collect it. Then, they use a knife to cut a new circular section from the top of the flower, discarding it and creating a new section to collect more water. A one-day interruption significantly reduces the amount of water.

Those who work in this profession rarely take time off, because every day off means a day of lost income, and they can't make up for it the next day. Because of this close relationship, they always remember the characteristics of each bamboo plant: male or female, the quality of the water, its temperament; whether the bamboo shoots are old enough to be replaced or not…

Then, the tradition was passed down from father to son. Even before he could read, Chau Cop (born in 1986) knew how to extract palm sap by following his father, Chau Oanh Si, to the fields.

“Of the four siblings, I was the oldest, so I had to help my parents as much as I could. Looking around, there was no job more suitable than collecting palm sap. At 17, I officially started my career, climbing the palm trees on my own, no longer accompanying my father. The initial feeling was fear; I trembled with every step. Now, I've been doing this job for 22 years, and I've fallen twice, which has affected my spine to some extent,” he recounted.

Life repeats itself; now, four children trail behind Mr. Cop to the palm fields, watching him nimbly climb the trees. The oldest is not yet 10 years old, the youngest is just learning to walk. When I asked, "What if the children want to follow in your footsteps?", he pondered for a few minutes.

Then he said, "For now, I'll try my best to ensure the children get a proper education, and see what happens. If any of them want to follow the trade, I'll teach them; I can't stop them. The work is hard, but it provides a steady income, and it's a way to stay connected to our homeland. Maybe later, the children will learn how to improve the process, extracting palm sap more scientifically , making it less labor-intensive and more productive..."

Text and photos: GIA KHÁNH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/vuon-tay-lay-mat-cua-troi-a425246.html