But Linh village pond

But Linh used to be called But Luyen, in An Hoa commune, Quynh Luu district. Villagers said that decades ago, standing at the beginning of the village and looking far away, one could see a range of limestone cliffs, with two stone pillars protruding like two pens and a rock pool resembling an inkstone, so it was called Hon But, Hon Nghien. The name of that village, the name of that land sounded solemn, like the reputation of a village of scholars?

“Not really, the village is purely agricultural, has a traditional weaving profession and for the past thirty years has “become” a mason. Life is basically comfortable, children are educated properly, but have not really achieved success to be called a land of learning, perhaps it is because of the destiny that Hon But and Hon Nghien are somewhat inclined towards Quynh Doi?” - the villagers confided.

But Linh village pond exudes the fragrant scent of lotus. Photo: Huong Thao

But Linh village has its own charm. Talking about the village pond - the reason that brought me to But Linh - is also full of stories that I can freely write about. Hoe - my classmate, a son of the village, one day wrote excitedly on his personal Facebook that the village pond project has taken shape, that from a pond with stagnant water and overflowing garbage, it has now become beautiful with brick-paved banks and fragrant lotus scent every day.

The pond is the vitality, the soul of the village. The pond is the green lung. The pond is also feng shui. In the memories of the elders, the pond of But Linh village in the past was full and clear, standing on the bank one could see the bottom. At noon, when returning from the fields in the late afternoon, the villagers had to stop by the village pond to tilt their hats to scoop water to wash their faces, fix their hair, and look in the mirror. Around the pond bridge, people washed potatoes, people cleaned mussels, the voices and laughter of the women were bustling and bustling. In those days, every dry season, the villagers carried water from the village pond to fill their jars and pots in their houses; in the flood season, everyone called out to each other with their baskets, fishing nets, nets, etc. to catch shrimp and fish in the pond. The cool and windy pond bank is also a place for many couples to confide and date… The pond is so familiar and closely connected to the village’s life that, intentionally or unintentionally, the villagers call “pond” by “o” like a village girl. People from the village set out to travel far and wide, using the pond as a landmark to return home.

It seemed like the village and the pond still existed, but day by day, year by year, the village changed with the whirlwind of market life, life became more prosperous, but the village pond withered away. The pace of life became more urgent, how many people still carried their burdens to the pond to rest? Every house had a well and a tap to supply water to their homes, how many people still asked for pond water to store in jars and pots?

It seems that everyone is busy making a living, so there are fewer and fewer villagers sitting on the pond bank and chatting leisurely. As a result, the pond is forgotten... Passing by the pond bank, people conveniently throw rubbish; wastewater from this house and that house also competes to dump it. Gradually, the village pond - the mirror of the village - becomes a stagnant pond, a spontaneous garbage dump. Visitors to the village can hardly imagine that this place used to be a pond! People turn their backs on the village pond, people... hold their noses to avoid the village pond!

Over the past few decades, the pond has been encroached upon and heavily polluted. Occasionally, during leisurely drinks, villagers would regretfully mention the pond, saying “if only…”.

But Linh villagers donated stone benches to set up around the village pond. Photo: Huong Thao

But that said, the dredging, renovation, and embellishment of the village pond must wait for someone to initiate it. In the @-era village, in addition to chatting over green tea beds, thousands of people from near and far also connect through the fanpage "But Luyen Village". Coming here, the most bustling thing is the information surrounding the pond, which "boiled" starting in 2019, was caught up in several epidemics, and was finally completed today. Hoe - the "reluctant treasurer" of the village pond renovation project regularly posts details and publicly discloses the contributions. The exact calculation of 350 million eight hundred and thirty-two thousand dong, all from the kind-hearted donations of But Linh villagers, including children, siblings, and in-laws near and far.

“Treasurer” Hoe showed me the notebook that he had kept for years like a treasure, due to his innate meticulousness, and also because of his fate of “eating at home, carrying the burden of the village” and having to worry about everything, he told me: Everywhere there are all kinds of people, this and that, but in the end, I really appreciate the love of the villagers! If you look at this list, you will see that there are people who are business owners, doing well and contributing tens of millions, people who run markets and sell things and contribute fifty or one hundred, children far away from home send back five hundred, one million… The money is small but the heart is big, all are good deeds for the village, for the origin of the homeland!

Coming to But Linh, hearing the story of the village pond restoration is deeply moving. Is there any place as full of love for the countryside as here, when the women and mothers of the small traders at the village market gather together to collect small change, smooth it out and put it in the hands of the "treasurer"; the village men also plant colorful Bauhinia flowers around the pond, and take the time every morning and evening to prune and cultivate the roots; the village's in-laws support the solar-powered lighting system, helping the pond bank to be sparkling, splendid, and beautiful...

People of But Linh village plant trees along the pond bank, responding to the first tree planting festival of 2021. Photo: Huong Thao

The stagnant pond has now been revived, the villagers have planted fragrant pink lotus flowers, becoming an ideal place for community activities every morning and afternoon. Walking on the bank of the pond, now paved with beautiful red bricks, you can hear the voices, the laughter of children, the radio playing exercise music, the villagers talking about whose fields have a good harvest this year, whose children have just passed the university entrance exam, stories at home, outside the alley and even world-class stories, and you feel happy with But Linh village!

But, there are still worries! Worrying that the project still owes the contractor more than a hundred million, still needs people from near and far to continue to support. Worrying that the pond has been renovated, but how long it can be kept clean and beautiful depends on the awareness of some people and the responsibility of the local government. Worrying about further things, hoping even further, that after the success of the village pond project, everyone will unanimously agree to restore some spiritual sites in the area. Like the village pond, the old communal houses and temples are still preserved in the memories of the villagers, they still whisper to their children and grandchildren about that sacred and respectful feeling, and the restoration is not simply because of spiritual beliefs, but more than that, it is to kindle and pass on to future generations the flame of love for Vietnamese heritage.