The 'secret' to living to a hundred years old of two old ladies in Nghe An

Healthy thanks to eating rice with pickles and drinking stream water

At 105 years old, Mrs. Phan Thi Quy (born in 1916) still uses a cane to walk around the house, still serves herself food and personal hygiene, she does not want to bother her children and grandchildren. Only her ears are a bit "heavy", she has to speak loudly and clearly to hear. But Mrs. Quy's memory is still quite good, still remembering clearly her childhood years.

Phan Thi Quy is 105 years old but still quite alert. Photo: Cong Khang

He said: “My parents were very poor in the past, they worked hard all year round but still did not have enough to eat, rice had to be mixed with cassava and sweet potatoes, they never had meat or fish. I had to work as a servant for a rich family in the village, when I grew up and got married, life was very difficult…”.

Mrs. Phan Thi Quy continued to tell about the years she went upstream on the Trai River, all the way to the Hoa Quan border area (Thanh Huong commune) to cut bamboo to sell to earn money to raise her young children. When going, she walked along the riverbank, carrying on her back rice balls and pre-packaged pickles to eat all day; when returning, she used bamboo to make rafts to float down the river, to the district center to sell to traders.

Mrs. Phan Thi Quy still uses a cane to walk around the house. Photo: Cong Khang

Each trip usually lasted from 3 to 5 days, sometimes in the rain and wind for up to a week. Sometimes when we ran out of rice and food, we had to eat cassava, banana roots and wild vegetables to cope with hunger; when it rained, we had to set up temporary tents to take shelter, the hardships and difficulties were countless. The greatest wish was to have meals without potatoes or cassava, with meat and fish so that the children could eat to satisfy their hunger, pointing toTet holidayjust got

Longevity certificate from the Vietnam Association of the Elderly presented to Ms. Phan Thi Quy on the occasion of her 100th birthday (2016). Photo: Cong Khang

The yearswarDuring the fierce war, her husband went to work as a civilian on the front lines, while Mrs. Quy stayed home to farm and take care of her children, often facing danger when bombs fell near the shelter. Her children grew up over the years, and got married one by one.

In 1999, Mr. Dinh Van Dung (Mr. Quy's husband) passed away. Since then, he has lived with his eldest son, Mr. Dinh Van Quy and his wife. He has 6 children (now 3 remain), nearly 20 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; his children and grandchildren are all grown up and filial, always caring for their parents.

Mrs. Phan Thi Quy currently lives with her eldest son Dinh Van Quy and his wife in Dong Thuong village, Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Cong Khang

"Many people ask me about the secret to longevity, I answer that there is no secret, just eating cold rice with pickled vegetables and drinking stream water!" Mr. Quy added that every time Tet comes, Spring comes, he feels very happy, because his children and grandchildren from far away come to gather and reunite. The extended family has the opportunity to eat a New Year's Eve meal together, watching the grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up and mature, making them feel more excited and proud, more joyful because life is getting more and more prosperous and fulfilling."

Mrs. Phan Thi Quy

Can't remember all the names of the great-grandchildren.

Three years younger than Ms. Phan Thi Quy, Ms. Ngu Thi Du (born in 1919), often called Ms. Huyen, in the same Dong Thuong village, does not need to use a cane to walk, her hearing is still good and her memory is also very sharp. And like Ms. Quy, Ms. Du remembers in detail the major events in her life, especially the difficult and arduous years when carrying out the above duties.river.

“I am a fisherman, born and raised on the river, almost my entire life drifting with boats up and down the river to make a living. During the war, I and my husband were on duty transporting food and weapons to the gathering points, the bombs and bullets were very fierce” – Mrs. Ngu Thi Du recounted.

Ms. Ngu Thi Du talks about her years as a member of the Transport Cooperative. Photo: Cong Khang

Previously, Mr. Du and his wife were members of the Transport Cooperative, carrying out the task of transporting goods and weapons to the battlefields in the South. Leaving their eight children, both young and old, to the Cooperative Management Board to look after, the couple rowed boats along rivers in the North, from Lam River, Ma River to Red River, Da River... to carry out their duties. Sometimes, they went up the Da River to the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, passing through fierce waterfalls, encountering rain and storms and having to go ashore to find shelter from people's houses.

The most memorable were the times when enemy planes discovered and bombed them, the line between life and death was as thin as a thread. Sometimes bombs fell quite close, the boat swayed, but Mrs. Du and her husband were determined not to leave the boat to keep the goods and weapons.

100th birthday greeting card from General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong to Ms. Ngu Thi Du in 2019. Photo: Cong Khang

Then, when crossing a river section with magnetic bombs and time-delayed bombs, the two elders had to move the goods to shore, use ropes to row the boat close to the shore to cross the dangerous area, and when they reached a safe point, transfer the goods back onto the boat and continue the journey. Mr. Du shared: "Surviving such situations can only be said to be lucky, because bombs avoid people, but people cannot avoid bombs."

The Transport Cooperative was dissolved, and Mrs. Ngu Thi Du and her husband continued to depend on the river to make a living, their life was full of hardships and difficulties. In 1997, Mr. Tran Dinh Huyen passed away, and Mrs. Du lived with her youngest son and his wife, Tran Dinh Hau (born in 1962). More than 10 years ago, Mr. Hau bought land and built a house, and from then on, Mrs. Du fulfilled her wish to live on land, escaping the cramped, confined life on a small boat. Up to now, she has 28 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Ngu Thi Du with her youngest son Tran Dinh Hau and his wife. Photo: Cong Khang

“I can't remember all the names of my great-grandchildren, because there are so many.New Year's DayThey all came back, each one greeted me, I had to ask the parents' names to know whose child it was. Seeing them playing happily, I felt even healthier" - Mr. Du confided.

“Mrs. Phan Thi Quy and Ngu Thi Du are exemplary elders who raised and cared for their children and grandchildren to become useful people for society. In addition to the two elders, there are 7 elders in the commune who are 100 years old or older. They are all role models for their families and for the villagers to learn from.”

Mr. Bui Van Nhat - Chairman of the Elderly Association of Thanh Linh Commune