Stories about the Nghe people in Vung Tau
(Baonghean.vn) - Most of the Nghe An people living, working and doing business in the coastal city of Vung Tau (Ba Ria - Vung Tau) are hard-working, united, consider Vung Tau as their second hometown but never forget their hometown Nghe An - where they were born.
Good land attracts birds
“After more than 40 years of working and living in Vung Tau, I always believe that Vung Tau is my second homeland but also a “foreign land”. Nghe An people always live up to the tradition of their heroic Soviet homeland”, Colonel Tran Van Giao - a retired naval officer originally from Do Luong district, currently living in Vung Tau city confided.
After several attempts at persuasion, Colonel Tran Van Giao finally let me meet him to ask him about his personal and common feelings after decades of making a living in a foreign land. A pot of hot green tea was brought from the kitchen to the guest house by Mrs. Hoa (Mr. Giao’s wife). Mr. Giao began the conversation: “Vung Tau has many Nghe An people living. Each person has a different profession, but they all have one thing in common: they are patient, hard-working and quite united. Vung Tau is my family’s second homeland.”
Mr. Giao said: From his poor hometown Dang Son Do Luong Nghe An, in February 1975 he joined the army. The blood of "Soviet Nghe Tinh" flowed in his heart, and then in 1988, he and his teammates on ship HQ-11 of the 171st Naval Brigade sailed to Truong Sa to build an island.
After the “Gac Ma 1988” incident, Mr. Giao was considered a “survivor” who returned. His military career was arduous, with him serving on the front lines of the Fatherland all year round and he decided to choose Vung Tau to live and work, so in 1994, Mr. Giao brought his wife from Do Luong to Vung Tau to live.
In recognition of his contributions, the army gave him a small piece of land on Cau Chay dirt road (now Do Luong street, ward 11, Vung Tau city). “Those days were very difficult. I brought my wife and children to Vung Tau but did not know how to make a living when the house had “four open-mouthed ships”. My wife had to do all kinds of jobs to earn money to buy rice. After that, she applied to teach at Phuoc Thang Secondary School. It can be said that Vung Tau is a livable place. Thanks to this land, my two children have become successful people. My daughter is a doctor at the Vietnam - Russia Joint Venture Vietsovpetro, my son works at Tan Cang Saigon Corporation. They all have stable families. Every year I return to my hometown because there are still the graves of my grandparents, ancestors and relatives there,” Mr. Giao shared.
To better understand the Nghe people who live and do business in the oil-rich coastal city, on a weekend afternoon, I took my camera to Long Cung beach. The waves were roaring, the sun was golden like honey. I approached two fishermen who were removing their nets on the hot sand to ask them about their livelihood, and unexpectedly they were a couple from Quynh Luu district (Nghe An).
A man named Nguyen Hai Dang said that he and his wife came to Vung Tau to start a business in 2003. In his hometown, he worked as a fisherman, so when he came to Vung Tau, he also chose to fish close to shore for a living. His wife and he started their work at 3am, casting nets along Long Cung beach. When the sun rose, they would collect the nets. “Although this job doesn’t make much money, it’s enough to live and send their children to school. Vung Tau people are very good at eating. They like to buy fish that have just been caught in nets, not fish that are frozen, so the price is also more expensive.”
“Are there many people from the same hometown who do the same job as you?” I asked. “There. That’s Mrs. Sa. She’s from the same district as me. She has a difficult situation. Her husband died early, and she raised her children alone. The good thing is that she works very hard, everyone loves her,” Mr. Hai explained.
Promoting Nghe An talent
Choosing Vung Tau as his second hometown for his military career, Captain Nguyen Quang Anh - Head of the Cultural House, Political Department, Border Guard Command of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is known as a "public figure" because of his talent in transmitting Nghe An folk songs to officers and soldiers in the unit.
Originally from Quynh Thang commune, Quynh Luu district, Nguyen Quang Anh chose Vung Tau as his second hometown for two reasons: First, this is where his unit is stationed; second, he wants to bring Nghe An folk culture to blend with Vung Tau's coastal village culture in his role as Head of the Cultural House of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Border Guard Command.
“I graduated from the Military University of Culture and Arts, Department of Cultural Management. That was the background knowledge for me to bring Nghe An folk songs into the hearts of the officers and soldiers of my unit. In addition to songs praising the army, the Party, and Uncle Ho, I took advantage of my days off and breaks to sing Nghe An folk songs for the soldiers to listen to.
Not only soldiers from Nghe An like it, but many officers and soldiers when listening to me sing, they all feel the peace and tenderness in the lyrics. For example, the song "Nguoi di xay ho Ke Go" is one of the songs that soldiers love very much. We Nghe people are like that. Having talent, having aptitude, we spread it to the community so that everyone knows and enjoys it. To promote my inherent talent, in addition to my main job as a soldier, I also write for newspapers and write poems to make life more poetic", Captain Quang Anh shared.
I met Ms. Le Thi Binh (originally from Lang Khe, Dong Van commune, Thanh Chuong district) in the program “Happy and sad crane age” organized by Ba Ria - Vung Tau Radio and Television. Talking about her life devoted to teaching, Ms. Binh did not forget to mention the proud memories of her time as a student in 1978 of the 20th century.
“In 1978, I and 600 students from Nghe An were transferred to Dong Nai to study pedagogy. After the liberation, the Southeast region was seriously short of teachers. In 1983, I came to Vung Tau and taught there until my retirement. In Vung Tau, there are many compatriots from Thanh Chuong district. Many are also successful businessmen in this land. Some are fishermen, some are workers, some are traders. I always call it “a Thanh Chuong in the heart of Vung Tau city”.
One thing we are very proud of is that we are very united. Every year when Tet comes, we hold meetings with the Nghe An Association in Vung Tau, then the Thanh Chuong Association. Vung Tau City is a livable, friendly and peaceful place. That is also the reason why my children and grandchildren all started their careers and grew up here,” Ms. Binh shared.
