An old farmer in Thanh Chuong sadly watched his pumpkin field, which was about to be harvested, being cut off at the roots.

At around 7:30 a.m. on August 31, Mr. Nguyen Van Binh (58 years old) in Chi Kim village, Thanh Chi commune, went to visit his family's pumpkin field at Da Han beach near the Lam river bank and saw that the entire pumpkin field had its roots cut off, and the pumpkin leaves and tops had begun to wither.

Mr. Nguyen Van Binh's pumpkin garden has been cut off and is withering in the field. Photo: Huy Thu

Not only were the pumpkins cut at the roots, some rows of pumpkins and pumpkin plants were also cut into many pieces, many parts of the trellis were cut off, and some pumpkins were cut into many pieces and lying around in the field.

Mr. Binh said that immediately after discovering that his pumpkin field had been vandalized, he reported the incident to the Chi Kim Hamlet Command and Thanh Chi Commune People's Committee. Upon receiving the information, this morning, the Thanh Chi Commune Police and Thanh Chuong District Police were present at Mr. Binh's pumpkin field to investigate the incident.

Most of the pumpkin plants in the garden were cut off at the base by the bad guys. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Binh, his family's pumpkin field has an area of ​​about 1 sao with 7 rows of pumpkin (14 rows of pumpkin) that he and his wife planted 3 months ago at a cost of about 5 million VND. To grow the pumpkin well, he and his wife invested a lot of time and effort.

Because the pumpkin field is far from the water source, every day the couple has to take turns carrying water from the ponds in the area to water the pumpkins. The pumpkin garden is green and fresh, with many fruits, and has already yielded its first harvest. On the morning of August 30, the couple cut the pumpkins to sell to traders and took them to the market for 2.3 million VND.

Yesterday afternoon, both husband and wife went to take care of the pumpkins in the field and did not return until evening. His wife, Tran Thi Lai (58 years old), said: "Yesterday afternoon, I just carried 20 buckets of water to water the pumpkins. When I heard early this morning that the pumpkin fields were cut down to the roots, I felt heartbroken."

The first harvest of pumpkin fields was destroyed. Photo: Huy Thu

It is known that Mr. Binh is a member of the Thanh Chi Commune Veterans Association. When the locality had a policy to implement a model of growing green squash, he and his wife responded positively. They thought the squash field would bring benefits to the family, but unexpectedly, the roots were cut off and the squash died in the field.

Present at Mr. Binh's pumpkin field, many people could not help but feel sad for the couple who had put in so much effort, but when the pumpkins were ready to be harvested, they were destroyed by evil people. Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh (67 years old), a resident of Chi Kim hamlet, shared: Mr. Binh and his wife lived a peaceful life, worked hard, but when we heard that the pumpkin field was cut down to the roots and all the pumpkins withered, we also felt shocked, worried, and indignant. We do not know which heartless person destroyed Mr. Binh's pumpkin field.

Rows of squash with heavy fruit are wilting after being cut at the base. Photo: Huy Thu

It is known that Mr. Binh's family had previously destroyed this field twice. Once, they planted soybeans and once, they planted cucumbers, but the roots were cut off by the bad guys at night. In addition, the acacia trees in his family's forest were also burned when they were first planted. Both times the bad guys destroyed the field, he reported the incident to the local authorities, but the culprit was still not found.

Mr. Binh added: Since the pumpkin garden was cut down, the authorities have come to investigate, local leaders, representatives of departments and branches as well as villagers have come to encourage me, I am very touched. I earnestly request the authorities to clarify the incident, so that my family and the people in the village can feel secure in doing business and production, without being stalked and sabotaged by bad guys.

Mr. Binh sat sadly next to the pumpkin field that was gradually withering. Photo: Huy Thu

Ms. Tran Thi Truc - Chairman of Thanh Chi Commune People's Committee said: I am currently on a business trip to Thanh Hoa and have learned about the vandalism of Mr. Nguyen Van Binh's family's pumpkin field in Chi Kim village. I have directed the local police force to investigate vigorously, hoping to soon find the perpetrators of the vandalism, to handle them according to the provisions of the law.

On the afternoon of August 31, Thanh Chi commune contacted the buyer and mobilized local people to support Mr. Binh's family in harvesting and consuming the remaining squash in the field.