"The land of longevity" in Nghe An

The old man's house nestled beside a small, lush green garden. When we arrived, Mr. Nam was still quick to chat, a gentle smile gracing his face, which bore the deep marks of time.

Her hair was as white as snow, her black headscarf neatly tied back, her teeth were stained black – all evoking the characteristic image of Vietnamese women of the past.

The old man smiled kindly and said, "On paper I'm 105 years old, but actually I'm 108."

Despite being over a hundred years old, Mr. Nam still has a remarkably good memory. He clearly remembers every milestone in his life, including the time he served as a civilian laborer on the front lines during the arduous years of war.

Mrs. Năm, whose birth name was Nguyễn Thị Mày, was from Thanh Tiên commune (formerly Thanh Chương district), now Tam Đồng commune. Later, she married Mr. Võ Văn Lương from Thanh Lĩnh commune – now Đại Đồng commune. They had three children: one son and two daughters.

Mrs. Nam's life was full of hardships. Her husband passed away when she was just over 40 years old, leaving her to single-handedly raise three children and care for her elderly father-in-law.

During those years, the petite woman worked in the fields and raised silkworms to earn extra income. The work was arduous, often leaving before dawn, but she still fulfilled her duties as a mother and daughter-in-law.

She had two daughters and one son. When her son, Vo Van Long (born in 1947), volunteered to join the army, Mrs. Nam still suppressed her emotions as she saw him off to the battlefield. In 1968, her son died at the young age of 18 in a battle in Thua Thien Hue.

The pain of losing a child is an irreplaceable wound. But that mother still managed to stand up, continuing to be a support for her two daughters and her elderly father-in-law. Currently, Mrs. Nam lives with her daughter, Ms. Vo Thi Linh (77 years old). According to Ms. Linh, her mother's diet is very simple and has remained almost unchanged for many years.

"My mother prefers dry food and rarely eats soup. She only eats one bowl of rice per meal. She might have some cereal between meals, but she doesn't like drinking milk. Importantly, she doesn't eat buffalo, beef, dog, or goat meat," Ms. Linh said.

Despite her advanced age, her gentle nature was still evident on her face. According to Mrs. Lan, since her youth, her mother, like many other rural women, spent her days working in the fields. Despite a hard life, Mrs. Binh rarely fell ill.

She only broke her arm in a fall once, and in 2019, she was seriously ill and almost didn't make it. Some people advised her family to let her pass away peacefully. Even a fortune teller said her "lamp was running out of oil." However, thanks to her family's care and the monitoring of the local health station, she gradually recovered. To this day, she remains healthy and is one of the oldest people in the area.

One unusual characteristic of Mr. Binh is his "Giao Chi" feet – a rare feature with two large, curved big toes pointing towards each other. Because of this, he often prefers to go barefoot and rarely wears sandals. Even though his children and grandchildren bought him a pair of flip-flops for convenience, he rarely uses them.

Mrs. Binh's life was full of ups and downs. She was born in Ngoc Son commune, Thanh Chuong district (formerly). After her first husband passed away, she remarried Mr. Le Van Khang in Thanh Ngoc commune, now Dai Dong commune.

The couple had two children, a son and a daughter. But life continued to challenge them when Mr. Khang also passed away prematurely, when their youngest daughter was just over a year old. Then, in 1968, their only son tragically died in a bombing accident.

From then on, only the mother and daughter remained in the small house, relying on each other. Later, she even brought her own mother to live with her in her old age, because she was also their only child.

Currently, Mrs. Binh lives with her daughter, Le Thi Lan, and grandson, after Mrs. Lan's husband passed away 20 years ago. Despite the hardships of her younger years, Mrs. Binh has always maintained an optimistic spirit.

"When she was young, my mother was hardworking, thrifty, and rarely complained. She was also cheerful and didn't hold grudges for long," Ms. Lan shared.

According to Ms. Lan, Mr. Binh's diet was very simple. He ate whatever his family ate, but mainly soft foods like boneless fish, eggs, or porridge. He only ate about half a bowl of rice at each meal. Occasionally, he would drink a little soy milk.

Ms. Lan said: "My maternal side has genes for longevity. My maternal grandmother lived to be 102 years old, and one of my aunts also lived to be over 100 years old."

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, a policy officer in Dai Dong commune, there are currently 50 centenarians in the commune. Among them, Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh is the oldest at 115 years old. In addition, there are two other centenarians, Mr. Nguyen Duy Dien and Ms. Phan Thi Quy, both 110 years old. Over the years, the local authorities have always prioritized the care of the elderly.

On the occasion of each birthday celebration at the beginning of the year, in addition to the benefits stipulated by the State, the commune authorities also organize delegations to visit the homes of the elderly to offer greetings, wishes for longevity, and encouragement for them to live happily and healthily.