Cherish the word "compatriots".

(Baonghean) - Language, clothing, rituals, and customs create the diverse identities of ethnic groups, while love and solidarity create the strength of all of us!

1. On a day in April, the wind still carried a hint of chill, but the sun shone brightly everywhere. The sunlight wasn't harsh, but seemed transparent, as if made of sparkling shards of glass... All of this urged one to seek out a close friend, a familiar corner, sing an old song, or simply be silent. Silent, yet breathing in the space that felt like it came from memory, a flickering childhood dream. What are you dreaming of? Oh, it seems I'm dreaming of haystacks and peaceful smoke, the birds singing on the branches of the apricot blossoms with their delicate pink buds. And you? Ah, I'm remembering the buzzing of bees in the forest, the gentle murmur of the waterwheel turning peacefully by the stream at the edge of the village. I remember the mountains, the loom under my mother's hands suddenly displaying patterns of the sun, then the images of plants, animals, and animals on the fabric...

Sharing in the festivities. Photo: Tran Hai

I held your hand. We were both, one a child of the plains, the other from the distant mountains; I was Kinh, my friend Thai. In some joyful gathering, when I sang folk songs, my friend sang traditional songs. What brought us together, and made us inseparable? We asked each other this question many times, jokingly, but neither of us answered.

2. We didn't answer, but we both knew one thing deeply: we shared a common origin, a common land. You might remember the fields, I might remember the rice paddies, but it was a strip of land that our ancestors shed blood and bones to protect for thousands of years. It wasn't just me; you and I shared countless deep bonds of affection between the Khmu and Odu people, with the Tho and Muong people, and between the Mong and Dan Lai people... I told you the story of "The Dragon and the Immortal," about the 100 children of Lac Long Quan and Au Co who migrated to the mountains and the sea to form and proliferate the various regions and ethnic groups of the Bach Viet people. You told me the story of "The Mother Gourd," that we were all born from the same gourd, children of a certain couple. The Xa, Thai, Lu, Lao... and finally the Kinh people emerged from it. And because there were so many children, they couldn't raise them all, so the parents divided them up to find food in different directions. From there, ethnic groups were formed in various territories, each with its own way of life and cultural identity, but in terms of origin, they all emerged from a single gourd, born from one mother.

3. Although the stories may have different plots, they all explain that we share a common bloodline. Our country has gone through countless ups and downs and the vicissitudes of life, but the peoples have always stood side by side, cherishing and harmonizing with each other, even though each ethnic group has its own identity and language. The story of the hundred eggs, or the gourd, is it real or illusory, history or legend? That question is no longer important, because the life of an individual or a nation does not depend on what actually happened, but on what is believed, cherished, and desired. And a strong nation is one that knows how to unite, cherishes the word "compatriots," and shares the same beliefs and aspirations.

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