The mark of Art in the capital

(Baonghean) - Perhaps in Hanoi, there are few places with such a strong presence of the spirit of Nghe An people. From the literary field to public offices, Nghe An people, more specifically Nghe An people, have contributed their efforts with certain marks.

Poet Hoang Cat, who has lived in Hanoi for more than 50 years, once jokingly said: “In the past, the Army Literature Magazine was still called the Army Literature Magazine of Nghe, because there were so many Nghe people working in this magazine, almost absolutely.” There are not as many Nghe people in this military literature magazine as there used to be, but on the squares of bold letters printed on the paper, Nghe writers still sign their names under many works.

UNESCO Club of Vi Giam folk songs performing at West Lake (Hanoi). Photo: Le Thanh Phong

Hanoi is entering autumn this season, a gentle autumn that breathes into the air the gentle scent of young rice and the intense scent of milk flowers. Hanoi in autumn resembles the figure of a young girl, gracefully wearing a light ao dai, lifting her pink heels as she steps into the bustling streets.

Autumn in Hanoi deserves to be the most beautiful season, beautiful not only because of the scenery of the land and sky but also because of the successive autumns. That autumn, the general who was familiar with the dusty wars also returned, having lived through many historical autumns of Hanoi. In a small house located far away from the noisy streets, in a deep alley, was the home of Lieutenant General Nguyen Quoc Thuoc, a son of Nghi Loc. After many years of dedicating his youth to the independence and unification of the country, the general returned to the role of a National Assembly Representative for many terms. The frankness of the Nghe people, the spirit of a military general who understood the value of today made him one of the names mentioned a lot in the parliament at that time. At that time, the proverb was still popular: Nhat Thuoc - Nhi Tran - Tam Lan - Tu Quoc (delegates: Nguyen Quoc Thuoc, Nguyen Ngoc Tran, Nguyen Lan Dung, and Duong Trung Quoc).

Away from the parliament, but with a pot of green tea from Nghe An brought from his hometown, he still does not let his heart be at peace with the world. Before each hot issue of the country, he is still ready to open his heart to the press, to his friends and comrades...

On another level, there are countless ordinary people who suffer. They come here to study or are mothers and fathers who rent houses to study with their children. I met Ms. Phuong (Yen Thanh), a simple country woman who is only familiar with the fields and has accepted to leave her village to join the junk collectors here, the simple reason being to take care of her daughter who is studying here. She rents a house with other fellow countrymen, each with their own reasons for leaving their homeland, but in that cramped and deprived space, the love of fellow countrymen is like an underground thread connecting them together, sharing every difficulty, caring for each life.

Also right in the middle of Hanoi, you will not have too much difficulty finding a Nghe An restaurant. There are countless Nghe An eel restaurants, and strangely, every restaurant is crowded with people. Mrs. Lien's restaurant on Doi Can Street (Ba Dinh) has been here for more than 10 years. Originally from Do Luong, her restaurant has created jobs for many descendants from the countryside. Not only because of the delicious and eye-catching dishes, but more than that, Nghe An dishes are like a culinary ambassador connecting people far from home with the harsh, arid land. Coming to Nghe An restaurants like that, people can easily hear the "pleasing" sounds of their hometown. No longer have to try hard to speak in a common accent or twist their tongue to sound like a "Ha Noi" accent, as a friend of mine said: "When you come here, just speak with Nghe An accent. Don't worry about anyone being surprised or worried".

Hanoi also has another place associated with Nghe An people, which is the "Ho Cuu Toc Dong Duong" church. The elders of Ho Khau village where the church is located recounted that two brothers with the last name Ho in Nghe An left their hometown to work far away, and one of them stayed and lived in Ho Khau village. Mr. Vu Ho Luan - Head of the Management Board of Ho Khau communal house and pagoda relics, Buoi ward, who is also a Ho, added that according to the elders, when King Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue (aka Ho Thom) led his army to the North to fight the Qing army, he brought along many people with the last name Ho, and then settled scatteredly in Thang Long.

Not far from Ho Khau village is West Lake, where this vast river still holds many layers of mystery. Here, poetess Ho Xuan Huong once established Co Nguyet Duong as a place to discuss literature and poetry. Underneath those layers of water, many people still believe that there is a tomb of a poetess from Quynh. One of the bases is the poem "Long Bien Truc Chi Tu" by Tung Thien Vuong (Mien Tham), when in 1842 the poet escorted his brother King Thieu Tri (1840 - 1847) to the North to receive Chinese envoys. Mien Tham ordered her maid to West Lake to pick lotus flowers to offer to the altar, and also instructed: "The lake is full of brilliant lotus flowers/ Send someone down to pick them to offer to the altar/ Do not climb on Xuan Huong's tomb/ The stream of life is still angry with the missed fate/ The lotus has withered and the powder has washed away in the wild grave/ Xuan Huong has passed away on the green grass path/ Her drunken soul is silent/ How many times has the spring wind blown, who knows about her love" (translated by Prof. Hoang Xuan Han).

Hanoi is getting bigger and bigger, the old capital has changed many times, but among the noisy streets, the moving city, people from all over the world, the people of Nghe An, the imprint of the people of Nghe An still exists in every piece of land...

Ho Viet Thinh