Joy alongside the betel nut vendor's cart.

(Baonghean) - "Nowadays, elderly people no longer have to worry about their children and families like before. Carrying betel nuts and leaves is just to feel happy, healthy, and to do work they love..." - Mrs. Phat confided.

Every evening, after dinner, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phat (80 years old) from Hamlet 3, Son Hai Commune (Quynh Luu District) brings her basket of betel leaves and nuts to the front of her house, gently washing each leaf. After washing, she shakes off all the water before arranging the leaves together and putting them into a basket. Mrs. Phat has been involved in the betel leaf business since she was very young. She says that back then, in Ngo village, only her mother sold betel leaves and nuts, and there were always many customers. “I started helping my mother carry betel nuts to the market early in the morning. During the flood season, when the water was waist-deep, my mother still regularly carried betel nuts to Thoi Market, then to Song Ngoc Market, and finally to Ngo Market. Of all the markets, Ngo Market was the most consistent place for her to sell. The betel nut selling business has stayed with me until now. It was thanks to this betel nut business that Doai and Trung were able to get a proper education. The betel nut trading business has many pleasures, the greatest of which is that it suits old age. In the evenings, we gather with the elders from the surrounding villages to chew betel nuts, chat, reminisce about the old days, and talk about the present day—it's so enjoyable...”

Grandpa Phat has been involved with selling betel nuts and leaves since he was a child.

Mrs. Phat also boasted: “Previously, there were more than 20 people selling betel nuts in the village. The oldest was 85, the youngest was 60. Now there are only about a dozen left, some passed away due to old age, some moved away with their children and grandchildren… The village only has about a dozen elderly people left, and even though they are old, they still love selling betel nuts. Like Mrs. U, who is almost 90 this year, she only stopped selling betel nuts last month due to a month-long illness. She said she stopped selling betel nuts, but every evening she invites the elderly people from the neighboring village to my house to chat and chew betel nuts for company, but actually, she wants to help me wash the betel leaves and prepare the lime. Mrs. U, like Mrs. Phan, from Ngo village, met people from Hamlet 3 through selling betel nuts and then got married. Both of them have been involved with selling betel nuts from childhood until now. Mrs. Phan said: “Selling betel nuts, even on a day without doing anything, can earn you a few tens of thousands of dong in profit, and it's not too hard, just carrying a pair of carrying poles.” "Betel leaves and areca nuts are also very light." I asked Mrs. Phan, "Where do you buy the betel leaves and areca nuts, and the vegetarian offerings?" Mrs. Phan smiled and immediately replied, "There's no shortage, child. I buy them in the village and neighboring villages." "Why do you divide the betel leaves into such beautiful and delicious bundles?" Mrs. Phan smiled, pointing to each bundle of betel leaves and slowly explained, "This betel box is for families who buy it for important occasions like ancestral worship ceremonies, rituals, or engagement ceremonies for their children. This part is for women who chew betel, and many new mothers buy betel leaves. According to folk beliefs, when children get hiccups, they often stick betel leaves on their foreheads to stop them. They also use betel leaves to compress the stomachs of newborns. This betel leaf is for ancestral worship ceremonies, engagement ceremonies, and important occasions; it must be kept separately in a basket carefully covered with banana leaves." "Whatever betel leaves are used for, they must be thoroughly washed before being sold. No matter what profession you're in, you must put your heart into it!" In a lighthearted conversation, Mrs. Phan added, "Selling betel leaves and areca nuts in January and February is wonderful. In a flash, I sell out my entire load in a single morning. On regular days, I consistently sell about fifty stacks of betel leaves and a bunch of about fifty areca nuts. That's why I say selling betel leaves and areca nuts is profitable. But this is a job only for the elderly; how many young people actually sell them, my dear...?"

In Mrs. Phat's hometown, the elderly find joy and good health in this profession, so their children and grandchildren are happy too. Every evening, they carefully tend to their betel nut baskets, and early in the morning they all carry their baskets to the market. Many times, Mrs. Phat's goods are sold out before she even reaches the market. She confided to me: "At our age, we no longer have to worry about our children and families like before. Carrying betel nuts is just to feel happy, healthy, and to do a job we love..."

Thu Huong