Kim Lien Xuan this year...

Blending the old and the new

For a long time, in the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people,Kim LienIt has become our shared homeland. Here lies "Trù Village, my mother's hometown, and Sen Village, my father's hometown," and the childhood of our beloved Father of the Nation... In everyone's imagination and remembrance, Kim Liên is so peaceful and tranquil, with its golden rice fields, fragrant lotus ponds; with its wells, village courtyards, and the sound of kites whistling on the peak of Chung Sơn. But, this spring, let's return to...Kim Liento experience the refreshing changes...

Kim Lien commune was recognized as a model new rural commune in 2024..., with many high-tech agricultural production models; many small-scale handicraft industries and many shops and services... Village roads and alleys have been renovated, widened, and made neat and tidy. Traffic corridors are clear and equipped with a system of signs and directional markers.

To celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year of the Snake 2025, every household in Kim Lien commune solemnly displays the national flag in front of their houses. Ms. Tran Thi Ly (from Sen 1 hamlet) is decorating her gate with LED lights and the words "Happy New Year," along with images of the Party flag and the national flag. Ms. Ly smiled warmly: "The people of Kim Lien are always grateful to the Party and Uncle Ho, so we strive to beautify our homeland..."

With the same sentiment, Mr. Vuong Hoang Dong (78 years old), from Hoang Tru hamlet, carefully trimmed and adjusted his family's hedge to welcome the new year.

Mr. Vuong Hoang Dong's estate is beautifully planned, featuring a well-organized vegetable garden, fish pond, and poultry shed; and a system of ornamental plants including banyan, fig, and even apricot and peach blossoms. In the center of the estate stands a century-old wooden house with a tiled roof, built in the traditional "five bays, one main axis" style. It is known that this house is currently one of the five most beautiful ancient houses in Nam Dan district.

He shared: “My grandfather built this house in 1926, and it has been passed down through six generations. Besides preserving the original house and responding to the movement to build a bright, green, clean, and beautiful hometown like President Ho Chi Minh's, 15 years ago my family planted a beautiful green hedge, just like the hedge around President Ho Chi Minh's house... The hedge was created with the aspiration to beautify our family and our homeland.”

In Kim Lien commune, several ancient houses, some over 100 years old, are still preserved, with some dating back to the Le Dynasty. These houses are scattered throughout the hamlets. The houses here are made from types of wood such as ironwood, jackfruit wood, and mahogany. For the people of Kim Lien commune, preserving these ancient houses is about maintaining warm and intimate living spaces; preserving the beautiful traditions of family and lineage. These traditions reflect the spirit of unity, filial piety, and a love of learning – beautiful aspects of the local culture.

Preserving the old traditions, holding onto the soul of the village. In recent years, a movement to restore village wells has emerged in Kim Lien commune. All the hamlets here have ancient wells. With a sense of preserving and promoting the value of heritage, the people of the hamlets in Kim Lien commune have discussed and contributed labor and resources to rebuild the village wells.

The first village well to be restored was Lien Mau well, followed by Phu Dam, Trot Quan, Hong Son, Van Hoi wells... To date, the entire commune has 8 village wells that have been renovated and rebuilt to be larger and more beautiful. It is known that the cost of restoring ancient wells is considerable, ranging from at least 100 million VND to nearly 1 billion VND.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau, who lives next to the village well in Sen 1 hamlet, said: “The well is called the Earth Well or Trung Hoa Well. In the past, the water from the Earth Well helped the people get through many scorching hot seasons. We can never forget the gratitude we owe to our ancestors for digging the well and opening the source, as well as the immense gratitude we owe to President Ho Chi Minh, so we have worked together to restore the well. The well has become a precious historical relic of the village.”

Green Kim Lien

Around Tet (Lunar New Year), the lotus ponds in Kim Lien commune "hibernate for winter to thrive in spring and then burst into bloom in summer," Mrs. Nguyen Thi Sau, a resident of Sen 1 hamlet, poetically described the lotus ponds next to the ancient Trung Hoa well. Two of these ponds belong to her family. For several years now, Mrs. Sau has lent them to her neighbors to grow lotus without charging any fees. "Raising fish doesn't bring much profit, so it's better to let the neighbors borrow them to grow lotus to beautify Kim Lien."

Since ancient times, lotus has been an indispensable part of the lives of the people of Kim Lien commune. Lotuses bloom profusely in home ponds, their fragrance permeates the entire village, and they have given the village its name... In recent years, with the support of many programs and projects, plus the commune's policy, the area of ​​lotus cultivation in Kim Lien commune has expanded significantly, from a few hectares initially to over 22 hectares now. Along with that, many other precious lotus varieties have been introduced, such as the Dong Thap Muoi lotus, the Hue lotus, the thousand-petaled lotus, the Beijing red lotus, and the Quan Am lotus.

Kim Lien commune has leased public land, including ponds and lakes, to residents for lotus cultivation free of charge. However, residents must ensure the lotus plants remain green and beautiful; they are only allowed to harvest lotus products and are not permitted to pick the flowers themselves. Visiting Kim Lien in the summer, you will see the fragrant scent of lotus flowers: blooming in ponds, near rice fields, and even in many potted plants... enhancing the beauty and cultural value of President Ho Chi Minh's hometown.

Lotus flowers not only create a beautiful ecological environment but also contribute to the development of a new green economy. Ms. Tran Thi The, a lotus grower for many years, said: "Lotus grows very quickly. From just a few initial clumps, after only one year, the pond is full of lotus without needing much money or effort to care for it. All products from the lotus can be sold, from the flowers to the leaves, seeds, stems, and tubers... The economic efficiency from growing lotus is much greater than that of raising fish or growing rice."

In Kim Lien commune, there is currently one cooperative called "Lotus of Uncle Ho's Homeland," which specializes in purchasing all lotus products grown by local people to process into various lotus-based products such as lotus tea, lotus seed milk, lotus kimchi, pickled lotus roots, etc. These products have been recognized as 3-star and 4-star OCOP products. Lotus products are popular and sell very well. Tourists visiting Kim Lien all want a souvenir or gift; lotus products perfectly meet that desire. The lotus plant has created opportunities for the development of tourism in the locality.

Rural tourism

In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), Kim Lien seems even more beautiful, clean, and picturesque. Walking along the lakeside road in Sen 2 hamlet, one can see plots of land along the roadside, with flowers planted in front of each household. Meeting Mr. Vuong Ba Tung – Vice Chairman of the Kim Lien Commune People's Committee – while he was inspecting the flag-lined and flower-decorated streets, he shared: “The people of Kim Lien are welcoming the new year with a joyful and enthusiastic spirit, determined to build a prosperous and beautiful homeland according to President Ho Chi Minh's wishes.”

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Over the years, environmental sanitation and landscape beautification have always been a priority for the government and people of Kim Lien commune. The commune has built many model "Bright - Green - Clean - Beautiful" roads and hamlets, with exemplary residential clusters such as Sen 2, Mau 6, and Hong Son hamlets. Families have been very proactive in building small gardens and creating green fences using string of pearls plants, morning glory, and other ornamental plants.

Mr. Vuong Ba Tung – Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Kim Lien Commune (Nam Dan District).

Every Sunday, all residents of the commune participate in cleaning up the area in front of their houses, village roads, alleys, and public places. Waste collection and disposal are carried out in an organized and systematic manner. Residents store household waste in their gardens. On the 5th, 16th, and 25th of each month, they bring it to the designated waste collection point in their hamlet for collection by the environmental sanitation company. The location of this collection point was determined through community meetings, ensuring that waste is left indiscriminately and does not cause environmental pollution.

Aiming to develop Kim Lien commune into a tourist village, the commune has been continuously integrating resources into the new rural development program. The commune focuses on constructing multi-functional internal field roads that serve both agricultural production and tourism activities, while simultaneously exploiting the unique agricultural landscape to create a regional brand. Currently, several roads have been constructed running through rice paddies and flower fields, connecting residential areas, production facilities, and cultural centers serving tourism and farming.

As Tet (Lunar New Year) approaches, the scent of incense permeates the entire Kim Lien commune. From the homes of families running homestays, the faint sounds of folk songs and melodies can be heard. Mr. Vuong Ba Tung said: “The Hong Son Folk Song Club is practicing performances for the commune's celebration of the Party and the Spring Festival. Folk songs and melodies are like the blood and breath of the people of Kim Lien commune for generations. There are quite a few active and high-quality folk song and melody clubs in Kim Lien commune. These clubs are always ready to serve tourists upon request.”

"Rural renewal in highlands and lowlands/ Harvesters and plows are bustling throughout the homeland/... Perhaps the homeland carries the weight of a vow/ Uncle Ho's words from years ago have now become a source of strength/ Dai Hue grows amidst thousands of lush green trees/ The gentle Lam River carries heavy loads of silt."The folk songs and melodies sung in Kim Lien commune today sound simple and genuine, uplifting the spirits of those far away and beckoning them to return home.

Thanh Chung, Dinh Tuyen