Through the golden fields of the Western region

(Baonghean)A pleasant feeling, with the fragrant scent of rice fields filling my lungs, as I walked through the Muong Qua rice paddies, the largest rice-growing area in Con Cuong district. It was mid-May, yet the air remained cool and gentle. The Giang River flowed peacefully. On the paved road, groups of female students from Muong Qua school leisurely cycled through the vast rice paddies. In a few days, the harvest would begin, and the fields would be bustling with activity, like a festival.

Muong Qua has been a rice-growing region for hundreds of years. During the time of Mr. Vi Van Khang, the first Party Secretary in Tra Lan, the Thai people in the surrounding villages already knew how to cultivate wet rice. I remember once meeting Mr. Luong Van Que in Tan Son village, Mon Son commune, and learning about his pride in having carried bags for Mr. Khang to meetings throughout Con Cuong district when he was a young boy. “From those days, the people of Dong Khua, Noong Bua, Xieng Pun village, Xong To, and Xong Nua all cultivated wet rice. After harvesting the rice in the fields, they would call each other to clear the irrigation ditches. That's how the people of Muong Qua have continued to cultivate wet rice to this day.”

Rice fields during harvest season in Mon Son commune (Con Cuong district). Photo: Ho Phuong

Now, names like Dong Khua, Noong Bua, Xieng Pun village, or Xong Nua, Xong To are unfamiliar to young people. After the revolution, the Muong Qua region was renamed Mon Son and Luc Da, belonging to Con Cuong district, but wet rice cultivation has been maintained and developed even more than before. The Muong Qua rice fields are even more extensive than in the past. The government and people of Con Cuong determined that this field would be the rice granary of the entire region, so there has been much "joint effort" from agencies, units, and people from many places to expand the area of ​​wet rice cultivation in Muong Qua. The atmosphere of land reclamation and cultivation of the fields in the 1960s still lingers with joyful memories in the minds of many people in Muong Qua. Back then, the Ethnic Minority Youth School was located in Mon Son. After school hours, the teachers and students would join the villagers in clearing land and unblocking irrigation canals. And so, by the 1970s, the Muong Qua plain had essentially become what it is today.

Thai and Kinh ethnic minority people harvesting rice in Tam Quang commune (Tuong Duong district). Photo: Ho Phuong

Time flies, and while life along the Giang River has changed, it seems to remain peaceful. Around May and October, the rice fields turn golden, as serene as the bicycles of schoolchildren cycling to and from school.

But now, it's not just Muong Qua, but countless golden fields in the western part of Nghe An province that are promising a bountiful harvest, ablaze with color and bustling with footsteps carrying heavy loads on their backs. Under the clear summer sky, my wandering thoughts of "going to see the harvest" have led me to many roads and fields far, far away in the western region.

“Although the rice-growing area isn’t large, Ky Son district has recently been striving to improve rice yields.” My friend, who works at the district radio station, informed me and suggested I visit the rice fields along the Nam Mo River. The river originates in Laos, flows for nearly a hundred kilometers, and then empties into the Lam River in Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong district. In Ky Son district, the areas through which the river flows are also where the most rice is grown. During the rice harvest season, the terraced rice paddies paint a stunning, vibrant picture of the high mountains, a landscape already shrouded in lush green forests.

Following my friend from Ky Son district radio station, I arrived at Na Luong 1 village, Huu Kiem commune. This small Thai village accounts for nearly half of the commune's rice paddy area. The May weather was suddenly chilly, with a light drizzle reminiscent of January. We arrived just as the local government, along with a rice seed supplier, was holding a workshop on an agricultural model. This was the first time the people of Na Luong 1 village had tried planting J02 rice. This rice variety, also known as Japonica, originates from Japan. Six years ago, villages in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district, also tried planting it and achieved high yields. This rice variety prefers a cold climate and is very suitable for the spring planting season in the mountainous areas of Nghe An province.

New rice variety model in Huu Kiem commune (Ky Son district). Photo: Ha Phuong

For more than half her life, Mrs. Lo Thi Giang has been closely associated with the terraced rice fields in Na Luong 1 village. She recounts: "For the past ten years, the villagers have planted two crops a year, but the yield has always been low, so we have to cultivate additional fields to have enough rice to eat. Therefore, when we saw the commune government implementing the model, and saying that this new variety yields very high productivity, everyone in the village wanted to register to try planting it. Then, only 20 households were selected. These were the households with the most experience in wet rice cultivation."

Only after doing it did I realize how difficult it is to cultivate this J02 rice variety. During the model project, agricultural officials closely monitored the farmers from the seedling preparation and soaking stages to planting, weeding, and pest control. For example, in the seedling soaking stage, the water had to be changed every three hours. Forgetting to change the water meant the rice wouldn't germinate when transplanted.

After a few months, even when the rice plants had begun to flower, those involved in the model project were still not entirely at ease. This is because this is the time when many pests appear. "Only when we see the rice panicles in the milky stage will we feel reassured," Ms. Giang shared. The plump, round grains, like those of upland rice, emitted a gentle fragrance, making the farmers of Na Luong as happy as if it were a village festival. After the workshop, those implementing the model will harvest their first crop with this new variety. However, even at a glance, one can tell that this new variety has the potential to bring abundant harvests.

Women in Hong Son village, Luc Da commune (Con Cuong district) harvesting rice. Photo: Ho Phuong

In the unexpectedly chilly weather, the terraced rice fields seemed to warm the atmosphere. It had probably been a long time since hundreds of people flocked to the fields to see the ripening rice. Those not involved in the model project were just as excited as those participating, all hoping that next season the whole village would be guided in planting the new rice variety. Even just a quick glance revealed more ears of grain and fuller kernels than the local rice variety cultivated for years.

Ha Phuong