Homeland is not just a name...
(Baonghean.vn) - Visiting Dien Chau town at a time when the people there are hesitant about the merger plan, one can see their love and pride for the tangible values of their homeland.
"My hometown"
My father is originally from Vinh, born and raised right in the Cua Nam flower garden of Vinh, but whenever he meets someone from Dien Chau, he immediately claims they are from the same hometown. To prove this, he often asks for their specific address in Dien Chau, and after they answer, he will describe in detail the features of that location in the 1970s and now, even calling out the names of long-time residents as if he were very close to them.
Previously, I found this quite strange. But after the trip where I took my father to visit old acquaintances in Dien Chau – people who weren't related by blood – I suddenly found his enthusiasm endearing and reasonable.
“In the old days, along this road, people mainly made a living by quarrying shellstone. These stones, formed from shell sediment, were very hard and sturdy, used for building walls and houses. The Dien Chau citadel was also built with this type of stone. Although it took a lot of effort to carve perfectly uniform stones from a large block, the people still persevered. Because of poverty and hardship, the people of Dien Chau were diligent and determined to get rich,” my father recounted as the car entered the town of Dien Chau.
It wasn't just hard work and perseverance; the people of Dien Chau I met on that trip completely changed my perspective on the people of this land.
The first family we visited was that of Mr. Tran Sy Kha, the former Chairman of the Veterans Association of the town. Despite being over 80 years old, Mr. and Mrs. Kha were still very healthy and sharp-minded, remembering stories from the past vividly. In the 1970s, due to the war, my father was sent to Dien Chau by my grandmother for evacuation and stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Kha.
Back then, every family was poor, and despite the hardships, they loved each other and lived carefree lives. Perhaps that's why, even though they only lived together for a short time, meeting again 50 years later still evokes strong emotions.
Through an introduction from the locals, we had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Cao Duc Dong, a respected elder of Dien Chau town, who once served as the town's Party Secretary. Born, raised, and dedicated to his hometown, Mr. Dong has a very special love for this land. He encapsulates this love and pride in simple yet precious verses: “Do you still remember our hometown? / Waking up at night to the roar of waves / The sound of cars blending into my sleep / The oars paddling restlessly on the river at night…”
In our conversations, among people who deeply love the town of Dien Chau, the landmarks, historical sites, local specialties, and people were mentioned one after another with affection.
Also one of the early officials of Dien Chau town, teacher Bui Thanh Tri (born in 1941) shared: “In 1977, Dien Chau town was established, separating a part from Dien Thanh commune. At that time, this area was entirely rice fields, houses were sparse, and the people were extremely poor. Most of the town's officials came from Dien Thanh. We accepted the task with an extremely enthusiastic spirit, and the emulation movements in labor, production, and homeland construction took place vigorously and enthusiastically. In just a short time, the town experienced a leap forward in development. This development is not only the pride of the town but also the pride of the entire district; every project bears the strong imprint of the contributions of all the people in the district.”
All from love
During our trip, we not only witnessed the affection the locals have for their hometown but also listened to their concerns about the name of the town.mergerUltimately, those concerns stem from a love for this land…
Speaking as one of the first people to build Dien Chau town, Mr. Bui Thanh Tri shared his feelings: “For me, the name Dien Chau town is like an intangible asset, like the heart of the district. That name reminds us of our youthful years, the contributions of our youth, the heroic periods… Losing that name, I feel that the town's status has been affected to some extent.”
In a conversation with Mr. Vu Hong Minh – owner of Van Minh rice restaurant in Block 2, Dien Chau town, who has witnessed the development of Dien Chau town since its early days, he proactively shared his thoughts with us.merger policyDien Chau town and Dien Thanh commune.
“Many people in our town regret the loss of the name Diễn Châu, which is associated with the achievements we have built over the years. However, we also understand that, in the development orientation, Diễn Châu district will develop into Diễn Châu town, and then the town will be a ward within the town. Moreover, Diễn Châu town was originally separated from Diễn Thành commune, so returning to Diễn Thành is also reasonable. Regarding the suggestion to change the name to Phủ Diễn, I think the name ensures familiarity and affection, but it is not appropriate for the scale of the town. Because Phủ Diễn was the old name of three districts: Yên Thành, Diễn Châu, and Quỳnh Lưu,” Mr. Minh expressed.
Sharing the same view, Mr. Cao Duc Dong said: “In terms of historical values, Dien Thanh commune is proud to be a heroic land in the resistance wars to protect the Fatherland, having been awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, and being widely studied throughout the province by the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee and one of the outstanding examples in the entire Military Region 4. These proud achievements and titles must be preserved. I believe that the precious traditions of our ancestors, combined with the dynamism and development of Dien Chau town today, will create even more proud achievements.”
I have been connected to Dien Chau town since 1996 and I love it very much. I was sad and regretful about the merger and renaming. But the most important thing to me is not the name, but the unity and solidarity. We experienced the same anxieties when merging hamlets and villages, and after the merger, those hamlets and villages developed even more. I believe that merging the town into Dien Thanh commune will also lead to similar development.
While reciting Cao Duc Dong's poem "My Hometown," I realized something: the poem mentions many "identifiers" of the town, such as "Mrs. Dan's sticky rice cake," "steamed rice cake," "Snail Market," and even "Snake God"... But the place name "Dien Chau" is conspicuously absent. Nevertheless, upon reading it, everyone knows it refers to Dien Chau town.
Please allow me to rewrite the last stanza of the poem: “You and I go to Nga Ba Town/ To Phu Market to buy sticky rice cakes and grilled fish/ The vendor smiles and greets us charmingly/ Her hometown accent warms the whole winter afternoon.”
So, it turns out that homeland is more than just a name…
According to the plan for reorganizing administrative units at the district and commune levels in Nghe An province for the period 2023-2025,Dien Chau districtThe following changes will take place: The entire natural area and population of Dien Chau town and Dien Thanh commune will be merged and renamed Dien Thanh town; Dien Xuan commune and Dien Thap commune will be merged and renamed Xuan Thap commune; Dien Ngoc commune and Dien Bich commune will be merged and renamed Ngoc Bich commune; Dien Hung commune and Dien Hai commune will be merged and renamed Hung Hai commune; Dien Hanh commune and Dien Quang commune will be merged and renamed Hanh Quang commune. After the reorganization, Dien Chau district will have 5 fewer commune-level administrative units, leaving 32 administrative units (including 1 town and 31 communes).
