A little love for Soc Trang

Bustling area

After a few days of wandering with friends in Bac Lieu, we said goodbye to the vọng cổ and Dạ cổ hoài lang, and continued on Highway 1A towards Can Tho, only about 50 kilometers to Soc Trang.

Oh, just hearing about Soc Trang makes our hearts flutter beyond measure. Bac Lieu to me is sad, Ben Tre is nostalgic. Countless lands on the main road have their own unique colors in my mind. To me, Soc Trang is always the most bustling and joyful land.

Soc Trang is a coastal province in the Southern strip of land, located in the lower reaches of the Hau Giang River. Of the nine branches of the Mekong River flowing into the sea from the Tien River and the Hau River, two branches are located in Soc Trang: Tran De and Dinh An.

Because it is affected by both fresh alluvium and saline erosion, the soil characteristics in Soc Trang are both diverse and challenging for local production.

With the recent severe erosion in the dry season in the West, perhaps Soc Trang will be the most affected province. Who knows, how long will it take for the West to only be a memory of the Khmer, Kinh, Hoa, Cham and many other ethnic groups with a history of generations of reclaiming the land, turning the sacred forest and poisonous water into the most fertile land in Annam.

That is the story of climate change in 100 or 200 years from now, we cannot predict. However, in Soc Trang now, the rice fields are still immense, stretching as far as the eye can see. If anyone has never been to the West, they probably cannot imagine this boundless vastness.

Unlike Ca Mau which only has Tran Van Thoi, Bac Lieu which only has Hong Dan, Vinh Loi, Soc Trang is surrounded by rice fields. Running in a circle from Soc Trang city (located in the center) spreading out in all directions like a hand, making an arc through Chau Thanh, My Tu, Nga Nam, Thanh Tri then to My Xuyen, Tran De and finally Long Phu to complete a route, it seems that traveling in Soc Trang is much more convenient than Ca Mau and Bac Lieu.

Big roads, small roads, tiny roads, concrete roads with many turns, smooth even though every now and then you have to make a sudden start up and down on the steep slopes of the bridges in Soc Trang.

Meeting Area

Visiting the harvest season here, I felt like I was walking on roads paved with gold, yellow straw, yellow rice flowers, and the lovely sunshine of this land.

Khmer girls in traditional costumes perform the ritual of carrying the calendar and the gods to celebrate the traditional New Year at Sro Lon Pagoda, also known as Chen Kieu Pagoda (Dai Tam Commune, My Xuyen, Soc Trang). Photo: AN HIEU

In addition to rice, downstream, Soc Trang also has a wide strip of islands located in Ke Sach district, Long Phu and especially Cu Lao Dung running all the way to the sea, with cool and sweet fruit trees, farmers watch the water rise and fall twice a day to wait for changes, even though it is a bit far away.

Tran De deep-water seaport, along with the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway... are under construction. When completed, they will create a synchronous transportation network. Dai Ngai Bridge spans Cu Lao Dung, connecting a route from Ho Chi Minh City through Rach Mieu, Ham Luong and Co Chien bridges.

The development orientation of Soc Trang becomes the main gateway to the East Sea of the Mekong Delta, the regional hub for agriculture, industry, services, and logistics with a focus on the deep-water seaport of Tran De...

The above things, no matter how far away they are, do not make the people of Soc Trang sad. Through many seasons of rain and sun, the people of Soc Trang regularly hold more than ten festivals each year, the most prominent of which is the Ooc-om boc festival and Ngo boat racing of the Khmer people, held around the middle of the 10th lunar month. Wherever you go, in Soc Trang, there is no shortage of Khmer people and there is never a shortage of joy.

Going back in history, we will see that nowhere else has there been such a harmonious coexistence of so many ethnic groups: like the Kinh, Khmer and Chinese in the Ca Mau, Bac Lieu and Soc Trang regions.

Because the Khmer are the majority of Soc Trang province, most of the pagodas here are Khmer pagodas with the characteristic isosceles triangle shape, three-level roof, pointed and curved top, carved with beautiful fairies, and surrounded by rows of ancient trees such as star trees or palmyra palm trees.

Coming to Soc Trang for the first time, I felt like I was in an episode of Journey to the West, when Tang Monk and his disciples encountered an accident near Tay Thien. Chen Kieu Pagoda, Bat Pagoda, or many other pagodas and temples on this strip of land made me feel like I was lost in the land of Shakyamuni.

What else does Soc Trang remind me of? I remember the smile of the dark-skinned Khmer girl with long black eyelashes and a pair of bright, chipped teeth. Khmer girls are gentle, love their husbands and take care of their families very much.

If you are lucky enough to marry a Khmer girl like that, believe that your life will never lack joy. She will sing du ke, she will dance lam thon or she will smile and greet guests near and far, where you come from, where you are going: “Soc Xi bai bon, tau na bon, tau na bon oi….”.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/chut-tinh-voi-soc-trang-3145219.html