Looking for buffalo wool season in the flooded fields of the West

(Dan Tri) - During the flood season, fields in the West are deeply flooded. People herd buffaloes to mounds and fields to escape the flood to find food for the buffaloes, and also to let them rest and regain their strength while waiting for the water to recede.

When mentioning the buffalo wooling season in the Western provinces, many people will probably remember the image of hundreds of buffaloes crossing flooded fields to find food in the late writer Son Nam's Huong rung Ca Mau. Many people believe that the buffalo wooling season no longer exists, because mechanization has penetrated into the farthest fields of the people of this land (Photo: Hai Long).

In mid-October, during a business trip to the Western provinces of An Giang and Dong Thap, we thought the image of buffalo herds running through the fields would no longer exist. However, when we passed through Tan Hong (Dong Thap province), what caught our eyes was the image of a herd of hundreds of buffaloes crossing a vast field near Sa Rai town (Tan Hong district, Dong Thap province) (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

During the flood season, many fields are flooded. When the water is flooded, the grass is flooded, and when the grass is flooded, the buffaloes are hungry. During the months of flooding, the buffaloes have nothing to eat and are "sick and weak", so the group of people set out to find food for the buffaloes.

A herd of buffaloes runs across the water to find new pastures near Sa Rai town (Tan Hong district, Dong Thap province) (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

Many fields in the upstream areas of An Giang and Dong Thap have been flooded, water from the upper Mekong River flows in, bringing with it alluvium, shrimp, fish, etc. This season lasts about 3-4 months. But for buffalo herders, the flooding has caused many difficulties, especially the scarcity of food for the buffalo (Photo: Hai Long).

Mr. Nguyen Van Hong (49 years old), also known as Mr. Luc Binh by the locals. Mr. Hong is raising a herd of nearly 60 buffaloes, and is also the person with the largest number of buffaloes in Sa Rai town. According to Mr. Hong, after many years in the profession, with many ups and downs, the buffalo wool season is now very different from the past (Photo: Hai Long).

Mr. Hong started raising buffaloes when he was 20 years old. He spent all his savings on buying a pair of Cambodian buffaloes. After raising them for a while, he sold them and used the money to buy back several mother buffaloes. These 4-5 buffaloes reproduced more, and the number grew larger and larger. Since then, his life has been closely linked to buffaloes, and herding buffaloes has become his main job. "About 15 years ago, my herd of buffaloes was close to a hundred, but every year I sold a few. Since having a herd of buffaloes, my family has become more prosperous, built a house, and educated 4 children," said Mr. Hong (Photo: Hai Long).

The image of people leading hundreds of buffaloes one after another across flooded fields, living in the middle of the fields for months with the buffaloes is no longer common in the Western provinces (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

Mr. Duong Van Quy (Tan Ho Co commune, Tan Hong district, Dong Thap) every flood season, when the grasslands and fields are narrowed due to flooding, Mr. Quy will herd his buffaloes to Sa Rai town to join the herd with 5-7 other buffaloes. Every day, Mr. Quy will cook rice early in the morning, then take it to the field to graze the buffaloes, at noon he will go to a temporary hut built in the field to rest (Photo: Hai Long).

About 5km from Sa Rai town, Mr. Doan Van An (34 years old, Dong Thap), is leading his herd of nearly 40 buffaloes across a vast flooded field to higher grass to feed the buffaloes (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

"I have been following the buffalo herd for more than 20 years. During the flood season, when the fields are stuck, it is not easy. If you accidentally break a field while working, it is very difficult. If the owner of the field is easy, it is fine, but if there is a difficult person who does not let the buffalo eat, then you have to accept it," An confided (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

Mr. Doan Van Nhoi (Mr. An's younger brother) also went to the field to help his brother herd the buffaloes to find grazing grounds during the flood season. "This herd of buffaloes used to belong to my father, but now he is old and can't go to the fields anymore, so he left it to my brother and me to take care of. In the past, there were many buffaloes in the area, my father had to herd them for a whole month, across the distant fields, but now there are many fewer buffaloes in the area, the grazing grounds near our house have enough grass for the buffaloes to eat, so they don't have to go far from home anymore," Mr. Nhoi said (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

The image of herds of buffaloes grazing in the flood season fields with flocks of white storks flying over the buffaloes' backs has become rare in the Western provinces. According to some old farmers in the area, in the past, there were no mechanized machines, buffaloes and cows were the main pulling force, buffaloes were valuable so many people raised them, but now that machines have joined the production, buffaloes raised are also not valuable so the number has decreased, many people have given up the buffalo herding profession (Photo: Hai Long).

In the fields next to Sa Rai town in the late afternoon, the image of shepherds calling each other to bathe and play with their buffaloes has become rare (Photo: Hai Long).

In the afternoon, the herd of buffaloes will be gathered by the owner in a field, the leader will tie them up and let the herd rest in the middle of the field (Photo: Hai Long).

For generations, buffaloes have been one of the most valuable assets of farmers, because only with buffaloes can people have land to plow and grow rice, and only then can people have food and a full stomach. Under the evening light, the silhouettes of Mr. Hong, Mr. An, the shepherds, the generous farmers of the West and their herds of buffaloes in the fields make the countryside more peaceful than ever. And we believe that the buffalo wool season will last forever in this land (Photo: Trinh Nguyen).

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/doi-song/di-tim-mua-len-trau-o-canh-dong-nuoc-noi-mien-tay-20241026015100656.htm