Vietnamese mother flies water jar 14,000km to America, painstakingly creates a dreamlike garden

With Ms. Hieu's skillful hands and meticulous care, after two years, the garden covered with grass and rough, messy ornamental plants has been "transformed" into a lush space, beautiful from every angle.

Ms. Kim Hieu, from Ba Ria - Vung Tau, followed her husband to the US to settle down since 2015. Living far away from her homeland, Ms. Hieu always remembers her childhood with her family, the rice fields stretching as far as the eye can see, the gardens full of flowers and fruits, the sunny porch, the garden with an earthen jar, a faded rainwater jar, a simple coconut shell, a creaking bamboo hammock... "Missing my homeland so much and wanting my son to see some image of the Vietnamese countryside, I spent time renovating my garden, creating my own 'Vietnamese corner' for the family," Ms. Kim Hieu confided.

Ms. Hieu's son had a childhood attached to his mother's gardens.

In 2015, Hieu and her husband lived in Washington state. The house at that time had a very large garden, an area of 1,400 square meters. When her child was 4 or 5 months old, Hieu often took advantage of the time when her child was sleeping to do gardening. "I was born in the countryside, so hoeing the soil and planting trees were not unfamiliar to me. Gardening also helped me feel more comfortable, especially when I changed from an active girl who had worked for many years for a foreign company to a nursing mother in a foreign country," she said.

The garden in the old house of Mr. and Mrs. Hieu

With her husband's support and learning more knowledge online, Ms. Hieu learned how to choose plants, flowers, fertilizers, and garden care methods suitable for the soil and weather here. The garden was gradually covered with green grass, trees, and colorful flowers. She meticulously searched for and bought terracotta jars, rainwater jars, miniature pots, ceramic objects shaped like chickens, ducks, even a pair of shoulder poles, coconut shells with a Southern style... and sent them on her husband's company's shipments from Vietnam to the US. These objects were cleverly decorated in the garden, bringing a familiar, very Vietnamese feeling. "I want to bring the identity of my Southern homeland to my home in America so that my children can see, feel, and understand more about their mother's homeland. For children, no matter how well I tell stories and explain, if they don't see or experience it, it will be difficult for them to remember everything. Although the garden cannot recreate 100% of Vietnamese rural life, at least my children can observe and play every day with hammocks, swings, water jars... Later, when my children return to Vietnam, those images will have become familiar in their subconscious, they will not be surprised or distant," the Vietnamese mother confided.

Wanting her son to understand and love his motherland more, Ms. Kim Hieu is not afraid of the hard work to create Vietnamese gardens in the middle of America.

In November 2022, Ms. Hieu's family moved to another house. What she regrets most is having to say goodbye to the garden that she spent 7 years cultivating, with so many memories with her son. "My husband and I's new house also has a garden, but the previous owner did not take care of it, so it was very monotonous and bare. We still wanted our son to have space to play and run around. As soon as we arrived at the new house, even though the weather was gradually turning to winter, I immediately started planning each area, planting some types of trees that could survive the winter. By the time spring came, the trees had taken root and flourished, making the garden more vibrant," Ms. Hieu said. The types of trees in the old house that were suitable for the new house, Ms. Hieu and her husband also painstakingly brought over.

Image of the garden after 2 years of renovation and care

The previous owner spread gravel all over the garden, so to start planting grass and flowers, Ms. Hieu had to move the gravel and improve the soil. "Every day, I was busy in the garden clearing gravel and cutting grass from early morning. One day, my back hurt so much that I had to take painkillers to sleep. But the next morning, I carried things out to the garden to work, not wanting to give up," Ms. Hieu confided.

Every corner of the garden is carefully taken care of by Vietnamese mothers.

The garden includes the front yard, the side yard and the back yard. Taking advantage of the front yard with old maple trees, Ms. Hieu cleaned up, moved the large trash bins there to another place and planted a flower bed along the tree roots. She placed two wooden chairs under the tree canopy. In the afternoon, the couple can sit and drink tea, coffee and watch the sunset.

Corner of the front yard of Ms. Hieu's house

The house is full of flowers

In the garden next to the house, Ms. Hieu cut down all the ugly, ragged bushes and wild plants, then planted black-eyed chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, white chrysanthemums...

The flower bushes are lush and colorful when spring comes.

The backyard is the main garden area with a large lawn, where the family can play, organize BBQ parties, and welcome friends to visit... The lovely wooden bell gate was made by Hieu and her husband. "When I decided to make this gate, I asked for a quote from some craftsmen in the US. I felt sorry for the huge cost, so I did it myself. My husband took me to buy tools and materials and helped me build the wooden bell gate to my liking," Hieu said.

The wooden gate with bell was made by Mr. and Mrs. Hieu themselves.

Ms. Hieu also grows Vietnamese vegetables and fruits such as banana bushes, fish mint, cinnamon, perilla, Vietnamese balm, cucumber, tomato, etc.

Ms. Hieu's son was born in America but often wears a traditional Vietnamese shirt, sleeps on a hammock in the garden, and plays with the earthenware jars and water jars his mother painstakingly brought from Vietnam.

Every Lunar New Year, Ms. Hieu decorates the house and teaches her children how to wrap banh tet...

Having lived in Vietnam for many years, her husband is very supportive and willing to help Ms. Hieu garden or decorate the house during traditional holidays and Tet of her homeland. He is always proud that, despite many years away from home, Ms. Kim Hieu still retains the charming beauty, diligence and hard-working qualities of a Vietnamese woman.