The place name Binh Thuan has been stable at the provincial level since the 4th year of Minh Mang (1823) when Binh Thuan prefecture was established, then Binh Thuan prefecture was changed to Binh Thuan province, which has been over 200 years.
For many generations, the integration of people from different regions has created a rich and unique cultural identity for this land. In the field of literature and art, Quang people have had a quite impressive position in the field of poetry and literature for the young generation. Although they have grown up in a new land, their nostalgia for their homeland is still as strong as the hearts of those from the same hometown.
Let me introduce poet Ngo Van Tuan, born in 1957, from Dai Dong, Dai Loc, Quang Nam. Since 1959, he has been migrating with his family to Dinh Dien land bordering Bac Ruong/ Huy Khiem (belonging to Hoai Duc district during the Republic of Vietnam era)... During the war, his family and fellow countrymen had to move around and his family finally settled on the barren Phuoc Binh mound located on the edge of Binh Tuy provincial capital.
In the 4 poetry collections that Ngo Van Tuan has published (Sea and Mother - 1994, Debt - 2004, Finding the Past - 2011, River Nurturing Memories - 2020). Of which, the collection Sea and Mother won the first A prize in 1997 and the collection River Nurturing Memories won the sixth C prize in 2023 - Duc Thanh Literature and Arts Award (once every 5 years). Ngo Van Tuan also has many poems published in central literary newspapers, magazines, and domestic literary anthologies, and for poetry lovers in the province, it is difficult to forget a sincere poetic voice, full of emotions, rich in narrative, especially with the homeland of Quang in a passionate and poignant way. Within the framework of the introduction, I would like to quote only the poetic lines from his concerns about his homeland of Quang. When he left his hometown at a young age, his memory echoed with his mother's lullaby carrying the image "Oh, how I miss you, how I miss you/ A bamboo grove, a rainy morning" (excerpt from Remembering Dai Loc - 1994). His nostalgia had moments of wandering and absent-mindedness "Returning to my hometown, I hear the smell of my hometown again/ The smell of acrid kitchen smoke waiting/ The smell of straw wet with dew/ There is a little bird singing, waiting for the morning" (The Smell of My Hometown). It was so heartbreaking to feel the smell of my hometown like that, but the more painful the "smell of acrid kitchen smoke waiting" the more the painful distance. He used poetic language with a sweet, clear folk melody. He once confided: "I was born on the banks of Vu Gia in Quang land, but grew up on the Dinh La Gi river in the white sand and poplar area. The Vu Gia river to me is a nostalgic nostalgia for the place where I was born and raised". Ngo Van Tuan is imbued with the essence of the poor countryside all year round, to have the simple yet delicate and poignant verses: “The place where I was born/ A Quang countryside/ The river divides into “the female” and “the child” sides/ The storm and flood season has passed and left behind/ The alluvial layer compensates for the souls/ So hard that few people leave their homeland/ The heavy heart of the homeland but the flesh and blood of many generations/ The bamboo is still green and the folk songs are still wet/ The storm has passed and the happy season returns” (in Where I Was Born). With the way of recreating a countryside through nostalgia, it evokes in the reader the nostalgia “Follow me to my maternal grandparents/ Stop by a small shop by the roadside/ Delicious hometown Quang noodles/ A bowl of sweet soup with the fragrant scent of ginger/ The old garden with the fairy moon/ Listen to the stories of my grandparents/ The stories of my parents and wife/ The stories of my youth/ Follow me to my maternal grandparents’ hometown/ Eyes healthy in Duy Xuyen season/ Green alluvial ground of desire/ Your smiling eyes convey love” (in Following me to my maternal grandparents’ hometown - 2012). The love for the homeland has urged those who live far away from home to never forget, because "Tomorrow we go up the mountain to the Ancestral Hill/ Beside the row of tombstones with faded features/ Here the bones of the ancients are sent/ We burn our hearts to follow the long smoke" (in Tomorrow we pack up and return to our homeland). It is no longer a personal story, the author has created associations for any situation with the feeling of being far away from home to the point of heartache when remembering the fatherland.
Since his adulthood, Ngo Van Tuan has spent his time studying and working, and has had more and more opportunities to connect with the working people. That is Tan An ward, La Gi town where he lives, and here there are also many "migrants" from Quang Nam who chose this land to make a living during different periods, creating more and more touching emotions for him to cherish the pages of words because of his immense nostalgia. During the literary and artistic activities of the Thuan Hai/Binh Thuan Literature and Arts Association, for over 40 years, Ngo Van Tuan has been a familiar pen name, appearing regularly on many local and domestic literary pages. What is special about Ngo Van Tuan is that his hometown has a legendary magic that moves the artist's soul, creating works of artistic quality for life.
Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ngo-van-tuan-nhung-trang-tho-voi-co-huong-128071.html
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