I love the sweet bowl of mussel rice and the gentle Dong Khanh ao dai.

Writer and journalist Phi Tan - Photo: NVCC

Hue Old Stories and Old Citadel is a collection of essays expressing the thoughts and feelings of writer and journalist Phi Tan, a son of Hue, about the landscape, nature, people and cultural values ​​typical of the ancient capital through the flow of time.

There are rivers, lagoons, and seas such as: Huong River, O Lau River, Tam Giang Lagoon; a beloved land with pure Hue memories such as: mussel rice, Dong Khanh Ao Dai, "soft wet rain on Hue" or old garden vegetables and fruits with Melaleuca mushrooms, the messenger of autumn in Hue...

Touch my memories, Hue's and yours

For Phi Tan, writing is a boundless happiness, a true return to childhood, to loved ones, to his hometown, to the land that he affectionately calls the land of love.

His beloved land is Hue, the rivers flowing passionately through the long years, depositing alluvial fields full of fruits and flowers, forming the brilliant cultural sediments of the once-famous capital, then flowing down to Tam Giang lagoon to the open sea.

In the first chapter "Rivers, lagoons, seas", Phi Tan takes readers to explore Hue's rivers.

That is the Huong River, which has a splendid, proud beauty, but is also gentle and peaceful. He called the Huong River "a city girl" that he "can only silently watch in admiration".

Not only the Huong River, readers also see other rivers and streams that have been associated with Phi Tan's life, from the O Lau River, the Bo River, the An Cuu River, to coastal fishing villages and Tam Giang lagoon.

Phi Tan seems to want to say that each river is like a lifeline, connecting the past and present, so that beautiful memories of Hue, street corners, rain, and sunsets come alive in the minds of readers.

Reading the book, readers feel the author's love for Hue is not noisy or ostentatious but quiet and resilient, like the rivers that still quietly flow through the city, even as the years pass.

In the article "Ferries across the Perfume River" , Phi Tan presents his perspective on Hue: "Nowadays, every time I pass by Kim Long Street, I still look for traces of the old ferry and recognize Hue, a small and gentle city like the ferry docks along the Perfume River, but to go all the way to the depths of Hue is... as deep as the Perfume River, I don't know how long it will take!".

And he confided to readers: "When you read books, you are touching my memories, Hue's memories, and maybe your memories. I hope you will be filled with happiness like me! Because memories are not simply nostalgia but the eternal love of life."

That Hue, a city as gentle as the ferry docks on the Perfume River

Writing about Hue, Phi Tan not only recounts old stories and memories of a bygone era, but also depicts the beauty of the landscape, people, and cultural values ​​that have been passed down through many generations.

Hue Old Stories Old City Book - Photo: HO LAM

He mentioned mussel rice, a specialty dish of Hue.

According to Phi Tan, mussel rice has the most spices among the famous dishes of Hue, from salty to sour, spicy and sweet.

There are stir-fried mussels, raw vegetables with taro mint, green onions, coriander, herbs, basil, mint, sour star fruit, green bean sprouts;

Then fried peanuts with shell, roasted pork fat, fish sauce, chili, MSG...

"The mussel flavor in the bowl of mussel rice is only fleeting. But the creators of this dish from the capital are also very sophisticated when it comes to the bowl of mussel broth.

It is the bowl of mussel broth that lets the person enjoying the mussel rice dish know the taste of the Huong River mussel.

"The mussel rice carts in the mist, the sweet bowls of mussel rice at noon or the mussel rice shops for a quick afternoon snack... are all equally delicious!" - writer Phi Tan wrote.

Then when writing about the purple Dong Khanh ao dai, considered a symbol of Hue girls, Phi Tan recalled his old teacher: "Our teacher, a former Dong Khanh female student, lovingly held the ao dai on the podium as if bringing a cool, gentle Hue style to the students of my hometown Tam Giang."

Author Phi Tan was born in 1973 in Dien Loc, Phong Dien, Thua Thien Hue. He currently works at Thua Thien Hue Radio and Television Station.

Some of his published works include: essays By the O Lau River (2021); Returning to Hue for rice (2021); Father's fairy tale (2023)... Of which, Returning to Hue for rice was awarded the Outstanding Work of 2022 by the Thua Thien Hue Writers Association Award.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuong-lam-to-com-hen-ngot-lanh-ta-ao-dai-dong-khanh-hien-diu-20250411190102152.htm