Vinh Thanh village’s gate. Photo: P.K.S

Driving motorcycles along National Highway No. 19, we headed northwards to Vinh Thanh village which is about 20km away. Located by the road, the village was easily recognized through its banner saying “Cultural village” right at its entrance. 

Vinh Thanh communal house was the first place we visited. As in Binh Dinh’s Landscapes and Vestiges book, it was the only surviving communal house of the ancient Viet people in Binh Dinh.

Actually, it was rebuilt in 1948. The old communal house, as common people told, was larger, having architecturally classical features of Vietnamese traditional style of roman roofing tiles. It was destroyed during the war against French invaders.

The new one was rebuilt on a rectangular area. Its front looked out an inter-commune road through a three-entrance gate; other sides were adjacent with houses of local villagers. The communal house opened twice a year on occasions of Vietnamese Traditional Lunar New Year (Tet Festival) and the full moon day of seventh lunar month (death anniversary of Dao Tan). Yet, it was protected and tidied up every day.

To Vinh Thanh villagers, the communal house was always symbol of Holy Spirit, sacredness and full respect. Under shades of two secular kapok trees nearby located a spacious yard, a reading room.

Leaving the ancient communal house, we strolled along the village’s roads. Passing old and mossy gate of the village, which still bore marks of time, we all felt a rousing indescribable emotion.

Vinh Thanh was the only village in the province whose gate had been remained. The gate was the pride of Vinh Thanh villagers. While many Vietnamese villages had been facing with issues of pollution, rapid urbanization and so on, the small village still kept its natural simpleness and peacefulness with a pure, fresh and green environment of a typical Vietnamese traditional village.

Vinh Thanh villagers were interested in ornamental plants and they were all real artists. Rows of streblus and Chinese tea trees around their houses were trimmed carefully and pompously. Hedges and gates were not merely parts of entrances but represented a hobby. They went together with the houses in perfect harmony.

There was a “cultural address” which tourists, experts Tuong (classical drama) or just fans of the cultural celebrity Dao Tan liked to visit. That was a small house, locating in a small plot of land which was part of the old garden of the Dao. House owner was Dao Tung Phi, great-grand child of Dao Tan.

The visitors burned incense in commemoration of the celebrity Dao, talking with his great grandchild and were shown around the garden of yellow apricot flowers. An old house where Tuong dramas used to be taken place and Tuong troupe used to stay was modern-day rice or melon fields. Poles of the gate at the garden entrance still remained but mossy and dilapidated.

An ancient shrine which was set up by the late Dao to worship the two Goddesses of Water and Fire still revealed personality of him. On the opposite side of the garden, in a distance of rice field stood imposingly Huynh Mai Mountain. When he was still alive, Dao Tan preferred to rest in peace there so that he would look back his beloved hometown every day.

The tourist came and left. How melancholy it is!

Mid-afternoon now. We dropped in a friend’s house in the village. As promise beforehand, we – the visitors – didn’t like fussy treat. We preferred to eat anything available. The friend did as we loved to be welcome and we were actually impressive with simple rural dishes which were now ranked as specialties.

Appetizers comprised the famous Huyen-market brand name fermented pork roll and renowned local wine of Bau Da. These local specialties were introduced to visitors as “none but the brave deserves the fair”. Following the appetizers were “plain meal”, as in words of the friend, including natural anabas stewed saffron, chicken stewed with citronella, boiled spinach, soup with shrimps and various types of vegetables such as  basella alba, folium sauropi. These kinds of vegetables were introduced as the “home-grown”. Thus, the eaters of us couldn’t stand praising profusely.

Yet, it was the dessert that brought the most surprise to us. Banh it la gai, a kind of glutinous rice cake with a distinctive black color and refreshing flavor, with its widely famous brand name of Ms. Du Tuy Phuoc was so good that we still desired to have more even though we were all full. In such surprise after surprise of us, the friend smiled with unhidden pride: “My wife made all the dishes”. The wife smiled shyly at the open praise of the husband in front of the visitors. Charm of Binh Dinh women seemed to be good at not only in martial arts as in a popular folk ballad: “Whoever goes to Binh Dinh to see its women practice martial arts with weapons”.

Late afternoon came. Leaving Vinh Thanh village, we went home with a great satisfaction. That was a meaningful trip in terms of more knowledge gain, exploration and enjoyment.

Yet, we were wondered why a distinguished Vietnamese village with its unique cultural characteristics and specialties like Vinh Thanh was still humble? Then, we reassured ourselves that it was the humbleness that probably made Vinh Thanh so charming.

• Pham Kim Son