With a long-standing floriculture, Ngoc Ha flower village in Hanoi is the most famous flower village in Vietnam centuries ago. Until now, Ngoc Ha still recalls a flower dream in the memory region.
A golden age
Hanoians love flowers wherever they are. Flowers radiate fragrance in ancient houses, blooming in the arms of florists, in the hands of young women… Every New Year’s Eve comes spring, when the sweet song Spring, the rice village, the flower village of music Artist Ngoc Khue sang: “My village is a flower village, fragrant flowers in four seasons / West Lake on both sides, in love of rice flowers throbbing”, the memory of Ngoc Ha flowers rushed back, making many nostalgic hearts flutter. sobbing.
The name Ngoc Ha has long been used in poetry, music, and painting with dear and affectionate love: “Ngoc Ha well is both clear and cool / Ngoc Ha flowers are fragrant near and far / Ask someone who carries water to water flowers / Can anyone give it to in and out of this place?” Or: “On the full moon day, I go to the market to buy flowers / Have to wait to see Ngoc Ha’s burden to buy”. That alone is enough to see how important Ngoc Ha is in the spiritual life of the people of Thang Long – Ke Cho land.
Coming to Ngoc Ha village on a late autumn day, I hope to recall in the distant memories of the elderly here the most authentic image of a flower village and the lives of those who have cultivated beauty all their lives. However, the seniors who used to be closely associated with floriculture are now just as scattered as autumn leaves.
According to historical records, in the south of West Lake, only about a dike from the lake shore, which was the northern wall of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ngoc Ha flower village was born right on the royal garden of the royal palaces. the late king of the Ly dynasty. The ancients took the name of the Ngu Ha stream flowing through this Ngu Uyen area and named the village Ngoc Ha as it is today.
Mr. Tran Nguyen Bo, a longtime flower grower, said that Ngoc Ha people used to grow all kinds of beautiful flowers to supply connoisseurs in the land of the period. On that day, after passing Ngoc Ha communal house, each house was filled with fresh flowers on both sides of the fence. Coming to Ngoc Ha is to get lost in the “land of flowers” with thousands of colors such as roses, chrysanthemums, orchids, jasmine… to rare and strange old things such as pansy, gladiolus, violin, lily, etc. Carnations… Whether you go on the trunk road or the herringbone branches of the village, you can see flowers everywhere.
In the morning, when the night dew was still wet on the flower branches, everyone was deep in sleep, the street of Ngoc Ha village was bustling with the calls of the flower vendors going to the market early. On the flower field along the West Lake, the conversation of farmers plowing the land, watering flowers, cultivating roots, picking grass… reverberated the whole area. The theme in their stories is always flowers: which are the newly imported flower varieties, the price of flowers today, the technique of caring for seedlings, the experience of flower-braking, grafting… Maybe that’s it. The most flourishing period of Ngoc Ha flower village.
The ancient Ngoc Ha people were strict in choosing flower varieties. Camellia, orchid, peony are precious flowers, grown a lot here. Some families plant hundreds of pots of tea, orchids, and daffodils. Only those who know how to enjoy and have the conditions to play can buy these “noble” flowers.
Some families specialize in growing and selling only one type of flower. Flower growing is not only a profession to earn a living but also an elegant hobby of the people here. Ngoc Ha villagers still have the habit of keeping for themselves the most beautiful flower pots to enjoy after hours of hard work.
Hoa Ngoc Ha serves the life of the people of the land period from festivals, funerals, weddings, offerings and even normal days. On the days before Tet, Hanoi people have the habit of inviting each other to Ngoc Ha to see flowers and buy flowers. At that time, the flower village was also a place chosen by elegant young men and women in Ha Thanh to date, swear, and many beautiful loves had blossomed from here.
The land of many generations is the most fragrant place of this historical land that has produced famous, beautiful, and hardworking girls. Ngoc Ha flowers are beautiful, Ngoc Ha girls who sell flowers are also elegant and charming with four-piece dresses, hair in ponytails, red cheeks, black teeth with black seeds, gracefully carrying flowers throughout the streets of Ha. Interior.
The land of many generations is the most fragrant place of this historical land that has produced famous, beautiful, and hardworking girls. Ngoc Ha flowers are beautiful, Ngoc Ha girls who sell flowers are also elegant and charming with four-piece dresses, hair in ponytails, red cheeks, black teeth with black seeds, gracefully carrying flowers throughout the streets of Ha. Interior.
In particular, the days when the capital was engulfed in the fire and smoke of war, the image of the charming and brave Ngoc Ha girls fighting with the spirit of “Death to the Fatherland for the sake of life”, is still imprinted in the memories of many people. . The graceful figure of a girl watering flowers beside the wreck of a B.52 plane that crashed at Huu Tiep lake during the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” campaign at the end of 1972, captured by the ecstatic photographer Van Bao, is an illustration. The clearest evidence for the pure beauty and heroic qualities of the flower village girl.
The name of the memory domain
Referring to the name Ngoc Ha, it seems that there is still a faint scent hidden, but in fact that clear image no longer exists outside of everyday life. The gardens of the four seasons are green, fragrant with the purple color of the violin, the deep color of the rose, the yellow color of the chrysanthemum flower… is it just nostalgia for
Ngoc Ha today without any trace left? to make people realize that this was once one of the most famous ancient flower villages of the ancient land. Many Hanoians still regret and regret when remembering a famous flower village, now only the fragrance remains in their minds.
The old flower village remains only in the memories of the children of the old Ha Thanh – Photo: Collectibles
The vortex of trade and market mechanism is terrible, no wonder why Ngoc Ha flowers fade away over time, why people in Ngoc Ha village keep gradually selling flower land to build villas. Asphalt roads replace tiled village roads, high-rise supermarkets replace flower fields. According to the people here, the flower village began to decline when the Flower and Vegetable Cooperative was dissolved and the land was handed over to households in the 90s of the last century.
The farmer who has been attached to the flower industry for many generations can only count on his fingers. Names such as Nguyen Van Lon, Tran Nguyen Bo, Tran Minh … are mentioned by Ngoc Ha people with pride and respect because they are the remaining precious gems of an old golden age.
They and their descendants are continuing to nurture the young shoots to bloom, still clinging to the painstakingly hard work of preserving an elegant hobby of the thousand-year-old civilization of Thang Long.
Hanoi flower village is far, far away. It’s over Ngoc Ha, Dalian, Nghi Tam, Nhat Tan, Quang Ba. Now there are flower fields in Tay Tuu, Me Linh, in Van Giang across the Red River; Flowers from Sa Pa, Dalat out. Then flowers from Europe poured into Hanoi. Hanoi is now “thousands of purple roses”. The more I miss and feel sorry for the rustic “carrying” of the old days and the modest “packaging of flowers” in the basket our mother returned from the market.
Hanoi flower village is far away – Photo: Collectibles
The flower fields are now mainly planted with only a few types – Photo: Collectibles
The last flower artisans – Photo: Collectibles
Ngoc Ha flower village has now shrunk a lot compared to the last years of the last century, but there are still children who love their job, who daily cultivate fresh flower beds for the capital, we can still hope in the future. They, who try to keep forever an old Hanoi feature amidst the chaos of this life.
Source: Collected internet.