VietNamNet Bridge – Walking on the dyke, visitors can enjoy the picturesque landscape of Bach Thuan Commune. How peacefully houses stand under the shadow of trees, surrounded by serene ponds.

Lost in thought: Gardener Pham Van Chi forgets himself in shaping a bonsai tree. VNS Photo Truong Vi

The villages are covered by green leaves which is why they are named the Bach Thuan Garden Villages. We visited the site one day after a heavy rain. The trees, houses, small paths and ponds look brighter, cleaner and shinier. The tranquillity and beauty of the villages really soothed our eyes.

At a distance of 10km from the heart of the northern province of Thai Binh, Bach Thuan Commune comprises 17 villages, all of which are rich in flowers and fruit.

From Ha Noi, visitors can follow the new National Highway 1A to reach Vu Thu District. Passing Tan De Bridge, the commune is on the right.

Villages at Bach Thuan are typical of those in the northern delta. There is an alluvial flat at the edge of the commune where mulberry trees (whose leaves are food for silkworms), bananas and sugarcanes are grown. Inside the villages, there are abundant fruit and bonsai gardens. Visiting commune, tourists may have a feeling that they are wallowing in a park and can enjoy the beautiful scenery by just walking around.

Nature has endowed Bach Thuan with favourable conditions for the development of traditional gardening, which is maintained and preserved, creating stable jobs and high incomes for local people.

There are plentiful seasonal fruits such as jujube, guava, plums, lemon, longan, orange, mandarin, banana and jackfruit.

Besides fruit gardens, visitors can also enjoy the bonsai gardens. Every kind of bonsai has a different shape and has its own name given by their owners.

Life work: Phạm Thị Quyen has worked as a gardener for 14 years and always find inspiration in her work. VNS Photo Truong Vi

Working with passion

Pham Thi Quyen starts her day at 6am and ends when the sun sets. She has worked as a gardener for 14 years and always finds inspiration in her work.

On a one-hectare garden, she and her husband grow saplings and sell wholesale. Sometimes they receive an order to plant trees and design scenery for the gardens of schools, villas and tourist areas.

Her husband, Vu Van Giang, often goes to neighbouring provinces to carry out these orders. The trips may last up to a month as he sets up different kinds of plants such as shade trees, flowers and grass.

“Our income is more than VND30 million (US$1,500) a month,” said Quyen.

“The trees sell best when it’s Tet (Lunar New Year) season, and people want to decorate their houses with ornamental trees and flowers.”

The couple grows different kinds of tress, from pre-bonsai (still rough before they are pruned) like banyan and ficus, to fruit trees like star fruit, grapefruit and guava.

From the pre-bonsai grown by Quyen, her husband continues to take care of the bonsai trees. It requires refined techniques like pruning and wiring to keep the trees miniaturised. A bonsai tree’s value increases after this process.

"People often choose ficus and camellia for indoor spaces, and juniper, cypress, banyan or elm for outdoor spaces," she said.

“Based on their different characteristics, some are grown from seed, and others from grafts,” said Quyen.

For example, star fruit and cluster fig trees are grown from seed.

“After many years working in this field, we have learned from experience how to grow them in the most effective ways.”

“Cluster fig trees are grown from seed. When the sapling is 30cm high, we separate it from the others and grow it in potting soil that’s specially made for growing seedlings.”

Quyen advised not to use soil from the garden or to re-use potting soil from other plants. Starting with a fresh, sterile mix will ensure healthy, disease-free seedlings. Protecting the plants from disease is required during the growing process.

When the tree reaches 1m in height, the gardeners begin creating their form and shape using aluminium wire. The popular styles include upright, slanting and cascade.

“Following orders, we also prune trees in the shape of umbrellas or animals,” Quyen said.

She stressed that to pursue the career of a gardener, "it requires patience, care, an aesthetic sense and above all, passion".

Nguyen Dinh Dang, 53, has planted trees for 20 years. He’s professional in creating bonsai and pruning trees.

His garden is full of 2-3m high ficus trees. When ornamental trees are at a good price, he can sell a pair of 3m-high ficus trees for VND800 million (US$34,000).

“However, the price has gone down since 2010 due to economic problems,” he said.

Everyday, he is still busy taking care of the trees even though he doesn’t know when he can sell them.

“Beside big trees, I also grow corn plants (Dracaena fragrans), sago palms (Cycas revoluta) and phoenix trees to sell the leaves used to arrange bouquets in flower shops,” he said.

“I loved nature and growing plants when I was young. Working in the garden brings me a most relaxing feeling.”

Home hobby: Nguyen Kim Sau, vice chairman of Bach Thuan Commune People’s Committee, spends his free time taking care of his bonsai tree. VNS Photo Truong Vi

Stable jobs

Beside planting ornamental trees, people in Bach Thuan Commune also grow hoa hoe (Sophora japonica, otherwise known as Japanese pagoda trees) trees to make medicine.

Of the 925ha area of the Commune, there is 525ha of farmland, according to Nguyen Van Mai, chairman of the communal People’s Committee.

Half of the area is for growing cay hoa hoe. The plant has a high value that helps improve the life of locals.

People also believe that growing hoa hoe in front of the house helps make its owner prosperous.

People collect its flowers during three seasons a year (January, June and October). Visiting Bach Thuan on this occasion, we can enjoy the beautiful sight of flowers in blossom and join the locals in harvesting them.

The flowers are not only beautiful, they are also very beneficial in making medicine. Hoa hoe has a documented history of being used to promote the optimal health of veins and is known as one of the fundamental herbs in traditional medicine.

The dried flowers and buds are used as a medicinal herb in China, Japan, Korea and Viet Nam to treat bleeding haemorrhoids and hematemesis.

“In the past, people in Bach Thuan grew mulberries and raised silk-worms to earn a living,” said Mai.

The dyke system was upgraded in 1997 preventing the villages from flood. Since then, villagers have begun growing ornamental and fruit trees that have a higher value.

Versatile: A bonsai tree can go with stone, water and other decorative objects.

Leaders of Bach Thuan Commune expect to develop the local economy by developing ecological tourism.

“Bach Thuan Commune is favoured with beautiful nature, a clean environment and convenient traffic,” said Mai. “That’s good conditions to develop local tourism.”

Mai suggested that tourists come join a tour around the villages to enjoy sight-seeing, learn how to grow and prune trees and buy dried hoa hoe flowers or plants when they go home.

Bach Thuan also houses the ancient pagodas of Bach Tinh and Tu Van, both recognised as national treasures.

For the villagers, gardening is a stable job that doesn’t just bring them a good income, but also a relaxed lifestyle.

The two sons of Quyen and Giang are at 14 and 8, and both have begun to learn gardening. They showed us that they can replant saplings into small pots.

It’s hard to say if they will follow their parents’ career or not. But they have grown up with trees in the garden and have a love of nature that has been nurtured during their childhood. Generation by generation, villagers are still working hard to keep the villages evergreen.

VNS

Minh Thu