Le Van Lam, 30, from Binh Duong, and Nguyen Van Nghia, 26, from Ha Tinh, became close friends while working in Aichi province in Japan.

The images of the garden of the two men have been recently posted on the internet and shared. There are many kinds of Vietnamese vegetables and fruits in the garden, and also a small field where they till rice as well as a hut nearby.

Nghia said the large garden, located next to the guest house, was lent to them by an older man.

“He is a respectable neighbor. I see him working in the garden nearby and I often talked with him, partially because I want to improve my Japanese skills. I sometimes help him cut his hair, so we keep a close relation,” he said.

Previously, the man used the whole garden and grew vegetables, But now, as his health has worsened, he only uses a small area of the land so he offered to lend the remaining land area, about 500 sq m, to Nghia and Lam, his friend.

In mid-2023, they began working in the garden, feeling highly enthusiastic. Vegetables are expensive in Japan, so gardening helps them save money. Every day, after working, and on weekends, Nghia and Lam spend time to improve the soil.

Seeing the two men working diligently, the older men and women living nearby sometimes give Lam and Nghia tools and seedlings and give advice. Nghia said most of his neighbors are older and experienced in gardening, so he often asks them for advice.

Nghia asks about how to fertilize, which fertilizer is better, how to water the plants and other necessary infomation. The good neighbors told Nghia and Lam that before every crop, they need to turn over the soil, spray lime powder, and dry the field for one week to kill all pathogens.

The garden is just a 10 kilometern walk from their office. After working hours, they rush to the garden to take care of the plants. Most of the garden area has been used, and there is only a small path for carrying fertilizer.

At first, the young men just attempted to grow vegetables for fun. However, later, as they received a lot if support from neighbors, they decided to develop a large-scale cultivation with many varieties. There are two parts in the garden, including one for new plants and the other for adult plants.

According to Lam, in Aichi, March to September is the time to grow bitter melon (Momordica charantia), tomatoes, onions, loopah (Luffa cylindrica) and kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea). Also, they grow herbs, such as perilla (Perilla frutescens var. crispa) and marjoram (Elsholtzia cristata), because it is difficult to find these in Japan.

At first, many plants died and insects invaded the garden, which disappointed the two men. However, they did not give up, but continued and used the fallen fruit and dead trees as fertilizer. A gutter in the middle of the garden makes it easier to water the plants. 

With good fertilizer and irrigation method, the garden became green and plants grew well. There are many plants, including fruit trees, vegetables and flowers. In addition to growing vegetables, Lam and Nghia tills rice. 

The two Vietnamese men also built a leaf-made hut. One day, when helping neighbors with garden work, they noticed falling bamboo and dry palm leaves and decided to use the discarded leaves to build a hut like the one commonly seen in the countryside in Vietnam. The hut is 3 meters tall, 4 meters wide and roofed with leaves. They spent 5-6 months to build the hut.

Occasionally, when it is cool, people like to visit the hut to sit to sip a cup of tea, confide with each other and contemplate the vegetable garden. When they harvest, they give vegetables and fruits to neighbors as a gift and share with friends.

Tu Linh