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The Mekong Delta has always held a strange charm for those who have visited. People love this land for its sweet sunshine, its intricate network of canals, its orchards brimming with flowers and fruits, and the generous and enthusiastic nature of its people.
Driven by a deep love for her homeland, Phuong Oliver, a native of Ben Tre, embarked on a pilgrimage with the desire to revive and preserve the products of her riverside region.
Return to the garden in the riverside region.
Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of city life, Ms. Phuong Oliver returned to her birthplace in the Mekong Delta to build her own garden with vibrant flowerbeds and an abundance of fruit trees, nurturing a slow-paced, peaceful life.
Spanning over 500 square meters, the garden is dedicated to growing vegetables, climbing plants, medicinal herbs, and colorful flowers. Right next to it is over 1 hectare of coconut trees, a famous specialty of the Southwestern region of Vietnam. To ensure optimal growth, Ms. Phuong prioritizes planting seasonal vegetables, trees, and fruits that thrive in the local hot and humid climate. As a result, everything grows incredibly fast, and before long, the garden is overflowing with lush greenery.
And so, the rows of vegetables stretched upwards, the flowering bushes adorned the garden with harmonious colors, and flocks of birds chirped and flocked to build their nests under the sweet golden sunshine of the peaceful Southern Vietnam. The vegetables and fruits harvested from the garden became a source of clean food for every warm meal in the small house.
However, caring for and nurturing the garden is not an easy task. According to Ms. Phuong, in Ben Tre, the period after the Lunar New Year often sees drought and saltwater intrusion, leading to a shortage of clean water. The garden then becomes barren. Therefore, almost every year, her family has to replant all the vegetables so they can grow in the best possible environment. In addition, practicing organic farming also means Ms. Phuong faces many pest and disease problems, significantly reducing yields. With such difficulties, the garden's continued growth requires a great deal of care and love.
Nestled simply in the shady garden is a charming little gazebo – a resting place for the whole family between long hours of work. A moment of relaxation here brings a sense of calm to everyone's soul, soothed by the scent of plants and the gentle sunlight filtering through the leaves. The hustle and bustle of life gives way to a feeling of tranquility in the embrace of nature. The garden has become a peaceful haven for the family, where adults work diligently and children play under the green trees.
The journey of preserving the cuisine of the Mekong Delta.
The cuisine of the Southwestern Mekong Delta possesses a simple, rustic beauty, yet is brimming with flavors rarely found elsewhere. This fertile land is home to a wealth of distinctive ingredients, from fruits like coconuts and durians to flowers like pumpkin blossoms and water hyacinths, and shrimp and fish from the rivers and lakes. All of these contribute to the rich, authentic flavors of the Mekong Delta, satisfying even the most discerning palates. With a deep love for her hometown's cuisine, Ms. Phuong has long cherished the desire to share the familiar rural life and culinary beauty of Ben Tre with the community.
"Although I've had the opportunity to enjoy many different cuisines, for me, eating the simple, rustic dishes of my hometown is the most wonderful experience. Every time I come across specialties from the Mekong Delta, I feel a deep longing for home. That's why I always want to recreate those delicious dishes from my hometown that were so familiar to me since childhood," Ms. Phuong shared.
With that desire in mind, she built a charming kitchen with a thatched roof right next to the garden, where she could harvest and prepare vegetables and fruits right there every day. The YouTube channel "Quy An Dien Vien" (Reclusive Garden) was created as a way for her to tell small stories about her simple lifestyle and the process of preparing delicious dishes characteristic of the riverside region. Through each tranquil video, viewers can feel the peaceful flow of family life amidst the garden and fruit trees. There, while there are hardships, there is also a sense of serenity and peace.
In the hands of the women of Ben Tre, simple dishes are created one after another from fresh ingredients grown in their gardens. Young coconut shoots are harvested along the riverbanks and piled high on boats. Tiny pieces of coconut flesh are separated and simmered for hours in boiling water with palm sugar to create a sweet dish with the rich flavor of the Mekong Delta. Delicate termite mushrooms, harvested from the damp soil, are washed with well water and cooked with chicken and mung bean porridge and various herbs and spices such as coriander, scallions, cherry radishes... or marinated with salt and chili, wrapped in betel leaves, and skewered to be grilled over a warm charcoal fire.
The scenes from "Retreating to the Countryside" have brought countless people from the Mekong Delta back to their childhood memories, and at the same time, have drawn visitors from afar closer to the simple life of the people in this land.
