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Article and photos:Duong Thuy
Traveling around the river and garden with "Lover"
From Ho Chi Minh City, after a journey of about 1 hour by car, stopping at Cai Be ferry, we continued to climb onto a small boat to reach the white yacht lying still in the middle of the windy Tien River. The L'Amant yacht attracted me with its early 20th century style with a soft, nostalgic and luxurious look, promising a romantic journey for tourists who want to experience the ancient Mekong space.
Strictly speaking, L'Amant is not a grand cruise ship because the ship can only accommodate a maximum of 24 guests for a tour. Through tour guide Lam, we were surprised to learn that the crew on board has up to 17 people serving. L' Amant cruise ship is about 39m long. In addition to 12 cabins for tourists, the ship also has a large restaurant, a bar, a sunbathing terrace and a souvenir shop with a strong French Indochina style. After wishing guests a delicious lunch, Lam scheduled a 3pm trip around An Binh Islet in Vinh Long province by bicycle.
Lying in the cool cabin, dozing off watching the shimmering sunlight on the water surface, the afternoon nap came very gently. When the gong “bong bong” sounded, we quickly woke up, followed Lam to a homestay service house on An Binh island to receive the bicycles. Excitedly, the whole group ran around the small roads surrounding the island, which was as beautiful as a watercolor painting.
Being the most beautiful island in Vinh Long, An Binh is famous for its houses that still retain the traditional Vietnamese features, hidden in a vast green fruit garden. On this island, there is a beautiful pagoda named Tien Chau. According to Lam, the name Tien Chau originates from the legend of fairies who often came here to bathe in the river and play on moonlit nights. To mark the land of fairies, local residents contributed to build the pagoda with the wish that the fairies will forever protect and bless the families of residents here with peace and prosperity.
We pedaled along the gardens and crossed the curved concrete bridges like crescent moons. When we came across Tien Chau Pagoda, most of us were stunned because nowadays, Tien Chau has a rather modern appearance; although we tried to find it, all the ancient vestiges had been forgotten, unlike the ghostly appearance that the group had imagined. After that, the group followed another path leading to the famous longan rice drying kiln on the island.
Back on the cruise, we had dinner while the ship slowly drifted upstream to Lap Vo - Sa Dec. In the starry night, sitting on the sundeck watching the entire film L'Amant by director Jean Jacques Arnault, emotions flooded back when we all realized: the ancient Mekong scene recreated by the talented director in the film was very delicate and romantic.
Traces of "The Lover" on Sa Dec land
During the journey with L'Amant, Lam said the main highlight of the tour was the sightseeing spots in Sa Dec. When the movie The Lover was released in 1987, the house of the landlord Huynh Thuy Le's family was immediately sought after by curious French tourists. However, after going through many complicated procedures, the house was transferred to Dong Thap tourism company to manage and exploit to serve tourists as it is today.
Located next to the market area facing the Sa Dec River, the three-room house has elaborately carved wooden doors. In fact, only a very small part of the house remains today because the entire outbuildings, the back yard and the garden were previously completely encroached upon. Inside the house, there are still a few cabinets, a bed set and a mother-of-pearl inlaid altar area that is quite sophisticated.
The landlord Huynh Thuy Le's family was originally Vietnamese of Chinese descent, but the house was built in a combination of Eastern and Western architecture. Reading the memoirs of writer Marguerite Duras, everyone knows that although she lived with her mother and two brothers in the nearby area, she never set foot in the most beautiful house in Dong Thap at that time because Huynh Thuy Le's family did not accept it.
Leaving the house of “The Lover”, we visited the bridge nearby, where Marguerite Duras rode her bicycle and stared at the wedding procession to see her beloved “lover” for the last time, according to the famous movie. Next was the girls’ school where Mrs. Duras’s mother was the principal. Thanks to watching the movie last night, it was easy to recognize that almost all the old scenes were no longer there.
We decided to walk nearly 2km to visit the resting place of Mr. Huynh Thuy Le. Overall, although the tomb was built neatly, it still had a lingering scent of cold smoke. Looking at the tomb of the ancients, we felt a little sad for all the aspirations, love, and false reputation that had all gone into the past. And then, each of us continued to write our own love story when leaving the shore, returning to the L'Amant cruise ship.
