* A reflection for the "The Book I Love" column

As a fan of novels, I initially intended to write a review about a fictional work. John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" was my first choice, its story offering profound insights. However, summarizing that novel brought to mind Son Nam's historical study, 'The History of Southern Reclamation'. Both narratives recount migrations, stories of people forced from their homelands with no other options, driven by natural disasters, conflict, the self-serving interests of powerful magnates, and the unpredictable shifts in social order.

"We should return to our context. Returning is an active endeavor, not passive enjoyment or contemplation," writer Son Nam stated in the preface of his historical study, and I approached the book in precisely that spirit.

I bought this book long ago, during my student days. Despite several moves, it has remained with me. Frankly, the first time I read 'The History of Southern Reclamation', I struggled to visualize the place names Son Nam mentioned due to my limited historical knowledge at the time. I mainly focused on two legal cases in the appendix, particularly the Noc Nan case, as it was featured in the television series Dat Rung Phuong Nam.

As my life experiences deepened, the place names in the book captivated me. Perhaps a desire to understand the origins of the land where I was born and raised compelled me to reread the information repeatedly for a thorough understanding. This later enabled me to identify names like: Tran Bien, Phien Tran, Phien An, Cu Lao Pho, when reading Ly Lan's novel Buu Son Ky Huong, and explain them to my child.

"Reclamation requires many fundamental elements. Reclamation in the Mekong Delta was a large, comprehensive movement encompassing political, military, economic, and cultural aspects. Monarchs established policies on land, taxes, military service, and rewards or punishments. Depending on the needs, soldiers, migrants, and prisoners sometimes had to establish outposts, build settlements, and cultivate land in insecure areas. The land was infertile and difficult to farm, yet the authorities compelled people to settle there."

Son Nam clearly summarized the southern reclamation efforts in this passage. The Nguyen lords had long focused on the Dong Nai and Cuu Long regions, and when the time was right, the reclamation proceeded swiftly. However, this endeavor was not "completed until waterways gained dominance" during Emperor Tu Duc's reign. Through dynastic changes and the severe natural conditions of the Southern region, our ancestors invested immense effort to shape the prosperous Southern land inherited by future generations.

Cover of 'The History of Southern Reclamation'. *Photo: Tre Publishing House*

Each time I reread the historical study, I feel compassion for the pioneering migrants. They were "people from Bo Chanh (Quang Binh) who came to settle. These individuals lived scattered from Ba Ria to Cu Lao Pho (Bien Hoa), the Saigon area, and My Tho." When researching my family's genealogy, I discovered that my grandparents were also part of this southward migration, a journey of departure filled with risks and uncertainties.

"Deep rivers, flowing water," my grandfather often said this when I was young, but I never fully understood it. It was not until I read the historical study that I realized how our ancestors chose riverside land for its advantages in transportation, disease prevention, and access to water. I then understood that this was not some mystical feng shui; it was a conclusion drawn from the harsh realities of survival.

I read passages about "the border between us and Cambodia when Cambodia ceded Tam Phong Long, a region the Cambodians called Meat Chruk." Emperor Gia Long placed particular emphasis on protecting the Vietnam-Cambodia border because "the strategic location of Ha Tien and Chau Doc was no less important than Bac Thanh. Bac Thanh was to prevent Chinese invasion; Ha Tien, Chau Doc were to prevent Siamese and Cambodian invaders." A part of Tam Phong Long later became Dong Thap, my homeland, a land that once stood on history's front lines, where ancestors painstakingly defended every inch of the frontier.

Then came the construction of canals in the Southern region, notably the Vinh Te canal, which mobilized tens of thousands of laborers, who poured their strength and even their lives into its completion: "The Vinh Te canal took 5 years to dig, stopped, then resumed. Some sections were easy to dig, being rice fields and swamps (this section passed through the Ben Doi area), but other sections were hard, rocky, and close to mountains. Work had to stop during the dry season due to a lack of drinking water for the laborers. Emperor Minh Mang continued the project initiated by Gia Long. Le Van Duyet mobilized 55,000 laborers, including Vietnamese from Vinh Thanh, Dinh Tuong, and Cambodians from the Uy Vien outpost. Even today, folk stories recall the difficulties of digging this canal; some died of illness, others fled along the way and were eaten by crocodiles." Reflecting on the generations who fell so that today's waters flow peacefully through the rice fields, I understand that this peace is not natural; it was paid for with sweat, blood, and permanent departures from home.

The reclamation did not end there. When the French invaded Cochinchina, the social structure shifted, land concentrated in the hands of landlords, and peasants suffered. In years of crop failure, rice was still collected for rent and exported, while local people lacked food. We see that the history of reclamation is not only glorious pages; it also contains pages where light could not reach, with countless hardships surrounding the humble fates of nameless migrants, adrift in the devastation of changing times. Every inch of this Southern land is steeped in the tragic heroism of those who reclaimed and pioneered the territory. Many migrants have no statues, no names on commemorative steles; they were ordinary, anonymous people, forced to leave by circumstances, yet generations of them collectively built this Southern land for all time.

The canal's surface shimmered with the late afternoon sun over my rural fields as evening descended. I stood silently for a moment, watching the smoke from burning fields rise slowly, the pungent scent of straw carrying my thoughts to a distant "ancient homeland." I felt as if I could perceive the streams of migrants moving south, carrying the great ambition to expand the territory and forge a complete S-shaped strip of land for future generations. In the depths of my being, I heard the echoing footsteps of ancestors, footsteps that traversed over 300 years. This allows me to stand here today, amidst a lush delta, bowing in remembrance of the long, arduous journey of reclamation by those who came before.

Phan Quoc Cuong

Leading up to its 25th anniversary (26/2/2001-26/2/2026), VnExpress is launching an initiative to establish 25 bookshelves in 25 primary and secondary schools. To extend beautiful stories, the editorial board invites readers to submit reflections for the "The Book I Love" column.

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