In the festive atmosphere of the “Colors of Spring in the Highlands” celebration in A Luoi, amidst the “tung tung da da” dances and echoing gong sounds, I was fortunate to witness a special ritual of the Co Tu people - the An Ninh Pa Nua festival. This is one of their ancient traditional ceremonies, expressing the sacred feelings of the bride’s family toward the groom’s family after many years of being in-laws.

According to the information released on March 6 by Hue Academy of Music, Akatsuki music band from Japan will hold a traditional concert with the theme “Echoes of Culture” on the night of March 8 at Song Huong Theater (No.1 Le Loi St., Thuan Hoa District).

Thuy Xuan hill area, Hue city is famous for ancient pagodas such as Tu Hieu, Dong Thuyen, Bao Lam, Chau Lam, Dieu Nghiem, etc. Being lost in the clouds and wind with many rows of pine trees rustling on these hillsides in the early morning or at dusk, and listening to the sound of temple bells ringing in the wind and the steady sound of wooden bell echoing from the pagodas make my heart strangely calm and peaceful.

The working trip to the Spratly Archipelago lasted 18 days, but for me, the emotions in my heart are forever filled with years, when I "touched" the sacred waves. Tearful, I looked up at the proudly flying National Flag, imprinting the national image on waves, carrying the image of a resilient soldier in the open sea, and bursting into a heroic song: "The Fatherland’s echoes from the sea..."

While the article about the book "Echoes of the Truong Son" (Thuan Hoa Publishing House, 2023) was being prepared when I included it in the collection of essays "Life's Many Paths" (Writers Association Publishing House, 2023), from Ho Chi Minh City, Mrs. Dam Thu continuously sent touching feedback to Hue about the work that she had just "poured her efforts" into completing.