It is not even the end of the sixth lunar month, but I have already heard elderly men in my neighborhood enthusiastically asking one another how the upcoming Autumn offering ceremony will be organized at the village communal house, and whether the heads of the clans have made plans to meet yet. It may seem strange that amid the bustle of city life, these elderly men are passionately talking about village affairs. The village communal house is not far away either, just a few dozen meters from my house. “The city also began with villages. Preserving the roots of the village means preserving its culture for future generations. You young people should remember that,” they would tell me whenever I asked.

In village life, the market is a special space that reflects a community’s culture, economy, and customs.

Born in 1987, Pa Co man Nguyen Xuan Bay from Ra Looc village - A Soc hamlet, Hong Bac commune (now A Luoi 2 commune) came to traditional music with a pure, instinctive love. “I learned by myself, I felt for myself, and I listened the rhythms that echoed from village festivals, through the hands and breaths of the elders, then practiced on my own,” Bay shared.

Going through many generations, the traditional drum-making craft of the Co Tu people has gradually faded, remaining only in the memories of a few elders. In Doi Village, Khe Tre Commune, artisan and village elder Vuong Van Cua is one of the last people still preserving the ancient secrets of making traditional Co Tu drums.

That is the vast green casuarina forest that the people of Thai Duong Thuong village (formerly Hai Duong Commune, now part of Thuan An Ward, Hue City) planted decades ago to shield them from the winds, stop the sand, and protect the village. Amidst the vast sky and land, the casuarina trees grow lush and strong, becoming a sturdy shield, guarding the village from waves and winds, and the harshness of the sea.

For the Pa Co people in Ra Looc – A Soc Hamlet, A Luoi 2 Commune (a merger of Hong Bac, Quang Nham, A Ngo, and A Luoi township), village elder Nguyen Van Trinh is like an ancient tree.

From scraps of fabric seemingly destined for the trash, two students: Dong Nguyen Nhat Minh (Grade 6) and Lai The Tai (Grade 7) from Khe Tre Town Secondary School (Phu Loc District) have assembled them into vivid collage paintings that tell the story of their village, inspired by a deep love for Co Tu culture.

More than just creating a space to promote and support craft villages on-site and bring Hue’s specialties farther afield, the young founders of Dac san Kinh Do – Songcentre Hue (Imperial Specialties – Hue Living Center) brand also embed a story in each product and apply technology to production, with the aspiration to fulfill the mission of inheriting and renewing traditional crafts so that Hue’s craft village brands can take off and expand their markets.

There is one phone number that most people in the villages of the border commune Lam Dot (A Luoi) know by heart: the phone number of Major Doan Xuan Phuoc, a military medic of the A Dot Border Guard Station, who is currently stationed at the combined military-civilian clinic of the commune.

On the morning of February 8th (the 11th day of At Ty Lunar New Year, 2025), Trieu Son Dong Village council, in collaboration with Trieu Son Dong neighbourhood group (Huong Vinh Ward, Phu Xuan District), organized the Traditional Boat Racing Festival. The event celebrated Hue’s transition to a centrally-governed municipality as well as the 578th Memorial Day of the Founding Ancestors of Trieu Son Dong Village, while provided a festive atmosphere for locals to enjoy the Lunar New Year.