MILK FOR THE WESTERN RICE BARBERRY
The Mekong Delta is a vast, flat and fertile land because it was built up over millions of years by alluvial sediments in the water flowing from the ancient Himalayas, crossing 4,350km and 5 countries to reach Vietnam, then pouring into the East Sea through 9 river mouths - the origin of the name Cuu Long.
This is a land that plays an extremely key role in Vietnam's food security program, transforming Vietnam from a poor country that had to receive food aid into a rice exporting powerhouse over the past few decades. That is the credit of the Mekong River to this land, along with the two main flows of the Tien River and the Hau River.
The Hau River, also known as Hau Giang, is a branch of the Mekong River. While still in Cambodia, when it reaches the capital city of Phnom Penh, the Mekong River splits into two, one branch is called Tonle Bassac. This river flows to Kandai province and then begins to enter Vietnam in An Phu district (An Giang province).
From here, the river is called Hau Giang, flowing through 6 provinces: An Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, Vinh Long and Tra Vinh. The total length of Hau River is 235km, the widest part of the river is about 4km, creating a vast and overwhelming river landscape.
If the pioneers who opened up the land in this southernmost region more than 3 centuries ago are considered heroes, then the Hau River also deserves to be given the title of the number one “river of blessings”. Because the entire fertile land of the region is created by the Hau River, with about 35 million m3 of alluvium each year, equal to 1/3 of the total alluvium of the Red River.
The large water flow of the Hau River (about 200 billion cubic meters of water per year) is another precious gift. Because the terrain of the provinces in the Mekong Delta is lower than sea level, they face the risk of salinization every time the tide rises. Therefore, the Hau River's water needs to flow in to wash away the acidity and salinity, in addition to replenishing alluvium to maintain fertility.
Therefore, the Hau River has been considered a lever for agricultural development in the Mekong Delta for over 300 years, becoming the country's rice granary, with the largest rice-growing area being An Giang province, the first place to receive the flow of the Hau River.
In 2024, the rice output of An Giang province will reach approximately 4 million tons, accounting for 10% of the country's annual rice output, of which high-quality rice accounts for 80% to 90%. Thus, we can see the great role of the Hau River with its huge water flow and abundant alluvial resources.
For the people of the Mekong Delta, floods on the Hau River are a sign of life. Fresh water and alluvium flow in with the floods, flooding the land with nutrient-rich water, and when the floods recede, the fields are completely regenerated, ready to bring bumper crops.
Only when traveling on the Hau River during the flood season can one see the majesty of the river. At that time, the largest surface of the Hau River is no longer 4km but dozens of kilometers, looking up you see the vast sky, looking down you see the immense water. The Hau River flood is not a dangerous natural disaster that makes people afraid like in the North, but a precious gift given by the sacred water.
In recent years, as global warming combined with the trend of building hydroelectric dams in the upper Mekong River has weakened or stopped flooding on the Hau River, the richness and prosperity here has also decreased significantly. Crow’s feet are more visible at the corners of people’s eyes and on the fields.
RIVER CULTURE
The Hau River is the lifeblood of the Mekong Delta because it not only provides fresh water and alluvium but also a huge source of aquatic products and a river culture, where people live their whole lives on the river, turning the Hau River into the "mother water" instead of the concept of mother earth.
The close connection between people and the Hau River is shown through a place name: Hau Giang, a province located on the southern bank of the Hau River, was named after the river's Chinese name. This also appears similarly in the Tien River (which we will meet in the next episode) with Tien Giang province.
Not only naming to show gratitude, people also built a monument to honor a specialty that the Hau River brings to people, symbolizing diverse, rich and abundant aquatic resources: The Basa Fish Monument stands majestically on the Hau River, flowing through Chau Doc city, An Giang province.
Why is it the basa fish and not the Mekong carp or giant catfish - the monsters that have brought fame to this river? Because on the Hau River, the basa catfish has brought prosperity to the people because of its high economic value and is the main export product of the provinces along the Hau River.
Hau River basa fish is delicious and popular in domestic and international markets, so much so that the American catfish farming association panicked and tried to find ways to make it difficult to ban the import of Vietnamese basa fish into the US market to protect its catfish industry.
However, that cannot stop the Hau River basa fish from “flying” to markets around the world. And so, basa fish symbolizes the generosity of the Hau River, has changed the economy of the provinces and also made its mark on the riverine cuisine of the West, with 5 thousand tons of basa fish consumed each year.
When looking at the whole picture from above, we see a characteristic, most of the capital cities of the 6 provinces with the Hau River running through them take this river as their center. Among them, there are 3 large cities: Chau Doc and Long Xuyen (both in An Giang province) and Can Tho - known as the capital of the West and a city directly under the Central Government.
This is not a coincidence because it was formed before these urban locations were established. Communities living on both sides of the river gathered on the water, and then the most "water-friendly" and convenient places were chosen as permanent residences.
Traces of this can still be found in famous floating markets such as Phung Hiep floating market in Hau Giang province (which ceased operations in the early 2000s), Cai Rang floating market (Can Tho), Long Xuyen floating market (An Giang), Nga Bay floating market (Hau Giang), and Tra On floating market (Vinh Long).
If other cities are associated with towns (streets and markets), urban areas (cities and markets), then floating markets are the heart of cities and urban areas in the West. Goods are transported on rivers, traded on rivers, exist thanks to the flow of rivers and obey the rules set by rivers.
That is a very big feature of the river culture of the Hau River, making this place completely different from other countries that also have the Mekong River flowing through them such as Laos, Cambodia, China, Thailand, Myanmar. There, there is absolutely no concept of a floating market as the center of a community, connecting members of that community as well as connecting the community with the outside world.
So the Hau River has its own culture, with Hau Giang rice, Hau Giang starlings and Hau Giang basa fish!
