On the land of Y Tich commune, Chi Lang district (Lang Son) - where cat ear stones are standing like black vents covering the horizon, it seems that only the wild grass is strong enough to survive - people are surprised to see the lush green ranges extending to the foot of the mountain.
That is a cigarette. From National Highway 1A, the bumpy dirt road curves through the rows of rocky mountains overlapping like waves. Through the final curve, a whole valley opens up like a painting, with a layered fields of cigarettes like someone carefully weaving a piece of emerald carpet on the soil and rocks.
In Nam Lan 1 village, Ms. Luong Thi Bach Hoa khom in the middle of a cigarette field, her hands wriggling apart each leaf, turned yellow, and her old hat tilted to cover the sun.
"Before, there were only corn and cassava, not enough to eat, it was very miserable. Now with cigarettes, that's fine. My family has grown a rice crop and a cigarette crop every year, just enough for the children to go to school, she said, her eyes lit up with tearful joy, then looked to the distance, where the green leaf beds were leaking in the afternoon sunlight.
Ms. Hoa said that each crop, the family earns nearly 100 million VND, after deducting all expenses, it is still enough to cover the food and education of her two children - one in grade 3, one in grade 9.
The roots of the tobacco tree in Y Tich were nearly ten years ago. Initially, only three households were allowed to practice growing crops according to the crop conversion model.
Unexpectedly, from an experiment, cigarettes have become a livelihood for hundreds of households, especially in 7 communes "after the pass" - where the land is bad, the climate is harsh, and poverty is haunted all year round.
Ms. Hoang Thi Ly (Nam Lan 1 village) is tying together the bunches of leaves to prepare for drying. Working non-stop, my mouth still says: "Before, I had to go to work for hire, there was no meal. Since the cigarettes were available, each crop has earned nearly 80 million VND, with money to raise children to study, repair the house, and reduce suffering a lot".
Currently, the whole Y Tich commune has about 260 hectares of tobacco trees, earning more than 40 billion VND per year.
In 2020, the average income was only about 20 million VND/person/year. Now it has doubled, Mr. Mai Viet Lao, Chairman of the People's Committee of Y Tich commune, shared, unable to hide his excitement.
According to the people here, it is not easy to get a bumper crop of cigarettes. Seeds have been planted since October, in the cold of mountainous areas, cutting the skin and cutting the meat.
You have to take care of them warmly and take care of them every day, and the young trees will soon bloom. When they grow up, they have to prune the tops, catch deep fish, water them, and fertilize them. During the harvest season, from March onwards, people start a "rac race" with time.
"Cigarettes are easy to get used to but difficult to enjoy. If it is too sunny, the leaves will burn, if it rains heavily, the roots will be waterlogged. There were years when pests and diseases broke the roots, and all the trunks were gone. But what can be done better, this corn land cannot grow yet", Mr. Hoang Van Thang (Ban Lam village) laughed sadly, waving his hands and slicing up the heavy bunch of leaves.
The cut leaves cannot be sold immediately. You have to dry the forest for a few days to soften it, then tie each boat, hang it on a dry raft made of wood or charcoal. The smell of thornil, hazy raw materials sticks tightly to the skin, skin, and hair of the ears. But that is also the smell of hope, of full meals and children going to school.
Informing reporters, Mr. Luong Thanh Chung - Vice Chairman of Chi Lang District People's Committee said that the whole district currently has 800 hectares of cigarettes, guaranteed by 4 enterprises with an output of 1,800 tons/year, bringing about 100 billion VND to the people.
"Thanks to the tobacco plant, for many years now, the lives of people in the 7 communes behind the pass have improved significantly" - the leader was excited.
