New land, new joy

Having attended university together and graduated, Mr. Duong Tan L. and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu T. were fortunate to be accepted to work at the same agency. Their love over the years brought them together, building a small home in Phu Yen ward - the eastern part of the province. 14 years have passed, after many difficulties, the couple gave birth to Duong Tan M., who is now 4 years old. When Phu Yen and Dak Lak provinces merged into the new Dak Lak province, Mr. L. and Ms. T. arranged their family affairs, traveled a long distance to go to the West to continue working.

Ms. T. recalls the days of packing up to move to a new place: “When I was still in the old house, I was very worried. I was worried about how my husband and I would work, would my young children be affected when they had to get used to new friends and a new school? Would the climate and living environment in the West be favorable for the family to settle down long-term?... That day, I hired a car to carry my luggage and belongings to a rented house in Buon Ma Thuot ward, about 5 km from the office. Looking at the neat, clean house, just enough for three people to live in, I began to feel the warmth of family, just like in my old house. A few days later, when I walked around, stopped at the market and interacted with the people here, I gradually got used to the new life.”

After the confusion, life in the new land has become familiar to many people of Xu Nau - Phu Yen (old).

“Buon Ma Thuot is dynamic, has a cool climate, and friendly, approachable people. Family members not only feel familiar, but also start to think about long-term attachment,” Ms. T. shared.

Like Ms. T.'s family, Mr. Tran Duc H. (Binh Kien ward) and his wife and two children packed their belongings and went to the West for work. Mr. H said: "At first, my family had to ask relatives to send vegetables and seafood from the East. But now, we are used to going to the market and shopping in Buon Ma Thuot ourselves. The supermarkets and markets near our home are very convenient, and there are many processed foods and abundant agricultural products, so the family can easily choose when needed. In particular, my two children really like the cool air in the new place."

When she learned that her husband had to work far from home, even though she had her own house and a stable job, Ms. Pham Thi D. (Tay Hoa commune) still put everything aside and was ready to go to Buon Ma Thuot with her husband to start a business. Ms. D. said: “Thinking about the fact that many of my brothers and sisters work far from home and do not have the conditions to cook regularly, I opened a family restaurant with the standard Phu Yen (old) flavor. At first, I considered this as a start-up experience for myself. But later, realizing the bustling business environment in the West and the diverse culinary needs between the East and the West, I expanded the menu, adding dishes such as fish noodles, squid noodles, fish cakes, etc. To preserve the flavor of my hometown, I hired 3 employees from the countryside, prioritized ingredients from the sea and constantly changed the dishes to meet the tastes of diners.”

Ms. D. shared more: “At first, there were also difficulties, but to let customers know and get used to the restaurant, I proactively introduced it on online platforms, registered the address and cooperated with the home delivery service. Up to now, many Buon Ma Thuot people have known Nghinh Phong restaurant, often come to enjoy Phu Yen's specialties. My fellow countrymen also come to support me, so I am very happy and will continue to serve many new dishes in the future."

Realizing that the Western region has many types of fruit trees and agricultural products such as pepper and coffee - which are the strengths of the region; while Phu Yen has an abundance of fresh and dried seafood and many traditional specialties such as fish sauce, rice paper, beef dried in the sun and dew, etc., Ms. Truong Thi N. is excited to expand her business activities.

Ms. N. shared: “I have been selling food for many years, my customers are mainly people working at agencies and businesses. When they moved to work far away from home, I lost many acquaintances. Therefore, I found a way to provide food to old customers and serve people in both the East and West regions. For more than a month now, I have been transporting Phu Yen specialties to Buon Ma Thuot and bringing Buon Ma Thuot specialties back to serve customers in coastal areas. The happiest thing is that currently, there are more customers in the West than in the East.”

After the province merger, many officials, civil servants and public employees from the East had to leave their homes to go to the West to take up their duties. Not only that, many self-employed individuals also sought to approach and build a new business environment. Getting used to a new place of residence and work was certainly not without difficulties, but with the love for the homeland, the seemingly strange journey gradually became closer and more familiar over time.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202508/mien-dat-moi-niem-vui-moi-f561072/