Tay Ninh, far away, missing... always in love

There are places we pass by, our hearts as light as the clouds at the end of the sky. There are also places, just leaving them makes our hearts ache as if we have forgotten something familiar. To me, Tay Ninh city is such a place – a memory that always resonates when I think back, a piece of love and longing that is always deep in every thought.

Rustic fried rice

Have you ever stood on top of Ba Den Mountain in the early morning, when the sky was still covered with clouds, to look out at the peaceful city in the distance? Have you ever wandered through Tay Ninh market, listening to the familiar cries echoing in the hustle and bustle of the morning? Or gently walked under the rows of purple Lagerstroemia trees on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street every time the flowers bloomed, to suddenly realize the gentle beauty of this city?

Not noisy, not flashy, a truly simple and sincere city of Tay Ninh. I love this place – love the feeling of breathing the fresh air, love the peaceful mornings without hustle and bustle, and love the way this city quietly embraces the deepest feelings of people.

There are few skyscrapers or dazzling city lights here. Instead, there are tree-lined streets, spacious houses with a slow pace of life just enough for people to fully feel each passing moment. In the morning, the temple bells echo from afar, enough to wake up a new peaceful day. In the afternoon, the scent of new rice from someone's kitchen wafts through the wind, gently holding back the footsteps of travelers who are diligently searching for a peaceful place.

Tay Ninh city is covered with the typical golden sunlight of the Southern region, dyeing yellow the rambutan gardens in full bloom or the green custard apple gardens. In the evening sunset, when the sun gradually disappears behind the Ba Den mountain range, the sky seems to be covered with a magical veil, painting a magical natural picture that makes people's hearts flutter no matter how many times they look at it.

I have a few close friends, every weekend we meet in a friendly space to enjoy the typical vegetarian cuisine of the Holy Land. The dishes are simple but sophisticated: a plate of golden fried rice, fluffy grains mixed with carrots, shiitake mushrooms, peas, sweet corn... both beautiful and delicious; a plate of fresh boiled vegetables served with a bowl of rich kho quet that makes everyone exclaim; and indispensable is a pot of steaming vegetarian porridge, with the scent of mushrooms, of soft tofu... All seem to soothe the heart after a busy week of work.

A plate of fresh boiled vegetables served with a bowl of rich braised fish sauce.

Vegetarian cuisine here is imbued with the soul of the countryside. Natural ingredients such as vegetables, tubers, fruits, etc., through the skillful and talented hands of people, have been transformed into strangely attractive dishes. Not only are they beautifully presented, each dish also contains its own flavor, rich in identity - as if it encapsulates the love of the land and people in this sunny and windy land.

I always remember the gentle, honest people here. Like the woman selling rice paper at the alley entrance with her charming smile and kind eyes; the lottery ticket seller who never forgot to send me the familiar wish: “Have a lucky day” every morning; or the thoughtful motorbike taxi driver who stopped to show me the way when I got lost. And the gentle, warm words of the local people - all left a deep impression on me. It was those simple people, in a very natural way, who contributed to creating the image of a Tay Ninh that was so close, friendly and full of affection in my heart.

The day I left Tay Ninh city, I didn’t have time to say goodbye to anyone. The hurried bus, the new job, the new city... swept me away like the endless flow of life. However, after only a few days, my heart sank because of seemingly small things: the sound of selling mixed rice paper echoed somewhere in my memory, the fragrant smell of vegetarian rice noodles wafted through the alley, or the sudden downpours that made my heart ache. Those simple yet familiar things turned into a deep nostalgia, quietly imprinted in my heart.

Now, in the new city, every time I pass by the gentle purple streets of Lagerstroemia, catch a familiar Southern accent, or accidentally hear a song mentioning Tay Ninh, my heart flutters. It turns out that to love a place, one does not need to spend many years, just need to be close enough, sincere enough, loving enough… that place has quietly imprinted itself in the heart without realizing it.

To me, Tay Ninh city is forever a vivid memory – a place where love and nostalgia quietly anchor. And then, every time I look back, amidst the hustle and bustle of life, my heart feels light and warm, as if I have returned to a very familiar place.

Tay Ninh, far away I miss but near I love!

Mai Thao

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/tay-ninh-xa-nho-o-thuong-a191677.html