There was a time when Viet Bac was prosperous.

In the flow of literature over the past 80 years, it is impossible not to mention the period of the Viet Bac resistance war. The great names of the resistance literature and art who composed on this land such as To Huu, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Nam Cao... are always remembered. The pens whose authors were born and raised on the land of Viet Bac boong hay (Viet Bac our homeland): Nong Quoc Chan, Ban Tai Doan, Nong Minh Chau, Nong Viet Toai... have many valuable literary and artistic works that have contributed to creating a slice...

The introduction to the book Viet Bac boong hay number 2 published by the Department of Culture of the Viet Bac Autonomous Region on August 19, 1958 wrote: “Every beautiful autumn of the Vietnamese people is a mature autumn of the Viet Bac people with joy through literature and poetry. Because this place - a land rich in revolutionary traditions, is also the birthplace of many generations of excellent writers and poets”.

We once met and talked with the Tay poet Nong Viet Toai. This August we met again. Even at the age of 99, the poet is still lucid and full of memories of a time when Viet Bac was bustling.

Because Mr. Toai devoted his whole life to studying ethnic culture, he had many valuable literary works that contributed to preserving and promoting the traditional culture of the Tay people who are still alive today, so we would like to introduce him first. He was born in 1926 in Ngan Son, Thai Nguyen province. Mr. Toai loved literature and poetry since he was young. In 1958, in the book Viet Bac boong hay number 2, he published 2 works: Tay poem about Uncle Ho's image and Tay lyrics for the song "Praise to President Ho" composed by Luu Huu Phuoc.

Writer and poet Nong Viet Toai has written many literary and poetic works about the people of "Viet Bac boong hay".

Regarding poetry, there are many typical collections of poems, such as: Rai roa vit pay (Eliminating bad customs, published in 1956), Kin ngay phuoi khat (Eat right, speak straight, published in 1962), Det chang nau (Midday sun, published in 1976). Regarding prose, Nong Viet Toai wrote "Boong tang tap eo" (The turning point), a lyrical prose work in which national character is described in a distinctive way, from speech, thinking, and behavior.

In 2019, the Vietnam Association of Literature and Arts of Ethnic Minorities organized the Workshop "The Life and Career of Tay Ethnic Writer Nong Viet Toai" to honor and recognize his contributions in both aspects of revolutionary career and literary and artistic creation...

Dao ethnic poet Ban Tai Doan is famous for his poem "Uncle Ho's Salt" published in 1960, which is also the name of his first collection of 13 poetry collections... September 10, 1959 marked a special event, the day of the groundbreaking of the Ha Giang - Dong Van road. The miraculous road is 185km long, starting from Ha Giang town and ending in Meo Vac district. The road crosses the rocky plateau, when there was no road, the people here suffered greatly...

Poet Ban Tai Doan describes: In the past, my child cried for rice with salt/Where can I find salt, my child?/Be quiet, I'll be back at the market soon/Buy a full jar of salt to coax my child/… Since Uncle Ho's cadres came/The market has a lot of oil, medicine, and floral fabrics/Wholes of white salt are full/This is salt from the lowlands, Uncle Ho's salt...

The construction of this Happiness Road was done with the determination of the leaders of the Viet Bac Autonomous Region, through many years of arduous construction and was completed in March 1965. This great labor achievement of the youth volunteers of the provinces of Cao - Bac - Lang - Thai - Tuyen - Ha with more than 2.24 million working days digging, breaking nearly 3 million cubic meters of rock and soil, was partly motivated to act through the poetry of Ban Tai Doan.

In the introduction to the poetry collection "Bright Torch" printed in two languages, Vietnamese and Dao (Ethnic Culture Publishing House), it is written: "The poet's life can symbolize the change of the Dao people who used to suffer from poverty, backwardness, and disease.

Since the August Revolution succeeded, the life of the Dao people, including the poet, has been prosperous, educated and has had equal rights with other ethnic groups throughout Vietnam. His whole life was spent both in revolutionary activities and composing and writing poetry to propagate the Party's policies and guidelines.

From 1951 until his retirement as Vice President of the Viet Bac Literature and Arts Association and when he was over 90 years old and passed away, poet Ban Tai Doan continued to compose poetry and literature. Over 80 years of writing, with nearly 20 poetry collections, his labor was truly valuable, making an important contribution to the literature of ethnic minorities and to the whole Viet Bac boong hay.

The big names who participated and directly used literature and art to praise the homeland and the life of the Viet Bac era are always remembered and recognized: Nong Quoc Chan, Nong Minh Chau, Hoang Trung Thong... Because they contributed to promoting the cultural values ​​of a region in the common home of the Vietnamese Fatherland.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202509/co-mot-thoi-viet-bac-boong-hay-17c4c03/