As soon as the sentence ended, the whole neighborhood burst into laughter. But the more we thought about it, the more suggestive it became: it was not just a joke, but a vivid metaphor for a symbolic encounter between tradition and modernity, between folklore and innovation.

Illustration: To Minh Tan

Illustration: To Minh Tan

A storyteller - A storyteller

Uncle Ba Phi, a symbol of the Southern farmer, is imaginative, lives in harmony with nature, loves life with laughter and “truthful but sincere” stories. In that rustic humor are creative qualities, flexible improvisation, the fundamental conditions for adapting to the saline, swampy and changing land.

The Prince of Bac Lieu, people often remember his gallant appearance, but behind that is the spirit of daring to think, daring to do, daring to spend money on big things. In the new era, that image can be seen in a different light: the desire to rise up, private economic thinking, proactive attitude towards current events.

When Uncle Ba Phi met Cong Tu Bac Lieu , that was the moment when local knowledge joined hands with the entrepreneurial spirit. One person preserved the soul of the Southern land, the other opened the door for green economy and cultural economy to develop.

A handshake on salty ground

Imagine an afternoon on the Ganh Hao river mouth, the wind blowing strongly from the sea. Uncle Ba Phi squatted on the monkey bridge, holding a fishing rod in his hand, telling a story about a snakehead fish as big as a sampan. The young master of Bac Lieu, in a white vest, shiny shoes, holding a cigar in his hand, sat on a bamboo chair but still listened attentively.

The story ended, the young master laughed loudly: "The stories you told would be great to make into a movie. The movie would be fine, but playing your role would be difficult. With a big belly, you might not be able to fit in the boat!"

Laughter broke out. But behind the laughter was a meaningful handshake: tradition and modernity could sit together at the same table, telling the same story of the homeland, in a new way, on the old foundation.

New Ca Mau Province - When the story becomes a dream of development

From an iconic image, it can suggest a whole new way of thinking for the development space after the merger. It is no longer simply a matter of overlapping administrative maps, but a merger of cultural flows, people, potentials and aspirations.

Only then can Ca Mau Province choose a different strategy: preserving the countryside, the ancient character, the identity of land - water - forest - sea. At the same time, breaking through with the spirit of entrepreneurship, regional linkage, and technological innovation.

Philosophy from the meeting: Development from inner strength

Development does not start from what does not exist, but from what does exist. The ABCD philosophy - "Development based on existing assets in the community", can start from a story, a person, a group of craftsmen, a group of good farmers.

The image of Uncle Ba Phi is a treasure trove of folk knowledge. If we know how to cherish and reproduce it, it will become a tourism, educational and media product. The spirit of the Bac Lieu Prince, if understood as the desire for innovation, will be a strong spiritual resource for local youth, young entrepreneurs and those who dare to think big from their own hometown.

Ca Mau Moi - From story to action

When a land knows how to tell its own story, with its native voice, with the faces of real people and real events, then that place is no longer a "lowland", but a highlight in the development space.

The new Ca Mau province, after the merger, can completely become a model of ecological, cultural and community development. A place where the dream of reaching far begins with laughter, with stories, with handshakes between two people who seem to be opposites, but in fact, complement each other.

One person dares to tell a different story, one person dares to do a different thing, and who knows, from there, a land will change in its own way, more deeply and passionately./.

Le Minh Hoan

Source: https://baocamau.vn/khi-bac-ba-phi-gap-cong-tu-bac-lieu-a39926.html