Khmer Cultural Colors in An Giang - Last Article: Khmer People in the Midst of Urbanization

Returning to the villages and hamlets in the province, we were surprised to see that the old roads that were once “dusty in the sun and muddy in the rain” are now paved with smooth concrete, and more and more brick houses are being built. In the midst of modern life, the sound of chanting still echoes from the old pagodas, as familiar as breathing. Now, the life of the Khmer people is gradually improving through will, knowledge and labor, but still “holding tight” to their cultural roots.

Mr. Danh Bot (61 years old), residing in Vinh Hoa Hung commune, has a stable income from whittling fishing rods and making bamboo cuttings to sell to fishing gear stores. Photo: DANH THANH

Rise from hardship

Sitting on the porch of his house in Hoa Binh hamlet , Dinh Hoa commune, Mr. Danh Tho (63 years old) told old stories in a slow voice. Once a farmer who worked in the fields all year round, he was happy with the changes in his hometown, with increasingly spacious traffic infrastructure, electricity, schools, and stations. But what made him most proud were his children.

Mr. Tho has 7 children, 3 of whom have graduated from university and are now doctors, teachers and administrative staff. To get to where they are today, his family has gone through difficult years. They used to be a poor household with little land, and their income mainly depended on hired labor. Mr. Tho pensively recalls: “When my children were young, I was so poor that I only wanted enough to eat. But I told myself that even if I had to sell rice, I would still send my children to school to escape poverty. Parents may not change their lives, but children must change their fate.”

Every penny he saved was spent on education. In his spacious house, he proudly brags about his children: “This one is a doctor at the commune health station, the other is a secondary school teacher. When they went to school far away, my wife and I worked hard, saving and not daring to spend. There was a time when we ran out of money and had to borrow money.” For Mr. Tho, each successful child is not only a joy but also an affirmation that the Khmer people can completely overcome themselves with knowledge and will. When the economy gradually stabilized, he opened a store selling agricultural supplies. Currently, his family earns about 400 million VND/year. “We don’t want to do big things, but we have to be sure every step of the way. I’m used to being poor, now I just hope my children will have less hardship than me,” Mr. Tho said with a smile.

Mr. Danh Tho's story is like a film about the lives of thousands of Khmer households in An Giang that are changing. Not far away, Mr. Danh Bot, a resident of Vinh Hoa Hung commune, is also a living proof. Once a poor household, he worked in the fields during the day and at night he cast nets and fished to earn extra income. He also made bamboo cuttings to sell. Thanks to these jobs, he earned about 500,000 VND per day, gradually saving up to stabilize his life and raise his 2 children to go to school.

In 2019, Mr. Bot's family built a solid, spacious house with a cost of more than 500 million VND, the result of persistent labor. His two children both have stable jobs, and the family's life is increasingly prosperous. Mr. Bot proudly shared: "I am grateful to the Party and the State for having many policies to care for Khmer children to have a good education. My family only contributed a small part from our efforts. Without that right policy, the journey to overcome difficulties would have been much more difficult."

Leaving Vinh Hoa Hung, we went to Long Thanh commune and met the family of Danh Hoang Minh, a worker in Dong Tram hamlet. In a fairly spacious house, Danh Hoang Minh and his wife had just returned from work at Thanh Loc industrial park. Minh smiled gently: “Before, farming was hard work and the income was unstable. Now that we work for a company and have a monthly salary, we can spend money proactively, and our children can study more fully.”

For over 2 years, Minh and his wife have been working as workers at Thai Binh Kien Giang Joint Stock Company. After deducting living expenses, the couple still manages to save about 12 million VND per month - a dream number for many rural families. Thanks to the stable income, Minh has renovated his house, bought necessary items and accumulated capital for long-term plans such as small-scale livestock farming or savings.

Rise with knowledge

Not only economics, education is also the door that opens a new future for Khmer children. In recent years, the rate of Khmer students in the province passing university and college entrance exams and the number of Khmer officials, civil servants and party members has increased, reflecting the strong transformation of the people in the journey to access knowledge. One of the typical examples is Danh Thanh Khang - a young man from Dong Thai commune, who has just graduated from university and quickly affirmed his ability. Born into a farming family, Khang realized from a young age that the path of education is the key to rise up and escape the vicious circle of poverty. Graduating with honors in finance and banking in 2024, he quickly found a stable job.

Currently, Mr. Khang works at KienlongBank Rach Gia branch, with a position that matches his training and a stable income. “Starting from a low point, you have to try three times harder. I always keep in mind that I have to persevere with my goals to rise up and stand on my own two feet. Luckily, I have received enthusiastic guidance from teachers, support from friends and encouragement from my family,” Mr. Khang confided.

Keeping the roots in modern times

Despite living in urban areas, many Khmer families still persistently preserve their traditional cultural identity. People continue to learn Khmer, go to pagodas on holidays, and organize traditional festivals such as Chol Chnam Thmay and Ok Om Bok. The family of Ms. Thi Vang, residing in My Thuan commune, is a living proof. In her newly built house, she still keeps the annex intact to hold ceremonies. Her children and grandchildren are all brought to pagodas to participate in festivals and learn Khmer.

According to Ms. Vang, the national cultural identity needs to be preserved not only through rituals but also through thinking and lifestyle. “My family and the Khmer people here always choose integration to develop, but do not lose their roots,” Ms. Vang said firmly.

Over the years, An Giang has always paid attention to implementing policies for the Khmer people. Thanks to that, the material and spiritual life of the people has been increasingly improved. The province has provided support in terms of housing, land for production, clean water, electricity, education and health care. The work of preserving and promoting cultural identity has been maintained. From 2021 to the end of 2024, each year the province will reduce the number of poor and near-poor Khmer households by more than 2,000. The national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021 - 2025 has been actively implemented by the province, with support funds of hundreds of billions of VND.

Director of the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religion Danh Phuc said: “An Giang always pays attention to and invests in infrastructure in the Khmer ethnic minority area in a relatively synchronous manner. As urbanization continues to expand, the Khmer ethnic minority is expected to be a force that actively contributes to the overall development of the province, with the approach of taking identity as the foundation and knowledge as wings to fly far.”

From villages to cities, the Khmer people are writing a new chapter and contributing to the overall development of society. They are not only simple farmers, but have become workers, engineers, and officials. But the most special thing is that in the wave of urbanization, the people still keep intact their cultural identity. With knowledge, they confidently step out into the world. With culture, they retain the national soul. It is this harmony that has created a vibrant picture of an ethnic community that is growing strongly, but always looking back to its roots and traditional cultural values.

The province has more than 399,000 Khmer people, accounting for about 8% of the population, most of whom follow Theravada Buddhism. The Khmer people's spiritual and cultural life and community institutions are closely linked to pagodas.

D. THANH - T. LY - B. TRAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/sac-mau-van-hoa-khmer-o-an-giang-bai-cuoi-dong-bao-khmer-giua-do-thi-hoa-a426361.html