The exchange and discussion session about the unique folk culture of the Nine Dragons land, jointly organized by Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, Cao Lanh City People's Committee, Saigon Central Sea Star Joint Stock Company, and Cao Lanh City Book Street Management Board, attracted nearly 300 participants.

As the author of many research works on folk culture, bearing a deep impression of love for the homeland and the friendly interactions of the sincere and enthusiastic people of the West, author Tran Minh Thuong gives relatively honest comments on "The taste of the past" in today's life.

"The old story still exists, but it has changed. In the past, people went to the market by rowing a boat, but now they go by motorbike. In the past, people went to school by walking or rowing a boat, but now they also go by car. In the past, people used to make coffee with a sieve, but now they drink coffee made by machine! In the past, five or seven people would gather in the corner of the house with a bottle of rice wine and a glass, but now they drink canned beer... The aftertaste is still there, but perhaps it has faded a bit!", author Tran Minh Thuong commented.

Born and raised in Hau Giang, having experienced many field trips, collecting notes from folk life, author Tran Minh Thuong brought to the audience at the exchange as well as readers many experiences imbued with the culture of this land. Wandering along the stream of memories, " The aftertaste of the past" brings everyone back to the past where there is still a cool, sweet aftertaste of the love of the land and people.

The ancient cultural space in the South in general, in the South of Hau River (Hau Giang) in particular, has gradually changed with the development of modernization. The lives of ordinary people in the countryside have also changed accordingly. Tran Minh Thuong has recorded in the book the memories of a time that once took place in the lives of the country people with muddy hands and feet but full of affection in behavioral culture, that is why "The taste of the old land" is the main axis for the author's articles and research.

"The Taste of the Past" makes readers remember forever the memories from childhood, the stories told by grandparents and parents, to the nostalgia for the homeland that is deeply ingrained in each of our hearts for each of us to remember and return to. The message the author sends through "The Taste of the Past" is the folk cultural activities in the lives of ordinary people in our hometown.

Anyone who has experienced childhood games such as bathing in the river, catching shrimp, catching fish; digging for mice, setting traps, setting traps, looking for frogs, catching ant eggs to catch tilapia... will see their own image, their memories through stories, and melancholy prose.

Then the story of following mother and grandmother to rice offering ceremonies, to the stories heard from elders about the behavior of in-laws, stories of theft, stories of going to drink coffee in the morning, stories of rowing a boat to the market, stories of the rainy season, the season of flooding the fields, the season of the monsoon blowing, the Tet season...

Farmers wait for the rain to come to plow and plant rice. In their free time, they go swimming in the river to catch shrimp, or pick bamboo to improve their meals... these natural activities appear through the pages of description that are equally vivid in the book.

Audience interacts and chats with author Tran Minh Thuong

Author Tran Minh Thuong also did not forget to tell unfortunate stories in life, people who were robbed, poor people who begged, or stories of sick people who only drank the tips of grass leaves... if they were lucky, it was considered a great blessing, if they did not survive, it was considered a short-lived, unfortunate fate.

The unique folk culture of the fertile Nine Dragons land is more clearly shown in the book "Respect for the taste of country cakes". Those who read the book will also enjoy the taste of "country cakes", feel closer and easier to find through the stories and descriptions of the people in the countryside, combined with the author's folk culture knowledge after many research trips.

Tran Minh Thuong's works are all about rural culture, lifestyle and culinary quintessence of the Vietnamese people, especially the lifestyle of people in the Mekong Delta.

Sharing about the stories in the works, author Tran Minh Thuong said: "When writing these lines, I wanted to recreate a space where there are cultural features of behavior that are both genuine, rustic, and imbued with the love of the village and neighbor of the people in the countryside. Moreover, that is also the breath and life of my youth that I experienced."

At the exchange and conversation with author Tran Minh Thuong, the audience once again returned to the ancient cultural space of Hau Giang land, understanding more about folk culture through stories and writings.

With the desire to bring cultural stories into schools, fortunately as a teacher at Nga Nam High School (Soc Trang), author Tran Minh Thuong happily shared, "In the new 2018 General Education Program, there is a section on Local Culture, so integrating content about folk cakes or ancient cultural activities is also very convenient. The students are very passionate and look forward to hearing that content."

Readers can also learn more in the book "The Taste of the Past", which will "bring readers back to what once happened in a certain part or region of the common people in the past..."./.