Civilization of a canal

To start the great exploiting plan in Hau Giang region, the French carried out digging Xa No canal going through the large wild field located between 2 provinces, Can Tho and Rach Gia. With mechanical execution by 4 dredges, the agricultural hydraulic works considered as the biggest in South Vietnam was completed within 3 years (1901-1903), which created a lots advantages. With 34 km in length, 60 m in width of the canal surface, when the water from each side of the canal entered in with 1 km in length only, there were nearly a hundred thousand hectares (ha) of land to be entitled to enjoy the benefits from the canal.

Xa No canal nowadays. Photo: HIEN THANH

Starting from Vam Xang side, the hick cradle of Phong Dien – the western bank of Hau river; very closely Cai Rang market, and by Can Tho metropolis, so there were convenient conditions to promote the utility of Xa No canal. In a short duration only, the face of the land where was flooded and waterlogged with alum stagnancy all year round changed; a lots new values of economic development generated, and the cultural life enhanced.

In the book of reference named “Studying Hau Giang land and people” (Phu Sa Publisher, 1959), Son Nam, a research expert in South Vietnam, used to provide the concept of “... a queer civilization form”, and he named it as “Civilization of a canal” following the new canals dug by machines. Were the characteristics of “Civilization of a canal” from the land where was influenced by Ax No stream and then spreaded everywhere?

To make the matter become obvious, we should find out the logic through looking for “clues ”:

* Civilization in economic extension

The first was the agricultural producing measure by “plantation” form! It is required to distinguish specifically: the plantation form in “the former age” of Nguyen dynasty with economic function associated with national defense (post + plantation). And “plantation” form under the age of French domination was simple with agricultural farming only, it was similar to “farm”, “farmstead”, but most lands at that time all leased by tenant farmers for farming. When digging Ax No canal completed, many plantation forms formed and named by the common people such as:

- French plantation: Being the large land owned by the French: e.g. Albert Grasser’s French plantation (also named as Toy Be plantation, Mr. Kohl plantation, Bay Nag plantation). This was the biggest plantation in Ax No, with about 30,000 hectares (ha) of farm. In Neon Nigh commune, there was French plantation of 2,500 hectares owned by Duval and Guerin.

- Firm plantation: a rice farming area invested, managed and exploited by the French companies such as the plantation of French Eastern Company, the one of Bat-tam-bang Company, the one of Indochinese Bank, act, with the total area of 10,000 hectares approximately.

- Vietnamese plantation, being the land for rice farming of councilors, prefectures and local officials.

Though the landowners always used ruses to exploit and plunder the tenant farmers, it could be said that the farming form in the plantations of Ax No area showed new progressive steps with obvious efficiency:

To expand the land area for rice farming along the two sides of the canal, the small canals dug with 500 distance and the bigger one dug with 1,000m distance under the guidance of French agricultural experts by “xôm lươn-eelfork” digging type in order to regulate the stream flow. Entering about 1,000 m, traverse canals dug and connected, which made the land areas enclosed and looked like the cells of a chessboard. Thanks to this irrigation method, watering carried out quickly; the wild lands changed into the land for rice farming; the rice farming area expanded with the increase in rice yield and output.

When the rice production became stable, about 5-10 years after the days Ax No dug, the rice husking industry also invested fearlessly by the landowners. The typical one was that Ong Kho (Bay Ngan) rice husking factory with the big store system located in the area of nearly 2 hectares, and the husking capacity was 300 tons/day. In some materials, this was considered as the biggest husking factory at that time in Viet Nam. And Vam Xang, Vi Thanh husking mills were also built gradually. Specially, at Cai Rang market, tens of husking mills were invested and built closely big rice granaries by Chinese residents, and the rice from Rach Gia, Bac Lieu as well as neighbour areas collected and brought to the husking mills through Xa No canal, then the husked rice would be brought to Big Market (Cholon) for export. Thanks to the said developing step, Cai Rang has become the first rice industrial urban area in the Mekong Delta, just after the Big Market.

Together with agricultural and industrial development, trading activities associated with Xa No canal also developed rapidly by the trend of goods economy. Any French or Vietnamese plantation had its group of sampans and fishing junks to enter deeply in villages and hamlets for collecting rice. For Pier (Be)plantation, there were up 30 big fishing junks. From Cai Rang market, the owners of rice factories and granaries, fishing junks, merchants, and labours were present at all rural areas for purchasing rice through Xa No canal and competing with the landowners.

Trading the rice became animated, which made a part of farmers separated and became workers, porters; another part of farmers participated in both producing and trading when the network of markets formed. Up to the middle of the 20th century, many prosperous markets such as Vam Xang (formed in 1907), Mot Ngan, Bay Ngan, Cai Nhum, Hoa Luu, ect, formed along Xa No canal. Specially, the needs of economic development and the overload in the said ashore markets resulted in the formation of Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets. At that time, the merchants’ junks were always available on rivers, canals and arroyos surrounding the region for providing everybody with necessary goods. At the T-junction and the four-junction of rivers, the inhabitants concentrated crowded with a lots junks and jolly-boats used for trading food and drink, e.g. sweet soup (chè), rice soup (cháo), cakes, fruits, ect, which created the typical career named “trading at rivulet mouth”!

After a short duration only, Xa No canal has become the strategic area where was the pioneer for expanding and developing Hau Giang region in three fields, agriculture, industry and trade-services combined uninterruptedly.

* Civilization of the people’s settlement and living style in the canal - Hau Giang

Everybody came in crowds to pitch tents and compete each other the front lands for building houses wherever Xa No canal dug in order to create the convenience in living and trading. When the traverse canals dug deeply in the two sides of the canal, the number of people who came there for setting up their business has become more and more crowded resulting in many villages and hamlets formed along the front of the canals, and named as the ashore land of the canal. The land along the two sides of the canal became more and more valuable because of “land-connected-land, house-connected-house”, high and dry land and less flooding as well as waterlogging in rainy season which are suitable for gardening. The land price here were higher multi-fold in comparison with the one along the banks of other rivers and arroyos. When the front land along the two sides of Xa No canal was full of houses and residents, the people enroached deeply on the inside of the two canal sides for building houses in 2, 3 layers. At the T-junction and the four-junction of rivers, the inhabitants resided in concentrative form, opened markets and built the communal house as well as the school with the first one in Vam Xang, Nhon Nghia commune (1907).

The concentration of households along the two sides of the canal created a new community form; a resident civilized feature formed by achievements; a strong progress of economic activities. In many materials, formerly the pioneers often entered deeply in the fields for farming easily. They resided in the places where were far from the banks of rivers and arroyos with thick forests, a lots crocodiles, tigers, and danger. When the canals dug and the land reclaimed, the resident form in the fields changed into the one in the two sides of the canal.

The new community form by the two sides of the canal made the characteristics of living and personality of “the people in the canal area” or “Hau Giang people” formed, and the focus was the agricultural producing area developed in the western bank of Hau river, belonging to Can Tho, Rach Gia, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu provinces, ect.

Residing in the area with deep rivers and immense fields, though the farmers – tenants had to work very hard, their life became quite comfortable; some people told that the good land in Hau Giang region helped them “not spend much effort but enjoy a lots benefits” (“làm chơi mà ăn thiệt” in Vietnamese language) by the farming form which was without their care and just included sowing in the beginning of the crop and then harvest in the end of the crop with 5-7 bushels of rice/hectare. So, they didn’t worry about the poverty and the hunger.

The people in the canal area - Hau Giang people thought that “work must go together with play”, especially on the occasion of traditional Tet when the farmers were free from work, they created many entertainment forms, “play” with the existence of both sound aspect and negative one:

The landowners, the rich farmers, and the village officials often organized the program of amateur song and music on the occasion of wedding, death anniversary, birthday of a year-old baby, one month old of a baby, ect; in the area of Xa No canal, there was Ai Nghia well-known amateur song and music band with many reputation artists.

Playing music and singing in the evening, and playing cock-fight and “lia thia” fight in the daytime; the elders, the young people, the adults, and even the children all liked. Certainly, there weren’t a few people went bankrupt and became moneyless due to having a mania for gambling. According to the elders: in Xa No canal, “Cock-fight yard” of Mr. Tuong was the well-known one that attracted the players from everywhere.

On the occasion of festivities, the village official often organized the competition of retort chantey between the boys and the girls, and the village elders as well as the cannoisseurs concerned were invited for marking. Thanks to the said organization form, the retort chantey activity developed strongly in the canals and the arroyos. In the village, there were not only “the furnace” of amateur song and music but also the well-known teachers of chantey. Because of diversified living and entertainment measures, the life style and the personality of the people in the canal area - Hau Giang people became generous and “gentlemanly”. For welcome the guests from afar, they could take several days off work for confidence. They were always willing and showed their “chivalrousness” to help the people who were in difficult situation or misfortune, e.g. lending paddy or rice under condition of return in the further crop. On the other hand, the love between the male and the female was also quite simple. When they liked each other through amateur chanties and songs, they could “join in wedlock”.

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Edited by: NHAM HUNG
By Hau Giang Press