Hoàng Tùng with her mother's old ceramic jar. — Photo baohatinh.vn

HÀ TĨNH — Amid today’s busy and hectic life, some people quietly look to the past through old items, tirelessly preserving and spreading traditional cultural values. Hidden beneath the dust of time, seemingly lifeless artefacts hold countless stories, capturing not only the length of history and national culture but also vivid personal memories, preserving the ancient soul in a fast-paced modern world.

In central Hà Tĩnh Province, a number of such individuals seek out and preserve artefacts every day to tell stories of the past.

Holding an old ceramic jar from his collection, Hoàng Tùng in Nam Thành Village of Yên Hòa Commune passionately shared how, in the past, his mother used jars and clay pots to store seeds. For him, seeing and touching these household items once used by Vietnamese families allows him to fully relive memories of his beloved mother.

“Most of the items in my collection were my mother’s belongings. I witnessed my parents’ hardship so I really appreciated the old items my grandparents and parents left,” Tùng told baohatinh.vn.

“Along with my family’s old household wares, I also went to many places to look for more farming tools and production equipment.” 

A teacher who spent many years working far from his hometown, Tùng always carried a deep longing for home and nurtured a plan to one day recreate a house filled with the simple objects once used by his parents and grandparents.

With a heart full of nostalgia and a love for cultural values imbued with traditional identity, after returning to his homeland, he devoted a portion of his house to rebuilding a three-compartment thatched house.

Tùng's thatched houses and mud walls. — Photo baohatinh.vn

After many sleepless nights of reflection, he decided to preserve the house’s original form. The scent of earth and the aroma of straw within each wall brought him a sense of peace and familiarity.

“When I had the idea of building a house, many people advised me to use brick walls and floors to increase stability and withstand storms. However, thatched houses and mud walls were part of my childhood memories, so I still decided to build a house with local materials,” Tùng said.

“This house is very dear to me. I sleep here and receive guests here. It gives me a very relaxed and gentle feeling, far from the hustle and bustle of life outside,” he added.

His passion for old items has grown year by year. Initially, Tùng collected ceramic bowls and jars, cassette players and black-and-white TV sets, but he later acquired traditional agricultural tools such as manual rice mills and mortars.

What began as a personal project to preserve memories gradually evolved. By 2024, as Tùng’s nostalgic space was completed, many people with similar interests came to experience it, regarding it as a museum.

For many visitors, the old items in Tùng’s display space are unusual and spark curiosity, while others return to reminisce about the objects they once used in daily life.

Nguyễn Thị Hòa, a local resident, said: “When we, the generation born in the 1960s and 1970s, look back at these objects, we are reminded of the past and the hard-working, difficult times of our grandparents and parents. I often bring my children to Tùng’s house to see these items and understand their value, educating them and reminding them to remember their roots.”

Also a passionate collector of antiques, Đặng Hữu Sơn in Hà Huy Tập Ward owns a diverse and extensive collection comprising thousands of artefacts, many of which are rare and valuable.

Đặng Hữu Sơn (left) introduces his old items for his friends. — Photo baohatinh.vn

Sơn’s exhibition space is divided into several thematic collections.

In addition to ceramics, bronze items, oil lamps, radios, and century-old record players, Sơn also collects numerous wartime memorabilia such as military water canteens, mess tins, and labour tools associated with memories of both production and combat.

Alongside everyday household items used by Vietnamese people, including pottery, earthenware, porcelain, plates, and stone mortars, Sơn has collected many objects connected to the cultural history of southern Việt Nam before and after 1975. Most of these items remain functional despite the wear of time, thanks to Sơn’s dedication in transporting, restoring, repairing and carefully preserving them.

Sơn said: “Since childhood, I have been passionate about the arts. At first, collecting was just a hobby, but during my research, I realised that each artefact represents a fragment of social history, a piece of artistic value. From there, I became more deeply devoted to researching and collecting in a serious manner.”

These old objects have become a bridge connecting people with similar interests and passions.

In Sơn’s display spaces, collectors gather on weekends, spending hours discussing and analysing the history and origins of newly found items, or debating the form and style of a bonsai tree planted in an antique stone mortar or ceramic pot.

Their shared love and respect for the past have united these antique enthusiasts in their journey to rediscover memories.

A part of Sơn's collection. — Photo baohatinh.vn

“The most precious thing for collectors is the joy of uncovering cultural characteristics from different historical periods, not merely the ownership of artefacts. The effort we put into searching and collecting is not just to preserve objects, but also to provide a foundation for younger generations to learn about, maintain and promote our nation’s long-standing culture,” said Nguyễn Tiến Dũng from Cẩm Bình Commune.

Whether in the sandy lands of a coastal village or amidst the bustle of city life, there are still those who quietly and diligently hold on to the passage of time.

For them, this is a way to cherish and preserve the cultural and historical values of their ancestors, keeping alive the love for heritage so that the essence of the past continues to radiate within community life. — VNS