I used to think that “minimalism” was a modern lifestyle, popular in the city - where white apartments, minimalist tables and a materialistic lifestyle are praised. But it turns out that in Vietnam, there are places where people have lived like that for a long time. Without naming or theorizing, they simply slow down, choosing the right things - like the residents of the islands of Ly Son Island and Phu Quy Island that I have had the opportunity to meet.
Living with nature
When I visited, Ly Son Island was in the garlic season. From early morning, on the white garlic fields, the figures of hard-working farmers appeared. Ly Son garlic for the islanders is not only a staple crop, but also a native symbol, closely associated with the people here. Although the island's land lacks fertility, people do not ignore its potential. It is the diligence and perseverance of people towards the land of the sea and islands that can produce a special food like Ly Son garlic.
Garlic fields in Ly Son Island
"Soil and sand are enough... just grow cleanly and healthily." - no one tells anyone, but the people here just cultivate in harmony with nature, minimizing agriculture.
Ly Son islanders transport garlic
They do not have fertile land, but they never complain. Instead of depending on expensive materials, people make the most of available resources - sea sand, moss, sun and wind - to create small but strong white garlic crops like themselves.
On Phu Quy island, the image of small fishing boats cutting through the waves at dawn really moved me. Without modern technology, radar or surveillance systems, fishermen still have a steady hand because they have lived with the sea since they were children. Living with nature, understanding the rhythm of the wind and tides, they choose to equip the boat with the most necessary things, although not too much, but enough for life on the island - and that is also the essence of minimalism.
Boats in Phu Quy Island
Small house, wide heart
On small islands, houses are often not built large or decorated too much. Most of the houses on the island are built simply with stone walls, using corrugated iron roofs to protect from the sun and rain or poured concrete for strength. Because of simplicity, the materials used are also optimized. People do not buy many furniture, because the wind and storms do not allow excess, and also because they are used to having to choose the most necessary things because they are far from the mainland, far from the source of materials.
Houses at the forefront of the wind and waves are always rustic and simple.
In recent years, the islands have received attention, promoting tourism development, homestays, shops, and stores have also sprung up. But the beautiful constructions, built close to the coast with a "million dollar" view, are mostly built by investors from the mainland, while the islanders, who understand the weather, understand the corrosion of the sea air, and the taste of salt, often build houses deep in the island to protect their houses and belongings. Living a minimalist life, they also want to optimize the lifespan of their furniture, of each sheet of corrugated iron, and brick in their house.
I once took shelter from the rain in a small house on the island, where an old lady sat weaving nets in the dim light. Around her, there were only a few familiar objects: a pot, a kettle, a hammock swinging morning and night. She sat there, her hands still moving quickly on the fishing line. Seeing me attentively looking at the surrounding space, she just smiled and said: "I'm old, living alone, the house is simple but easy to clean and find, my dear."
Islanders do not live a minimalist life because of trends or fashion, but they choose to live that way because they truly understand what is necessary, what is okay to have, and what is okay to not have.
Less spices, more affection
On the island, there are not many choices of dishes, but that does not mean that the cuisine here is lacking. The dishes here are minimal in ingredients, but optimized in flavor when enjoyed - still intact the richness and deliciousness that tourists are looking for.
One afternoon in Ly Son Island, I was invited to eat young garlic salad. Young garlic was picked early in the day, thinly sliced, mixed with a little grilled dried fish and fish sauce mixed with lemon and chili. No fancy colors, no luxurious ingredients, just a few available things but surprisingly delicious. Each bite is spicy, sweet, salty, and crispy - as if the whole land was contained in a lunch.
In Ly Son Island, garlic is not only a spice but also the main ingredient of a dish typical of this land.
The cuisine here is minimalist, but still full of flavor and captures the essence of the land, sea and islands.
The cuisine here is like that - minimalist and also optimal, whatever the sea and islands give, people take advantage of to put into their meals. So when coming to the sea and islands, you will easily come across strange-sounding soups cooked from vegetables growing on the island, dishes that do not need too many spices such as charcoal-grilled fish, fish sauce with chili... All are rustic, intact with natural flavor, imbued with the typical flavor of the sea and islands.
A family making banh ich tran in Ly Son Island
Conclusion
On the island, living a minimalist life is not only about material things, but also about relationships - no competition, no gain or loss, just enough to live healthily, live happily and have each other. This seems simple and easy to do, but it is not much in a society with so much competition out there. So when I come to the island districts and meet the people there, I feel fuller and more at peace - what fills me up is not the stuff, but the connection and kindness between people.
I left the island with light luggage, no gifts, no colorful souvenirs. But my mind was full of lessons about a fulfilling lifestyle in simplicity, where each person knows how to appreciate everything around them and does not chase after flashy, redundant things.
—--
CREDIT:
- Photography: Luan Nguyen, Kien Trang
- Content: Giang Huynh
- Design: Phuong Nguyen