Every morning Nguyen Thanh Tung’s father prunes the grass and trees in his son’s garden with jealous care.

Since the garden was completed last year, it has become the old man’s passion, Tung said.

The garden is a faultless 1,000-square-meter reproduction of Hue, the hometown of Tung’s parents.

Thousands of curious visitors have visited what is widely considered another Hue, albeit in miniature, in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City.

A visitor here said the garden was more than just a copy.

“It is very realistic.”

“Perhaps I was crazy – a little crazy about Hue.” NGUYEN THANH TUNG

Tung’s garden in District 9 captures the essence of Hue’s beauty – from the graceful Huong (Perfume) River and majestic Ngu (King) Mountain to the regal remnant of Vietnam’s feudalistic past, the Hue Royal Palace.

It took Tung seven years to get the garden into shape, including two years’ poring over documents about the royal court written by Vietnamese and foreigners.

Tung said he learnt a lot about Hue history and culture through his research.

He said he now loves Hue almost as much as his parents do.

“When I first thought about the idea, I simply wanted to do something for my parents – to ease their homesickness in any way I could,” he said.

But the Hue garden, or as Tung has named it, Ngu Lam Vien (Royal Garden), took on a life of its own, surprising even its creator.

His five-year-old son often asks about the garden’s copycat architectural pieces.

Tung said he always answers his son’s searching questions about the royal place and its long-dead kings and queens with delight.

And for his parents the garden has become a favorite topic of conversation with friends and family back home in Hue.

The artistic city cannot replace the real one, but Tung says it is an artistic expression of a heart-felt love for what once was.

The soul of Hue – its well-known royal history, beautiful scenery, and curious blend of Vietnamese and French architecture – is now living in a new city.

“My parents doubted the feasibility of my idea and others said I was crazy,” Tung said.

“Perhaps I was crazy – a little crazy about Hue.”

Tung’s soft-spoken voice melts into the well-known Hue boatwomen’s melodies spilling over the make-believe Huong (Perfume) River from a CD player skillfully hidden somewhere in the garden.

Reported by Phuong Anh

   
(Copy Thanhniennews)