Longan Tree
The longan tree is known to bring good omens to people. Legends have it that the tree grows from the dragon's eye, bearing fruits covered with a layer of silt from the river where the dragon was born.
With soil rich in alluvial deposits, Vinh Long province was once the leading longan growing area in the Mekong Delta. The longan garden used to be a dear childhood memory and the main source of income for my family. In recent years, due to environmental and social changes, my parents decided to abandon the longan garden, replacing it with more adaptable and economical tree species. Gradually, longan trees are disappearing from my hometown.
By working this project, I learn more about farmers who persist with cultivating longan and breeding new varieties, and the connection between people, their gardens and the river.
The river nurtures the soil, the soil covers the dragon's eye, the dragon's eye makes longan trees, longan gardens nourish people, people settle around the river.
As the world moves forward, gardens adapt and rivers recover.