By Tran Cung Son
On the morning of Sunday, June 29, 2025, hundreds of Phu Yen natives gathered at Garden Grove Park in Westminster, California, for the annual Summer Picnic. The organizers served two roasted pigs, watermelon, and various light dishes. Attendees enjoyed food, laughter, and joyful singing as they reunited under the summer sun.
Guests from other local communities also joined the event, adding to the lively atmosphere. Among them was a group of students from the free yoga class taught by Mr. Dao The Vuong, who also serves as Vice President of External Affairs of the Phu Yen Association.
Adding to the nostalgic spirit, musician Tran Chi Phuc — a native of Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen — strummed his Spanish guitar and performed his original song Tuy Hoa, Your Homeland, featuring poetic lines such as:
“Thap Nhan, so poetic, stands silent year-round, quietly preserving traces of the ancient Champa kingdom. The familiar Da Rang River, with its 21-arch bridge, holds 22 sorrows. Tuy Hoa is your hometown and mine — now so far away, with love and longing that never fades.”
But behind the joyful reunion loomed a shared sense of loss. Beginning July 1, 2025, the government of Vietnam will implement administrative reforms merging provinces. Phu Yen province will be absorbed into the larger Dak Lak province, and its name will be erased from the official map. Similarly, the name of Tuy Hoa city will also disappear.
Phu Yen — a name that has existed for centuries and is deeply rooted in Vietnamese history and culture — will be no more. Poetic lines such as:
“Phu Yen, a land of charm and beauty — Da Rang River, Nhan Mountain, how deeply you move me”
or the traditional folk verse:
“He goes to Binh Dinh to visit his father, to Phu Yen to see his mother, and to Khanh Hoa to see his beloved”
may gradually fade, especially as Binh Dinh and other provinces like Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan face similar fates.
In the past, those traveling from Phu Yen to Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) had to cross the Cu Mong Pass, or to Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) via the Ca Pass. Today, coastal roads and mountain tunnels have made these journeys much more convenient.
Phu Yen’s fertile rice fields, nourished by the Dong Cam Dam system, once earned it the title of "the rice basket of Interzone 5" — encompassing Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and Phu Yen provinces. The province is also known for its scenic landmarks: the ancient Nhan Tower built by the Cham people, the Chua River flowing into the nearby sea, and the 1,100-meter-long Da Rang Bridge — all creating a poetic and unforgettable landscape.
Phu Yen women are known for their grace and beauty, rivaling any in Vietnam. Recently, a young woman from the province, Ha Truc Linh, was crowned Miss Vietnam 2025 at the pageant held in Hue at the end of June.
The erasure of Phu Yen’s name saddens not only its people but also residents of other provinces facing the same fate. Still, many hold on to hope. One elderly man from Phu Yen recalled that in November 1975, Hanoi merged Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa into a single province called Phu Khanh. But eventually, in June 1989, both provinces regained their original names. He believes that, in time, as political tides shift, the name "Phu Yen" may one day return.
The 2025 Summer Picnic for the Phu Yen community in Orange County thus took on a special meaning — a bittersweet reminder of a cherished homeland whose name may disappear from official records, but never from the hearts of its people.
