Planting 4 coconut trees in the middle of his house, an old man in Ho Chi Minh City has had an ‘air conditioner’ for 30 years

Four Siamese coconut trees growing in the middle of the house provide shade, helping Mr. Long avoid the sun and protect against storms for more than 30 years. Video: Ha Nguyen

Natural “air conditioner”.

During the hot afternoon sun, Mr. Tran Kim Long (born 1959, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City) was not at home. He went out to the porch, which was temporarily covered with tarpaulins and old corrugated iron, and hung a hammock to rest for lunch.

Without needing to turn on the electric fan or air conditioner, the place where he lay was still cool and comfortable thanks to the shade radiated by 4 tall coconut trees. These coconut trees grow from inside Mr. Long’s house, about 3 meters wide and 16 meters long, temporarily roofed and covered with old corrugated iron.

They grow in the middle of the house, their large bodies piercing through the corrugated iron roof, reaching high into the blue sky. The curved green coconut trees create shade for the entire house.

The four coconut trees above were planted by Mr. Long when he turned 30. Previously, the area where he lived had no trees. Therefore, in the dry season, the small house made of corrugated iron lies on the edge of the Doi Canal like a boiler.

Seeing that, Mr. Long decided to plant 4 Siamese coconut trees in the middle of the house for shade. Because it is close to the canal, coconuts have enough water to grow and develop. Mr. Long hardly needs any care.

After a few years, the coconut tree was taller than a person’s head and reached over the roof, giving shade. Mr. Long said: “The four coconut trees are almost the same size, so when they are taller than the roof, they cast shade, covering my whole house.

At that time, almost no sunlight could shine directly on the roof, so even though the house was roofed with corrugated iron, it was still very cool. Furthermore, this area is windy. The wind blowing from the canal combined with the shade of coconut trees to block the sun, so the house is low, narrow, roofed with corrugated iron but still cool and airy.”

During those years, the shade of four coconut trees not only shaded Mr. Long’s family. It also became a place to freshen up and rest for workers working at the rice warehouse on the opposite side.

Seeing that, Mr. Long opened a shop selling soft drinks. Thanks to the shade of four coconut trees, his cafe is very popular.

His house is located close to the river wharf, where boats and boats often come and go to transport rice. After loading and unloading rice, workers and boat owners all came to sit under the shade of Mr. Long’s four coconut trees to rest. Many people also joke that his restaurant has natural air conditioning, so they often stop by to drink and relax.

“Not only do they provide shade, the coconut trees also give me fruit. When I was young and the tree was still low, I still climbed up to pick fruit to sell. Although the fruit is small, the juice is sweet, cool, delicious to drink and also good for cooking, so customers like it very much,” he said.

Later, when the coconut trunk grew high, Mr. Long did not have enough strength to climb up to pick the fruit, so he had to ask an acquaintance to climb and divide the number of coconuts he picked in half with this person.

In the past few years, he has not seen this person anymore. As a result, coconuts that are not picked by anyone just grow old, dry, and fall onto roofs and along canals.

“Weapon” against storms

After 30 years, Mr. Long’s 4 coconut trees have grown tall. The coconut palms no longer cover the roof directly. However, shade still helps his house avoid the intense heat of Ho Chi Minh City.

He shared: “The climate here is 6 months sunny, 6 months rainy. In previous years, Ho Chi Minh City was also hot but not as harsh as this year.

If it weren’t for the 4 coconut trees and some shade trees around the house, I probably wouldn’t be able to stand it. The house has air conditioning and an electric fan, but this hot season I rarely turn it on because there is shade from the trees and wind from the canal.”

The coconut trees are also responsible for reinforcing and helping Mr. Long’s house survive the stormy season. The house was originally built from wood and had a simple corrugated iron roof on the edge of the canal.

During the stormy years of the past, even though he buried wooden stakes to make house columns and kept the corrugated iron roof, strong winds still tore them up and uprooted them. Seeing four coconut trees growing tall, with big trunks and big roots, he decided to turn them into house pillars.

He used large nails to nail the wooden trees on the roof to the trunks of four coconut trees. This way, every time there is a storm, the roof will no longer be blown away by the wind. Instead, the roof “just vibrates to the rhythm of the swaying of the coconut trees when hit by the wind.”

It brings many benefits to the family, so even though the house is cramped, Mr. Long still doesn’t feel bothered.

He also accepted that during the rainy season, water flows from coconut trunks into the house, causing mold. To limit rain from leaking along the coconut trunks, he used bags and tarpaulin to cover them.

After the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Long’s coconut shade restaurant was empty. Unable to hold on, he had to close the door. He also no longer picks fresh coconuts from the coconut trees growing in the middle of his house to sell.

However, he never intended to cut down any of the coconut trees he planted himself. He confided: “The four coconut trees have been with my family for 30 years. Not only me, but everyone in the house more or less has many memories with them.”