The festival gate, the sacred land

(Baonghean)- Having traveled all the way to the source of Nam Non and Nam Mo, having enjoyed the festival at the source of Lam River, now in early Spring, I decided to "drive" to Cua Hoi, where Lam River flows into the sea. After days of drizzle and wind, one afternoon suddenly filled with spring sunshine, the ecological route (the road along Lam River) led me to a vast expanse of sky and water, a land containing many cultural "sediments".

Before merging into the East Sea, Lam River has a very gentle and charming appearance. This water has passed through hundreds of rapids of Nam Non and Nam Mo rivers to meet at the junction of Cua Rao (Tuong Duong) and "give birth" to a river associated with Nghe An culture. From here downstream, Lam River receives water from Huoi Nguyen River, Con River (Hieu River), Giang River, Ro River, La River and hundreds of other streams to contribute water to the East Sea. Is it true that after a journey of more than 200 km (from Cua Rao) and tirelessly depositing alluvium, irrigating fields, sugarcane fields, and mulberry fields, the river has completed its "mission" so it flows so leisurely before flowing into the ocean?

According to folk beliefs, river mouths and sea mouths are sacred and cultural lands, where talented people often appear to leave their names in life. Enjoying the scenery of Cua Hoi river, I thought that this land at the head of the waves must also contain many cultural "sediments" and produce many talented people whose names are recorded in history. Then suddenly I remembered teacher Tran VanMale, former lecturer of Philosophy at Vinh University. It is said that since retiring in his hometown (Phuc Tho commune, Nghi Loc), he has spent most of his time learning about the historical traditions and culture of his homeland. I decided to visit him and hoped to grasp a very small part of the cultural values ​​of the land in the lower Lam River.

A glimpse of Cua Hoi.

In the rather simple house of a lifelong teacher devoted to lectures, books and words, Mr.MaleHe showed me a handwritten document titled “Overview of Phuc Tho village history”. He said: “This is all I have collected since my retirement. Compared to the historical and cultural traditions of my homeland, what I have found is just a grain of sand”.

According to the documents collected by Mr. Tran Van Nam, Cua Hoi land belongs to Vinh Doanh prefecture, is the southeastern outpost of Dai Viet nation. During the Later Le dynasty, Grand Chancellor - Duke Nguyen Su Hoi (the eldest son of Grand Tutor - Duke Nguyen Xi) was appointed as the Commander of the Twelve Sea Gates (managing 12 seaports from Sam Son to Cua Tung) and chose this land to establish a naval headquarters. From then on, the feudal dynasties of Dai Viet chose this place as a naval base to protect sovereignty and territorial waters. This shows that this is the outpost land, a strategic location in the cause of protecting the country from foreign invasion.

Cua Hoi is said to be a sacred land because in the past it was full of cultural and spiritual works, showing pride in the depth of tradition and beliefs of the people who "eat the waves and talk the wind" all year round. Each village has a system of communal houses, pagodas and temples.

Among them, the two most prominent works are Dong Hai Palace and Co Bai Temple. Around the 14th century, the people of Co Dan and Loc Tho villages (now Phuc Tho commune) built temples to worship the hero Yet Kieu and Sat Hai Dai Vuong Hoang Ta Thon and honored them as the ancestors of the river trade. Until around the middle of the 18th century, the small temple by the river was upgraded by the Right Governor Bang Quan Cong Nguyen Huu Chinh (1741-1787), from Co Dan village, who mobilized militia to build Dong Hai Palace. Co Bai Temple is the place to worship Doctor Pham Huy, the village's tutelary god. The genealogy of the Pham family in Co Bai village records the story of a mother and son who were beggars from the countryside of Hung Yen to the Cua Hoi area. The mother and son entered a well-off family in the village.

Seeing the handsome and intelligent boy Pham Long, the homeowner wanted to adopt him to take care of his education. Pham Long politely thanked the homeowner for his kindness and expressed that he did not want his mother to beg alone. He would only stay when his beloved mother was hired to help the family. Touched by Pham Long's filial piety, the homeowner agreed to let the mother and son stay with the family and changed his name to Pham Huy with the hope that he would have a brilliant and brilliant career.

His foster father took great care of Pham Huy's education, sending him to study at a teacher's house in a neighboring village. With his intelligent and flexible nature, in a short time he caught up with and surpassed his peers. In the Quy Suu year, the 24th year of the Hong Duc era (1493), Pham Huy went to the capital to take the exam and passed the Doctorate exam. The court held a ceremony to honor his ancestors. After passing the exam, Pham Huy was appointed an official by the court.

After his term ended, he brought his whole family to live in Co Bai village. Here, Pham Huy helped people reclaim land and expand production. After his death, the people of Co Bai village honored him as Thanh Hoang and built a temple to worship him, holding annual ceremonies. Through the flow of history with many ups and downs, by the beginning of the 20th century, both Dong Hai Palace and Co Bai Temple had collapsed.

Mr. Tran VanMaleHe led me to a building built in ancient architectural style. He introduced: “This is the Co Bai temple, which has just been restored.” The building was restored by the kindness of physician Pham Thien Long, a descendant of Dr. Pham Huy, a successful son of Co Bai village in Saigon.

The restored Co Bai Temple is quite majestic and grand, located in an area of ​​700 m2, with all kinds of sacrificial objects along with a system of horizontal lacquered boards and parallel sentences. After many years of waiting and hoping, since 2003, the people of Co Bai have had a place to worship, to express their spirituality and to strengthen community solidarity.

In front of Co Bai temple yard, teacher Nam also affirmed that Cua Hoi land is not only a "fire line", "sacred land" but also a land of learning.

Phuc Tho commune alone contributed to the country 14 great scholars under feudal dynasties, whose names were recorded on the golden list. Notable ones include Doctor Pham Huy (1470 - ?), who passed the third class of Doctorate under King Le Thanh Tong, held the position of Public Works Department, and served as an ambassador to the Ming Dynasty; Nguyen Huu Chinh (1741- 1787), who was both literary and martial, held the position of Minister of Military Affairs, Grand Tutor, and was awarded the title of Bang District Duke; Nguyen Ngoc (1815 - ?), who passed the second-highest Doctorate in the Tan Suu exam (1841) under King Thieu Tri of the Nguyen Dynasty, held the position of Tu Soan... It is said that during his lifetime, patriot Phan Boi Chau once returned to Co Dan village to teach, arouse patriotism, and select outstanding young people to go abroad to find a way to save the country.

The boats returned from the open sea with their holds full of fish. Joy was evident on every face. In front of Cua Hoi was the vast ocean beckoning. Next to it was Cua Lo Town and Vinh City, which were rapidly progressing on the journey of construction and development. Suddenly I thought that with the rich tradition and available potential and advantages, the land at the lower reaches of the Lam River would have many changes in life in the future.

Cong Kien