Khanh Lac, with its simple, rustic charm.

(Baonghean) - With the Seo Quan mountain range shielding the east and the Giai Canh river winding in front, Khanh Lac village, Thanh Ha commune (Thanh Chuong district), has for generations maintained its simple rural charm, associated with temples, wells, and many humane traditions.

Temple well, Khanh Lac village (Thanh Ha commune, Thanh Chuong district).

The village has five small hamlets: Giai Canh, Cho Phuong, Sieu Quan, Dap Boi, and Luong Tri. These hamlets are usually clustered on high mounds, surrounded by rice fields. The center of the village is the Khanh Lac communal house. The communal house is a five-bay, large-columned wooden structure made of jackfruit wood, situated on high, dry land.

After the revolution, the communal house served as a place for "popular literacy classes" and became the village school. The villagers still vividly remember the days of land reform; that large pillar of the communal house was where the horse of the messenger delivering the "postponement of judgment" order from above was tethered. Sadly, the order didn't arrive in time... During the subsidy period, the communal house was dismantled and used as a cooperative warehouse, then as a market hall when the commune "married" the Dragon Market. The old communal house is gone, but the memories of that familiar place remain with the villagers.

Giai Canh Hamlet is a beautiful place, once immortalized in the timeless folk song of Mr. Cong Ca Nghi, which generations of people in Khanh Lac have passed down to each other:

"Tung tung, cack cack, to he"

The mandarin goes first, the scholar follows.

Go quickly!

Go to the Areca Palm Field, the Golden House

Nương Cau is an area bordering the village, home to many revolutionary activists. The French once massacred, arrested, and burned down the village. Nhà Vàng is located in Giai Cảnh hamlet – a stopping point for processions whenever the village held festivals and celebrations, complete with drums, gongs, trumpets, flutes, and reflecting the village's high regard for "education."

The village has two ancient wells: the well near the Sen shrine is called the Sen well; the well near the Dau temple and the Giai Canh river is called the Temple well. Villagers often gather at the Temple well to fetch water. The old well had a bridge made of ebony stone, over 1 meter long, supported by two lim wood stakes. Every year, in the 5th and 6th lunar months, the village gathers young men to drain the well once. Next to the well is a plot of land used for ancestral worship; each year, people are assigned to plow it. Whenever the well is drained, the person plowing the field must steam 7 kilograms of sticky rice and boil 20 duck eggs for the well-drainers to eat…

The village well existed until the 1970s, and after years of neglect, it was restored by the villagers in 2012. The well is wide, with a diameter of 6 meters, built with blue stone from the bottom up, and topped with red brick. The surrounding area is paved with a clean, beautiful base and a banyan tree has been planted. For the villagers, restoring the village well means reviving the auspicious energy of the village; continuing to preserve a meeting place for community spirit; and returning to the ancient beauty of the rural landscape.

Hidden behind ancient trees on Dong Truoc Mountain is Dau Temple, dedicated to Duke Dau Ba Toan (1720 - 1798), who made significant contributions to "protecting the nation and ensuring the people's well-being." The temple faces the Giai Canh River and has undergone numerous renovations and restorations. It has received imperial decrees from the Nguyen Dynasty, and three decrees from the reigns of Thanh Thai and Khai Dinh are still preserved. Every year, the temple hosts important ceremonies such as the peace prayer ceremony, the Duke's memorial service, and the year-end celebration.

Throughout its long history, Dau Temple has been closely associated with the revolutionary struggle of the homeland. In the years 1930-1931, Dau Temple served as a hiding place for documents of the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee, the Vo Liet General Headquarters, and the Kim Bang Party Branch; it was a meeting place for revolutionary cadres to discuss plans for the struggle; it was a gathering and training ground for the Hoang Xa self-defense force in purging tyrannical landlords and distributing rice to the poor; it was a place for organizing literacy classes; and it was a recruitment center for soldiers serving on the battlefields…

From ancient times to the present day, Dau Temple has been a center of cultural and spiritual life for the village; a place for people to visit and commemorate; and a place for educating generations about the history and traditions of their homeland. Over the years, the management board of the historical site and the local people have worked hard to restore the temple and gradually revive the ancient festival. The People's Committee of Nghe An province recognized Dau Temple as a Historical and Architectural Monument in 2014.

In Khánh Lạc, visit the Đậu Temple to commemorate our ancestors, and climb to the top of Seo Quần mountain to admire the panoramic view of the fields, gardens, and villages. The Giai Cảnh River has been dammed, but the ancient stories of the village still flow on. Looking at the bright yellow of the new village hall amidst the green fields, one can see the radiant vitality of this rural area.

Huy Thu