Spring arrives at Nang Ni cave.

Every year during the spring season, the villages of the Thai ethnic group in Quy Hop cannot be without the sounds of "nhuon" songs, and here and there people will intersperse a few "nhuon" songs taken from the epic poem "Lai Khun Tuong - Khun Tinh":

Pha Khay Chieng Lo Ma Pi Mo

Bọc phờ ma phăng nặm hương hừa pú phả.

Rough translation: Opening the spring sky, a realm of beauty.

Fragrant flowers of countless colors spread across the green mountains.

In front of Pun Pang Cave (Muong Ham-Quy Hop)

In a spring like that, the legendary Khun Tinh was living happily in a small cave with the beautiful Nang Ni and their young son when his two young wives came to take him home... According to the story in "Khun Tuong - Khun Tinh," Nang Ni followed Khun Tinh home, but later, due to a trick played by Khun Tinh's two previous wives, she had to abandon her child and flee to the rocky mountains. However, in the real-life space of Nang Ni Cave, thousands of years have passed, and today visitors can still witness the farewell moment of the legendary love story between Khun Tinh and Nang Ni.

Nang Ni Cave is located within a complex of three beautiful caves in the Muong Ham festival area (Chau Cuong commune, Quy Hop district) - formerly known as the Pun Pang-Nang Ni cave festival. Nang Ni Cave is situated at the highest point; even the shortest route requires climbing about two hundred meters. If visitors are hesitant about the steepness, they can take a different route, which is slightly longer. The path to the cave isn't exactly scenic, but in return, visitors can admire clumps of reeds, various kinds of unusual plants and flowers of all sizes and shapes growing in a pristine, majestic natural setting. The entrance to Nang Ni Cave is quite narrow, comparable to the doorway of a stilt house. The interior space of the cave is only slightly larger than that of a traditional Thai stilt house. The cave's scenery is illuminated by two openings leading to the ceiling; morning sunlight shines through one opening, while afternoon sunlight shines through the other. Inside the cave, in addition to the stalactite formations that resemble curtains, screens, pillars, etc., there are also some rock slabs and shapes resembling birds, eagles, and animals... enough to let visitors' imaginations run wild.

However, what makes Nang Ni Cave so magical and famous is the image depicting the farewell moment between Khun Tinh and Nang Ni. In this world, the farewells of lovers have always moved people; the parting of hearts in love continues to stir emotions in many others… How much more so when visitors witness a farewell scene turned to stone right before their eyes!

Just over a dozen steps from the cave entrance, slightly to the right, looking up, visitors will see stone pillars shaped like Khun Tinh and Nang Ni, slightly larger than life-size. They stand saying goodbye to each other next to a rock niche carved deep into the cave wall, immediately reminiscent of a traditional Thai shrine (chong hong) – an indispensable feature in a stilt house. Khun Tinh stands outside, his back to the entrance. Nang Ni stands inside, facing outwards, carrying a child on her back. On the rock floor, right behind Khun Tinh, is the image of a small rattan chair (which the Thai call a "tang vai"), and behind Nang Ni there is an identical "tang vai". It seems they had just risen from their chairs and were looking at each other in a moment of farewell; Nang Ni hadn't even had time to hand her child to Khun Tinh before... they all turned to stone. And they couldn't bear to part, remaining together like that forever. Day after day, the sunlight alternated between the east and west gates, illuminating their unfulfilled farewell. Locals believe that it was this failed farewell that has preserved the vibrant, youthful beauty of spring in the surrounding landscape of Nang Ni Cave.

SAM VAN BINH

(Yen Luom, Chau Quang, Quy Hop)