Traditional sticky rice from Mai Bang village

(Baonghean) - The afternoon sun is hazy. Standing on the westernmost tip of Lan Chau Island, overlooking Cua Lo town; beyond the green carpet of trees surrounding the beach, the sea anchovies have turned yellow; amidst the hotels and residential areas of the tourist city, stands the sacred, inviting flag of Mai Bang Temple - the soul of a fishing village hundreds of years old...

I bid farewell to the group of young tourists who were "exploring" Lan Chau Island, temporarily leaving behind the rather ironic feeling of being a refined gentleman with a passion like Emperor Bao Dai, comfortably standing on the old observation tower, gazing at the Cua Lo landscape, a veritable mark on the Vietnamese coastline; to leave the mountains and immerse myself in the charming atmosphere of Cua Lo town - Mai Bang village in Nghi Thuy ward.

From Lan Chau beach, crossing Binh Minh Avenue, passing Hom market selling the region's famous seafood specialties, and then a short walk along concrete roads adorned with colorful flags and lanterns, a common sight in traditional fishing villages during the Spring Festival, you arrive at Mai Bang village temple, situated on a spacious grounds with a serene and majestic atmosphere. The land boundaries and the spirit of the old village now encompass the space and the joys and sorrows of the residents of 7/11 blocks of Nghi Thuy ward. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the French discovered this magnificent beach, one of the best in Northern Vietnam, to establish a major resort in what is now Nghi Thuy ward, Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh, 77 years old, the caretaker of Mai Bang temple (a provincial-level historical and cultural relic), was probably not yet born. Yet, he is as knowledgeable about the land and people of Mai Bang as a tour guide.

The story of the sacred temple dedicated to King Le Khoi, a founding hero of the Later Le Dynasty who rendered great service to the country and people of the Hoan Dien region of the past – now Nghe An province – is captivating. On the sacred day of the festival, amidst the incense smoke praying for peace and calm seas, the rhythmic drumming of the Mai Bang village drum team resonates like the war drums of the Great King as he led his army through the harbor to defeat Chiem Thanh. This is the village drum team preparing to "march" tonight to Nghi Hai ward to serve at the fishing festival there. Mr. Vinh respectfully lit incense at the main altar, praying for the reporter's health and "abundant writing ability," then recounted to us the story of how the people of Mai Phu village, where King Le Khoi was buried, settled here, established the temple, and named the new village Mai Bang, nurturing the soul of a fishing village for hundreds of years… Like this afternoon, the fishermen, having just finished their fishing trip, their feet still wet from the sea, hurried to the temple to light incense on the full moon day; Some people, whether setting off on a new fishing trip tomorrow or transporting seafood specialties to local markets, return to this sacred space to pray for peace and good fortune… Ultimately, it is simply a virtuous spiritual practice, preserving the soul of the fishing village.

Leaving Mai Bang Temple, following the clean concrete road winding through the fishing village, filled with the alluring aromas of seafood processing, we arrived at the fish market. Small boats bustled about, transferring fish and shrimp from larger vessels under the shimmering sunlight of the estuary. Fisherman Truong Thanh Thuy, owner of a 400 HP boat, was directing workers unloading fish from the boat onto trucks, sighing excitedly: "What a pity, what a pity! If only I had come here around dawn, when the night fishing boats were returning, the market would be bustling with buying and selling, and the delicious fish could be grilled right there. Many tourists would visit the fish market, buying fresh grilled seafood as souvenirs; some even spent seven or eight million dong at a time!"

The boats return in the evening with only small fish like shrimp and prawns, and the morning market has already moved to the bustling Hôm market. But on the fishing dock, the air is thick with the scent of the sea carried on the returning fishing boats, and tourists can still eagerly immerse themselves in the buying and selling atmosphere of the fishermen in Mai Bảng village. These seafood products are quickly transported to processing facilities in the village and then become attractive specialties for tourists. Ms. Nguyen Thi Luu, who has been drying peeled shrimp for 15 years, produces tens of tons of product annually. During the tourist season, she employs hundreds of workers, and her drying ovens are as vibrant as a traditional craft village. Tourists come right to the site to watch, buy, and chat. She is partly captivated by this profession.

She said that making products for tourists requires meticulous effort. Dried shrimp may look simple, but just the boiling process alone requires a special preparation method to ensure the shrimp is fragrant and delicious. When boiling, the time and heat must be carefully controlled so the shrimp isn't too soft or too hard, making them easy to peel without losing their meat and nutrients. To preserve the delicious, sweet flavor, wood firewood must be used for boiling… Nguyen Van Thang, a student from the Hanoi University of Trade Unions, originally from Tuyen Quang, came to Cua Lo beach with a friend from Nghe An. He proudly showed off a bag of peeled shrimp, saying, “I just bought these! I thought Cua Lo would only be about swimming and eating local specialties at restaurants. I didn't expect to visit such a wonderful seaside village. I also visited Mai Bang Temple and the craft village to see how the locals process fish sauce and dry the shrimp. It was very interesting!”

Fishermen in Mai Bang village dry their fish. Photo: Xuan Nhuong

I spoke with that young student about the origins of Cua Lo tourism at the beginning of the last century. The village was originally a poor coastal area where the sea and shore were battered by countless waves against the soft sand at the river mouth; following the rhythm of the rising and falling tides, the salty taste of the open sea intertwined with the seafood that sustained the fishermen's livelihoods in the past, and was their aspiration! Through many eras and the fierce storms at the mouth of the sea, a love for the land and the sea grew stronger in each fisherman, so that the people of Mai Bang fishing village have been, are, and will continue to be attached to the sea, but always dynamically adapting to what the sea of ​​their homeland has given them in each era.

According to one document: “The area where the French built hotels stretched 1 km north from Lan Chau beach (Lan Chau Island) (now Mai Bang village - Nghi Thuy ward), where there were 10 hotels owned by French proprietors... These hotels were typically arranged with four main rooms and two side wings, roofs covered with Marseille tiles, windows made of ironwood with glass inside and shutters outside, and floors paved with patterned tiles. The floors were raised, surrounded by gardens with rows of lush green casuarina trees, and the hotel corridors were quite wide for strolling and to provide shade. Normally, the French hired local people to look after the properties, do cleaning, and cook; each local person would oversee one such hotel...”

I wonder if any of the villagers in Mai Bang are descendants of one of the local people who, a hundred years ago, were entrusted by the French with overseeing the hotels they built? The traces of the old architecture are gone, leaving behind a pristine, picturesque stretch of coastline. But along the area where the French once built 10 hotels, there is now a row of stalls selling famous seafood specialties prepared by the villagers of Mai Bang, always attracting tourists. Mr. Hoang Van Yen, the head of Block 7 and also the head of the Nghi Thuy Seafood Processing Village, a burly man with a booming voice like the waves, and the only one of eight siblings continuing the family tradition of making shrimp paste passed down through generations in Mai Bang village, enthusiastically spoke to us about the flavor of the products and the ongoing efforts to build a brand to serve tourists.

Hoang Van Yen led us to see the finished fish sauce barrels, each with a capacity of hundreds of liters, neatly stacked in a clean courtyard. "Let's take a look!" Yen said, gently lifting one of the barrel lids. The rich, amber color of the concentrated fish sauce, along with its indescribable, fragrant aroma, emanated from this fish sauce—not produced through a few months of "processed" heat, but fermented and sun-dried for years. The women of Mai Bang who make this fish sauce all have slender waists because they spend their days stirring and pouring their hearts and the salty essence of the sea into it, making Mai Bang fish sauce even better the longer it ages...

Furthermore, there's the specialty shrimp paste with its attractive bright red color, whose unique flavor is probably only found here, even though the price is slightly higher than elsewhere. The fish sauce or shrimp paste from Nghi Thuy Seafood Processing Village is made using the traditional techniques of the fishermen of Mai Bang village, and it tastes delicious with anything, and as connoisseurs say, it can "stimulate all the senses." But when visiting Cua Lo beach and Mai Bang village, the villagers will definitely "reveal" and readily serve visitors: The best way to enjoy the shrimp paste here is to eat it raw with sour starfruit and vermicelli, to fully appreciate its pristine flavor. Adding a slice of fresh chili makes the dish both sour and spicy, creating a unique and unforgettable sensation, further piquing curiosity to explore, admire the temple, and learn about the life of the urban tourists who still maintain the charming traditions of this fishing village.

That is, not to mention, after strolling leisurely through the village, before immersing yourself in the cool, blue sea waves, you should visit Hom Market, go to a stall grilling mackerel over a charcoal fire, grab a small chair and enjoy the fresh, delicious grilled mackerel head and tail, while listening to stories about the mackerel grilling trade here, whose products were once flown all the way to America. The girls of Mai Bang village are famous for their delicious grilled mackerel, often winning prizes in grilling competitions held among fishing villages. The mackerel at Hom Market is grilled on skewers using bamboo from the Northwest Quy Chau district, and the charcoal is also carefully selected from high-altitude charcoal from Nghe An province. This is a Cua Lo seafood specialty that knows how to combine the "accompanying" products of various regions to enhance the flavor and serve tourists from all over. The story begins when, while enjoying a grilled mackerel head and tail at the Hôm Nghi Thủy market with a colleague, I overheard it from Mrs. Thái Thị Thanh, 68 years old, a daughter of Mai Bảng village, who has been accompanying her mother to various rural markets to grill fish since she was 10 years old...

Dinh Sam