The scent of Phuong village

(Baonghean) - After hundreds of years since the clans came here to settle and establish villages, today Phuong land has become truly prosperous with vast fields and beaches, peaceful and prosperous villages.

Lam River seen from the bank of Phuong commune (Thanh Giang commune, Thanh Chuong district). Photo: Cong Kien

The first impression when setting foot in that countryside is the charming landscape with the silent Thien Nhan range in the distance; in front is the Lam Giang river, the water seems hesitant and lingering. The fields have just finished harvesting, the straw smells of the pristine countryside, so familiar and close. Herds of buffalo and cows leisurely graze on the long grass banks. In the deep fields, flocks of ducks freely swim after the farmers' harvest day. Along the river, the corn fields are waving, promising another bumper crop... The countryside is flourishing with spacious houses, clean concrete roads. The old features are still preserved by today's descendants with the ancient communal house facing the river, connecting the rows of ancient trees and the bustling, bustling Phuong ferry.

That means that the land still preserves the symbolic features of the village community of ancient Vietnam when the pace of life today has changed, creating a link between the past - present and future so that descendants will always remember their roots. And the hamlet and village names still bear the ancient names: Binh Ngo, Bich Thi, Tien Cau, Ba Nghe, Bien Quan, Giang Thuy, Lam Dinh... contributing to the feeling of the depth of traditional culture of the Vietnamese midland villages.

We stopped by Binh Ngo hamlet - the center of Thanh Giang commune with Phuong market, Phuong ferry and Bich Thi communal house to meet Mr. Tran Huu Tai, one of the elders here, hoping to learn more about the origin of Phuong. Mr. Tai recounted that in the 15th century, this land was still wild, home to wild animals, with few residents and sparse villages. Later, on the journey to find "good lands" to settle down and make a living, people from different regions came here to gather, reclaim the land and establish villages, joining hands to build their homeland more and more prosperous.

The families migrated to Phuong mainly by 3 routes: From Ha Tinh, through Huong Son, across Thien Nhan range; from Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc, across Dai Hue range and Lam river and from the downstream area upstream. Seeing that this land has the position of "mountains and water gathering", it is favorable for doing business, living, studying and taking exams, and the family lineage will always be eternal and prosperous. That position is summarized in the sentence: "Thanh Giang commune's knees are on Ha hill; its body leans on Phuong hill; its legs stretch to Tram hill; its eyes look to the North - where Lam river flows day and night". As for the meaning of the name of Phuong land and when this name came from, no one has yet explained clearly and convincingly, only knowing that it has been anchored on the land, on the wharf and in the hearts of the people here.

Bich Thi communal house historical relic, Thanh Giang commune (Thanh Chuong). Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Tran Huu Tai enthusiastically talked about the names of places and villages that all have noble humanistic meanings, deeply imprinted with cultural traditions, in which the ancestors entrusted many aspirations to their descendants. According to legend, his Binh Ngo hamlet originated from the Lam Son uprising, where the insurgents built a citadel to fight against the Ming invaders, called Binh Ngo citadel. This land used to belong to Bich Trieu commune, Bich Hao canton (Nam Duong district), and was chosen by the young man Phan Da from Chi Long (now Vo Liet commune - Thanh Chuong) as the place to raise troops to fight against the invaders.

At the same time, King Le Loi of Binh Dinh from Thanh Hoa, followed the upper route to advance into the western region of Nghe An, making a great achievement: "The battle of Bo Dang, thunder and lightning/ In Tra Lan, bamboo splits and ashes fly" ("Binh Ngo Proclamation" - Nguyen Trai). Having captured the enemy citadel in Tra Lan (now in Con Cuong district), the Lam Son insurgents followed the Lam River downstream with the biggest goal of capturing Nghe An citadel in Lam Thanh mountain (Hung Nguyen). On the way downstream, the insurgents defeated many enemy camps, reaching the Bich Hao area not far from Nghe An citadel, the commander Le Loi decided to stop and build a citadel, build ramparts to plan for the long term. He chose a high land to build the citadel, from here he could observe a large area, controlling both the road and the river.

The army of the young man Phan Da joined the insurgents, practicing martial arts day and night, with the determination to kill the enemy and make achievements. From this base, when he had gathered enough strong soldiers and generals, Le Loi ordered his army to advance down Thien Nhan mountain, built Luc Nien citadel (now in Nam Kim commune - Nam Dan) to surround and attack Nghe An citadel, opening the "knot" for the Binh Ngo cause to reach the final victory. Nearly 6 centuries have passed, the vestiges of Binh Ngo citadel no longer exist, but the name is still imprinted on the names of lands and villages in the homeland of Phuong so that descendants will forever remember it.

From Binh Ngo hamlet, going up a few hundred meters is Ba Nghe hamlet - a name that reminds us of the tradition of learning of our homeland. This name originates from Ba Nghe wharf located in front of the village, where in the past, three doctors from Tho Hao land (another name of Thanh Giang commune in the past) stopped their boat to return home to honor their ancestors. They were: Nguyen Tien Tai (passed the exam in 1664), Pham Kinh Vy (passed the exam in 1724) and Nguyen Lam Thai (passed the exam in 1739). Currently, all three doctors from Tho Hao land are worshiped by their descendants and the people of Phuong with all their pride, respect and admiration.

Nguyen Tien Tai's church is currently in Tien Cau hamlet; Pham Kinh Vy's church is in Ba Nghe hamlet, both of which have been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as historical and cultural relics. As for Doctor Nguyen Lam Thai, the people of Bau Sen hamlet donated money and merit to build a temple, where incense is burned all year round. Ba Nghe wharf belongs to Hoi Nay river, this river converges, the confluence point is now in Thanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong), about 3km away. The remains of Ba Nghe wharf still exist, a promontory jutting out on the right bank, the place where 3 doctors of Tho Hao land crossed Lam river, entered Hoi Nay river and docked their boats to return to the village to pay their respects to their ancestors. Ba Nghe hamlet has been named since then - a very rustic name but containing so much pride.

Phuong Market - economic and service center of Thanh Giang commune (Thanh Chuong) and communes in Bich Hao area. Photo: Cong Kien

Continuing the tradition of studiousness, the people of Phuong today have written new miracles with 11 people holding doctoral degrees and the titles of professor and associate professor; not to mention those holding high positions in the Party and the State. The number of children graduating from university is increasing day by day, it is currently very difficult to have accurate statistics, because most of them are "spreading their wings in many directions".

Thanh Giang - Phuong today has truly become the center of the old Bich Hao area, a commune recognized as meeting new rural standards 2 years ago. From here to Huong Son (Ha Tinh) is not far; follow Lam River and Thien Nhan range to Nam Dan; upstream is Ro town (Vo Liet) - one of the bustling towns of Thanh Chuong; take a ferry across Lam River to the other side is Cho Con town (Thanh Duong) to go to the district center or down to Vinh city.

That is, life has gone through many changes, today Phuong is still a countryside on the wharf, under the boat, convenient for trade, commerce, economic and social development. Currently, the proportion of agriculture in Thanh Giang has decreased to 26%, the proportion of services - trade has increased to 40%, the rest are other industries.

One day in Phuong, walking on an ancient land with many traces of time, meeting simple but very enthusiastic and hospitable people, we have a sketch of a land containing many cultural and spiritual values ​​nurtured through many generations, to potentially have the strength to move forward in the future.

Cong Kien