Chung Mountain - sacred source

(Baonghean) -From the hometown of Sen village and the hometown of Hoang Tru, looking across the fields, Chung mountain appears amidst the yellow of the summer sun and the yellow of ripe rice. The green color of the mountain has softened the harsh, scorching heat of Nghe An land. Returning to Kim Lien this time, we decided to spend time visiting Chung mountain, where in his youth, President Ho Chi Minh used to play mock battles and send his dreams and ambitions on kites.

The first impression when stepping foot on Chung Mountain is the tranquility. That tranquility is both an expression of pristine beauty and the sacredness of a historical relic. In May, the sun is blazing hot but the air here is still cool and fresh. Stopping on a mountain peak, we seem to be immersed in a space filled with birdsong. From here, we look down at the golden fields, where farmers are busy harvesting rice.



Chung Mountain seen from Uncle Ho's maternal hometown

Looking further away is the Dai Hue range that seems to stretch endlessly, the Thien Nhan range, the immense green color, the Hung Son range (Dun hill) - a place once listed as "famous mountains of clouds and smoke", the place that marks the ancient capital of Van An. Looking down the winding blue Lam river is Lam Thanh mountain - which was once the capital of Hoan Chau land and Dung Quyet mountain - where Quang Trung Nguyen Hue once chose the land to build the citadel...

From Chung Mountain, looking out in all directions, you can see the landscape, the shape of the river, the shape of the mountains and the villages in the area. In this land, each mountain, river and field is associated with a feat, a highlight in each glorious page of the nation's history. Perhaps, from the time he was a young boy with his topknot and his friends going up Chung Mountain to fly kites and play mock battles, President Ho Chi Minh often looked far away to admire the majestic landscape and love his homeland and country more. From then on, he nurtured the desire to go far away, to broaden his vision to save the people and save the country.

Chung Mountain has 3 peaks. In the past, La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep (1723-1804) left a poem: "Chung Son Tam Dinh Hinh Vuong Tu/ Ke The Anh Hung Vuong Tu Ton" (Chung Mountain has 3 peaks, shaped like the word "Vuong"/ Descendants will continue the heroic career forever). The poem can be seen as a prophecy that this land will continue to give birth to heroes to save the country and help the world. According to legend, on Chung Mountain there is the tomb of General Le Giac (Later Le Dynasty). This is also the place where Vuong Thuc Mau, who passed the bachelor's degree but rose up to respond to the Can Vuong movement, trained his army. Vuong Thuc Mau was the father of Bachelor Vuong Thuc Quy - Uncle Ho's teacher in his childhood.

Chung Mountain is also a sacred place. According to some research documents, there used to be Bao Quang Pagoda on Chung Mountain. The pagoda was initially small in scale, but during the reign of King Le Kinh Tong (1600-1619), Dinh Quan Cong Hoang Nghia Phuc, the Governor of Nghe An, invested money to upgrade and expand the scale, build a bell tower and plant many precious trees to make the pagoda's landscape more majestic, ancient and sacred. Chung Mountain is also the location of the Thanh Ca Temple worshiping Xuan Lam General Nguyen Dac Dai - a general of the Tran Dynasty. When the Bon Man bandits harassed the border area, Nguyen Dac Dai was ordered by King Tran to lead troops to suppress the bandits. He achieved many feats, contributed to repelling the foreign invaders and was rewarded by the king many times. Later, the Northern bandits harassed the border again, and Nguyen Dac Dai was again appointed to lead troops to suppress the bandits. In a fierce battle, our army won, but he was seriously injured, decided to ride his horse back to his hometown and died as soon as he got home. When passing through Hoang Tru village, he shed a drop of blood so the people here decided to build a temple to worship him. Perhaps, the sacred energy of Chung mountain has contributed to the creation of outstanding and eternally famous people in Nam Dan land, including President Ho Chi Minh.

Nearly a year ago, at Chung Mountain, the People's Committee of Nghe An Province held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Temple of President Ho Chi Minh's parents and siblings. The completed project will become a spiritual destination, where visitors will be able to express their admiration and gratitude for the kindness and sacrifice of Uncle Ho's loved ones. And from there, Chung Mountain will have another sacred source so that the homeland and country will always be peaceful and prosperous.

Tuong Anh