Phan Thiet memories

(Baonghean.vn) -Phan Thiet is most beautiful at the beginning of the year when the red bougainvillea rows light up like fire against the deep blue sky and many other flowers bloom with hidden dreams under the honey-yellow sunlight.

Amidst the vast white sand dunes and the calm sea, tourists come to the land of "Hamu Lithít" (Phan Thiet - the name of the ancient Cham people) not only to relax at famous tourist destinations such as Mui Ne, Hon Rom but also to wander around and visit Lau Ong Hoang, Po Sah Inư Cham Tower - to discover the unique culture of the Cham people, to remember the days that are not yet old...

Tower ComplexPo Sah Inu

"Whoever comes to my hometown Binh Thuan/ Come see Mui Ne, Hon Ba, Doi Duong/ Beloved Hon Rom Bau Trang/ Ong Hoang Tower, Ganh Son, Cham Tower..."Following the simple, inviting folk song, blending with the leisurely flow of people, tourists from all over the world are increasingly coming to Phan Thiet; Along the emerald green coast, the deep green casuarinas rustle in the wind, the fine sand still preserves the footsteps of the sages... That this is Duc Thanh School - the starting point of the journey across five continents and four seas of teacher Nguyen Tat Thanh to find a way for the whole nation. And there is the rocky slope leading up to Ong Hoang's Tower - where the passionate, multi-talented poetHan Mac Tueachdatingwith the museDream of Qin, where we witnessed a hopeless love in the moonlight...

Leaving behind the bustling streets, going about 7 km northeast of the city, passing the traditional fish sauce village, the ancient fishing village, the top of Bai Nai hill is located on a nearly 100m high slope, jutting out into the ocean. On it, Ong Hoang Tower, Po Sah Inư Cham Tower are as resilient and brave as the island soldiers; despite the rain, storms, and the accumulation of years, standing in contemplation, half waiting, half calling.

Re-enacting the weaving of the peopleCarePa.

Lau Ong Hoang is the name that Phan Thiet people in the 20s, last century used for a modern villa with 13 rooms, 536m2 wide, the most luxurious in Binh Thuan at that time (built by the French Duke De Montpensier, grandson of King Louis-Philippe I in 1911). The villa has a very beautiful location: From above, the whole view of the young city of Phan Thiet is clearly visible in the deep valley, in front is the East Sea, the waves like children rolling into the motherland, behind is the purple mist of the mountains of Bao Loc - Lam Dong plateau. Legend has it that this is where Han Mac Tu wrote the famous poem "Phan Thiet Phan Thiet" with strange verses, poignant poetic ideas: Han compared himself to a birdPhoenixfollowing the seven stars to find a virtuous woman... Han Mac Tu wrote his handwriting on the stone stele at Lau; it seems that also at Lau Ong Hoang, the poet from Phan Thiet Bich Khe discovered the "rippled moon color" of jade, gentle... It is unclear whether the new magical moon seasons and haunting poetic ideas in the mysterious universe of the past have any mystical connection with the fact that in 1995, tens of thousands of people from all over the world flocked to Lau Ong Hoang to watch and study the total solar eclipse or not?

To control the Phan Thiet town area, the French colonialists turned Lau Ong Hoang into a system of forts with many solid reinforced concrete bunkers and this villa was almost completely destroyed. Today, most of the Lau Ong Hoang structure has been lost, only the foundation, underground bunkers, a vertical box-shaped bunker with loopholes remain; in the memory of Phan Thiet people, the crimes of foreign invaders and the resounding victory of Lau Ong Hoang by a squad of Hoang Hoa Tham's unit in 1947 are still vividly remembered.

Symmetrical and only 100m south of Ong Hoang Tower is Po Sah Inư Cham Tower (locals often call itCham Tower of Hai Pho)-Remains of the Kingancient Champa kingdom. The tower complex consists of 3 buildings, with Hoa Lai architectural style - one of theancient art of Champafrom the 7th century. Although only medium and small in size, it still distills the quintessence of architectural techniques and decorative arts of the ancient Cham people, creating a majestic and mysterious look. The Po Sah Inư temple tower group is one of the relatively intact Cham tower clusters. Around the end of the 8th century and the beginning of the 9th century, the Cham people built this group of temples and towers to worship the god of Destruction and Creation Shiva - one of the most revered and respected Hindu gods. In the 15th century, a number of temples with simple architecture were built to worship Princess Po Sah Inư (daughter of King Para Chanh), a talented and beautiful person. She taught the Champa people how to behave, how to fish, make pottery, and weave (this building is now lost, only the brick foundation remains). The name Po Sah Inư also started from here. Currently, the Po Sah Inư complex consists of 3 main towers, the outer tower worships the Fire God with a height of 5m, the secondary tower is 12m high, the main tower is 15m high. Previously, during the process of transporting materials to build the villa, the French damaged the wall in front of the main door. The tower still worships the fertility symbols of the Cham people "Linga" and "Yoni".

The afternoon shadows cast strong carvings of time on the bricks and stones, the sunlight dancing here and there. In the sunset, the wild and desolate Po Sah Inư reminds us of the old days: somewhere there seems to be the sound of the Rabap, kSaranai drums, Paranung drums, Ghinang drums, flickering firelight, the silhouettes of graceful Cham dancers with wasp waists and heaving chests in thedance festival printed on the tower wall…In 1992-1995, archaeological excavations at this site discovered many foundations of temples that had collapsed and been buried for hundreds of years, along with bricks, tiles and some artifacts inside the temples dating from the 15th century. It is not known what the search at the court was about.In this three-tower, high and low, gathered together, can one see the footprints of jade, the mirror reflecting the sad, homesick eyes of Queen Paramecvari (the princess)?Princess Huyen Tran was married to King Cham Che Man; this political marriage helped DaiViet reclaimed Chau O and Ly - which were sacred lands of the ancient Vietnamese people since the Hung King period, after more than 10 centuries under the rule of the Champa kings in 1306). Looking at the terracotta bricks clinging to each other, I suddenly thought about the historical changes and dynasties, the miraculous mysteries of Cham culture...

Cham pottery has long been famous for its sophistication.



BCham fertility symbols "Linga" and "Yoni"

Inrasara - a researcher of Cham ethnic culture said: The traditional family cultural values ​​of the Cham people are as durable as the bricks that build the tower. Besides the common foundations of the Vietnamese people, the Cham people have their own characteristics: With the foundation of the matriarchal system, the position of women is affirmed to be more important, so the mother is always respected by everyone in the family. When a couple gets married, the Cham people do not have the custom of bringing the bride but instead bring the groom. The Cham people follow the monogamous marriage system, to come together, the couple often has a matchmaker and must go through a long process of getting to know each other, experiencing many hardships and challenges, thus making the young couples more closely attached. When the wife is pregnant, she almost does not have to do any hard work. At that time, in addition to farming and gardening, the husband also has the responsibility of finding medicinal roots for his wife to give birth. Near the day his wife gives birth, the husband must also prepare a ceremony to worship the Goddess of the Inư Nưgar land to pray for a safe delivery of both mother and child... these rituals and customs of the ethnic group are like invisible ties that help the relationships among members of the Cham family become more closely connected and sustainable.

In the life of the Cham people,Traditional characteristics are still preserved; including many customs containing unique cultural values, to ensure the development of the Cham community. These are festivals: Cham festivals have many such as Rija Nuga (meaning festival of the land) from a traditional perspective, this is a big festival, arguably the biggest of the Cham people, besides two other folk festivals: Kate and Bbong muk kei (Ramadan or Ramuwan), Poh Mbang Yang... also known as the Cham festival praying for rain, praying for peace...

Cham people talk to their ancestors.



Duc Thanh School where teacher Nguyen Tat Thanh used to teach.



Reporter of Nghe An Newspaper on top of Bai Nai.



DanceApsara in tdrumParanung, trumpet soundSaranainext to the ancient tower.

When the Lagerstroemia tree blooms purple flowers (on July 1st according to the Cham calendar, around late September, early October of the solar calendar,at the time of harvest) is also the time when Cham people in Binh Thuan are bustling with joy at Kate Tet, this is an occasion to commemorate heroic martyrs, ancestors, thank the gods for helping favorable weather, bountiful crops, relatives and friends visit each other.Drum soundParanungbustling in harmony with the trumpet soundSaranaichirping, creating high and low tones between the mountains and hills. At Po Sah Inư tower, thousands of Cham people gathered here to reenact an ancient Kate ceremony, bringing with them the Cham royal treasures such as crowns and costumes to the ancient tower to offer to the kings and gods, carrying the kings' costumes, singing songs praising the virtues of the kings and other heroes, offering offerings with trays of chicken eggs, betel and areca nuts, wine, cakes, and fruits. At the tower, the shamans performed a ceremony for the god Siva to allow the tower door to be opened, everyone danced with the ma la, blew the gourd flute, and Cham dancers danced.Apsara, the monks perform the purification and bathing ceremony for the statue and the dragon robe ceremony for the king... The sacred festivals of the Cham people always haveThe solemn and brilliant atmosphere was tinged with spiritual colors.

Po Sah InuTogether with Ong Hoang Tower, they are historical witnesses with "dual" values, both tangible and intangible. To preserve it for future generations, from 1990 to 2000, this relic was restored and embellished by Binh Thuan province, and also in 1991, the State ranked the tower as a national monument.Po Sah Inubecome a national architectural and artistic monument...Po Sah InuOver 1000 years old, Ong Hoang Tower has also existed for nearly 100 years. Tomorrow, the sun will rise again and a thousand years later it will still be the same,Po Sah Inuand Ong Hoang Tower have become a part of our national culture, certainly these constructions will continue to welcome the dawn... Bai Nai Peak still has many things to discover./.

Article: Thanh Chung - Photo: Minh Thong