About the place known as the 'frontier' land of the sea

(Baonghean) - Located in the downstream area - where the Lam River flows into the sea, the countryside of Phuc Tho (Nghi Loc) is often called the "frontier" land of Nghe An. This place, with its long history of formation and development, has created a rich cultural sediment.

On the weekend, I spent time going down to Phuc Tho to visit teacher Tran Van Nam - a Philosophy lecturer when I was a student, now nearly 80 years old, he retired in his hometown. Located just over 10 km from the center of Vinh city, but when I set foot in Phuc Tho, I clearly felt the peace and quiet of a countryside space.

On the riverbank, the mangrove forest has changed its leaves, putting on a bright green coat; the riverbed stretches out to the immense, the water slowly lingering on both banks before merging into the ocean. In front is the vast ocean, Song Ngu islet has stood tall and proud for generations, blocking the waves and wind for the coastal villages. The boats resting on the shore after days and nights of fishing leave behind the bustling sounds from the market...

Fishing village of Phuc Tho commune (Nghi Loc) in the afternoon. Photo: Sach Nguyen

Although he has been retired for more than ten years, Mr. Tran Van Nam seems to have not stopped working, still devoting his time and passion to the land and the flow of his homeland. Walking on the Ta Lam dike, also known as the ecological route, Mr. Nam said: “Phuc Tho was formerly called Co Dan village, located inside the Dan Nhai seaport (Cua Hoi), during the Tran Dynasty it belonged to Vinh Doanh prefecture, and was the southeastern outpost of Dai Viet nation.

Later, when the Grand Duke Nguyen Su Hoi (the eldest son of Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi) was appointed by the Later Le Dynasty to be the Commander of the Twelve Sea Gates, that is, to oversee the 12 seaports from Sam Son to Cua Tung, he chose Co Dan port as his headquarters. Since then, all dynasties have chosen this place as a naval base to protect territorial sovereignty and expand the territory. Currently, on Phuc Tho land, the Navy Command and the Coast Guard Command both have units stationed to carry out their duties.

Some historical documents have confirmed that the ancient Co Dan area was a sea, and had to go through many times of "sea and mulberry fields", the sea advanced and retreated, and the construction of dykes to reclaim the sea to become as stable as today. Therefore, for generations, the main source of income for the residents of Phuc Tho has always been agricultural production, river and sea transport and seafood fishing.

Ancient Co Dan, today Phuc Tho is a land where families from all over the region converge and form a close-knit community, together building their homeland. The families here have gone through many generations, the most is more than 15 generations, the least is 5-6 generations. That is the Truong Xuan family, originating from Hue, was chased out to live in Ha Dong, later some people joined the army to participate in defending Dien Chau and then made a living in Phu Dien area.

Later, a branch of the family moved to Phuc Tho to settle down, and has now gone through 15 generations. The Hoang Van family originated from Van Phan village (Dien Chau), the ancestor was Sat Hai Dai Vuong Hoang Ta Thon, more than 600 years ago, a number of families moved to live in Co Dan. The Le family originated from Thanh Hoa, a descendant of King Le Anh Tong (1556 - 1573) who came here to take refuge and have lived for more than 10 generations. Nguyen Huu is a large family, living in Co Dan for many generations, with a common ancestor, Grand Master Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi in Nghi Hop commune (Nghi Loc). Then the Nguyen Van, Nguyen Khac, Nguyen Dinh, Tran, Ho, Bui, Cao, Chu and Dinh families came from everywhere and chose this land as their place of residence.

There are also two families originating from China, the Liu and the Meng, who, due to historical circumstances, chose Co Dan as their place of refuge. The Liu family originated from a naval admiral of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Ba Thang, who was captured by Grand Chancellor Nguyen Su Hoi in a decisive battle on the sea of ​​Nghe An and allowed to stay and settle down. The Meng family, due to the chaos, had to flee to Dai Viet for refuge, a part of them went to Phuc Tho to settle down, and has now gone through more than 10 generations.

Dong Hai Palace has been restored for nearly 10 years. Photo: Cong Khang

Coming from all over the country, clans gathered in the Co Dan - Phuc Tho region and chose this estuary as their homeland, forming a village community with strong ties. This place used to have a dense system of communal houses, pagodas, temples, and shrines, clearly reflecting the cultural, spiritual, and religious life of the entire community. Among more than 20 cultural and religious works in Co Dan, Dong Hai temple stands out for its grandeur, built about 700 years ago. This is the place to worship Doctor Pham Huy - who is revered as the village's tutelary god. According to the family tree, Pham Huy was from Hung Yen province, followed his mother as a beggar to the Dan Nhai region, was adopted by a wealthy family and educated.

In the examination year of Quy Suu (1493) of the 24th year of Hong Duc, Pham Huy passed the third class of Doctorate and was appointed as an official. After retirement, he brought his family to Co Bai village to live, helping people reclaim land and develop production. After his death, the villagers built a temple to worship him. Pham Huy was the one who opened the land of Phuc Tho, because since he passed the final examination of Confucianism, this land had 13 more people who passed the imperial examination. Dong Hai Temple is also where residents of Co Dan and Loc Tho villages worship two heroes, Yet Kieu and Hoang Ta Thon - two gods who are revered as the ancestors of the river profession. Initially, it was just a temple located on the bank of Lam River. In the second half of the 18th century, during the time King Le sent him to Nghe An to prepare troops for the court, he mobilized up to "one hundred thousand soldiers", contributing a large part of the donation fund to rebuild.

The over 100-year-old royal poinciana tree in hamlet 11, Phuc Tho commune (Nghi Loc). Photo: Cong Khang

As a "frontier" land, during the fierce war years, Phuc Tho became a "bag" to receive artillery and bombs of the US navy and air force. Villages, houses and cultural and spiritual works were instantly devastated, causing the residents of the Dan Nhai estuary to suffer many times. However, the people here still fought back to keep their land and village. Therefore, Phuc Tho was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the State...

We walked on the flat roads, both large and small, that were paved. The fields were in bloom and were irrigated by concrete canals, and the lush peanut gardens promised a bountiful harvest. The kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, and the commune health station were built spaciously in the sunny and windy countryside, and all of them met national standards.

It is known that in recent years, Phuc Tho has mobilized nearly 170 billion VND, of which people contributed nearly 130 billion VND to upgrade and build infrastructure systems and public welfare works to "reach the finish line" of the new rural construction program. Up to now, the poverty rate is only over 2%, Phuc Tho commune has achieved 19/19 new rural criteria, the face of the countryside has really changed and improved...

Boats in Cua Hoi area. Photo: Cong Khang

Ahead, Cua Lo Beach Resort is entering its bustling season, and Co Dan - Phuc Tho village is also turning around to welcome new winds. When saying goodbye, Mr. Nam shared: "Thanks to the virtues of diligence, hard work, perseverance, solidarity, love of the land and the sea, the people here rarely fall into poverty...".

Cong Khang