Thanh Chuong - a land of deep affection and love

rustic dishes

1. Deep taste of pickled cucumber

When talking about Thanh Chuong, people often think of a rustic and famous dish called nhut. It seems that the harsh nature and difficult life have made the people here create a dish called nhut that "once eaten, you will remember forever".

In fact, many rural areas have pickled vegetables and fruits to preserve food for longer, such as bean sprout pickles, banana flower pickles, mixed pickles... but Thanh Chuong pickles are special because they are made from green jackfruit that is peeled, chopped, and fermented in a ceramic jar.

The jackfruit does not have many nutrients, but can be processed into attractive dishes such as stir-fried jackfruit, jackfruit salad, jackfruit cooked with peanuts, jackfruit cooked in sour soup... In the summer, having a pot of snakehead fish soup with jackfruit would be delicious.

The dish of pickled vegetables has accompanied the people of my hometown through the years of poverty, with rice mixed with cassava and corn. In the middle of the meal, pickled vegetables were the main food of many families in Thanh Chuong. To have pickled vegetables to eat all year round, every jackfruit season, families with many children had to make several jars of pickled vegetables.

The sour taste of pickled jackfruit stimulates the eater, it is a food that goes well with rice, even though the rice is only potatoes and cassava. Pickled jackfruit is a delicacy of the people in my hometown in the days when “rice is not enough to eat, clothes are not enough to wear”.

Nhut has contributed to nurturing and shaping the feelings and thoughts of many generations of Thanh Chuong people:

“Although the past may be different from now

But I believe the Nghe quality is still flowing.

In the veins of my hometown

"Wherever you live, salt is salty and ginger is spicy" (st)

Living far from home, if you see and think of nhut, everyone will feel nostalgic for their homeland, their family. Remembering the rich taste of nhut like the affection of their fatherland: "Thanh Chuong land has salty and sour pickles. It must be so fast that you don't like it. It must be so fast that you don't come back" (Phan Thanh Chuong)

From a rustic dish, nhut has gradually become a specialty, a famous commodity that is bought and sold bustlingly in the market. The gift from the countryside does not have much material value but conveys the soul and feelings of the "nhut hometown" people, following tourists to the South and the North, bringing the flavor of the countryside to all directions.

Nhut has become a very familiar symbol mixed with a bit of pride of the people and land of Thanh Chuong, of the poor countryside, but full of affection: "nhut people", "nhut hometown", "nhut land"...

2. Sweet and rustic chicken soup

Thanh Chuong is a midland region with many hills and mountains. It not only has jackfruit and pickled vegetables, but also many chickens. The ant chicken and free-range chicken are raised naturally with rice, bran, and corn in home gardens and forest gardens. Although they are not as heavy as hybrid chickens, they are delicious and clean chickens.

On every occasion, party or when guests come to visit, Thanh Chuong people often cook the familiar chicken soup dish.

"The chicken clucks lemon leaves.

Who wants to go back to Nhut land with me?

Turmeric adds a rich rustic flavor…” (An Nam)

Thanh Chuong people often cook chicken soup because the spices of lemon leaves, onions, turmeric, hot peppers, and white salt are easy to find and always available at home. Chicken meat can be chopped, mixed, deboned, minced, and rolled into balls, all of which are easy to cook. Not as dry and tough as grilled chicken, not as bland as boiled chicken, chicken soup has both soft, delicious meat and a rich broth with a very distinctive aroma.

The market is narrow, the road is long, and there are chickens available. When children come back from a long trip, when the family reunites, or when guests come to visit, Thanh Chuong people will definitely slaughter a chicken to serve chicken soup. This delicious dish is full of the flavor of the countryside, and does not cost money to buy. The homeowner and relatives prepare it themselves, showing their appreciation and love.

Nowadays, chicken is processed into many delicacies, but chicken soup is still preserved and passed down by Thanh Chuong people as a culinary specialty of their homeland, rustic but clean and delicious, simple but sophisticated.

The dish of chicken soup with fermented bean curd has gone beyond the family kitchen corner, becoming a popular menu of many restaurants and hotels. Being away from home, eating a bowl of chicken soup with fermented bean curd makes me miss my father, my mother, my hometown so much...

3. Sweet and rich black plum

It seems that harsh nature, not only created to test people's ability to overcome difficulties, but also bestowed many specialties on the homeland, including black plum. Plump, fragrant, and fragrant, the plum has a unique flavor of the Western region of Nghe An. Thanh Chuong black plum can be processed into many attractive dishes, such as braised plum, salted plum, stir-fried plum, sweet and salty stew, braised plum, cooked with meat... Although it is not elaborately processed into plum salad, plum sticky rice... like in other places, the unique flavor of Thanh Chuong plum dishes also has the power to captivate people's hearts.

The long, firm canarium fruits seem to contain the resilience of the canarium tree in nature. The fatty, rich taste and unique aroma of black canarium seem to be crystallized and nurtured from the soil and harsh climate of the sunny and rainy countryside.

The special aroma of the star fruit is unmistakable, just smelling it makes you crave it. Enjoying dishes made from star fruit also allows you to feel the salty, deep taste of the love of the land and the people of the countryside.

Nowadays, when the food market is full of chemicals, Thanh Chuong black star fruit has become the king, in the return of homeland cuisine. Star fruit is increasingly valuable, promising many bumper seasons of star fruit, bringing billions of dong to the people, bringing the rich flavor of star fruit to every family meal - a simple and familiar dish of the countryside. For the children of the star fruit land who live far away, each season of star fruit returning, they are filled with nostalgia for their homeland with all their hearts: "star fruit is sour so it is sweet, star fruit is rich so it is loved".

Perhaps the hot Laotian windy countryside with those rustic dishes contributed to creating the "shy" quality in the people of Thanh Chuong, simple, hard-working, frugal, sincere, upright... In any situation, they are still determined to rise up with a generous lifestyle, deep in love,

"Salty tomato" the old song is still there

Thanh Chuong, my poor hometown, I will remember it all my life.

Love the "clumsy" saying: The stork must be so fast that you criticize it.

Now far from home I want to return

Whether the pickles are salty or the eggplants are sour, I will still come back for them.

Thanh Chuong, my hometown, is always attractive.

"Simple and friendly village love" (Hung Thai)

Revolution and studiousness

Coming to Thanh Chuong for the first time, many people are moved by the landscape of green mountains and blue water "like a painting". Beside the poetic Lam River, Nguoc Mountain stands tall like the spirit, steadfastness and bravery of the people of the land. Thanh Chuong countryside with high mountains, deep rivers, and loyal people was once the place where Nghe An Provincial Party Committee stood in the early years of its establishment.

During the difficult but glorious revolutionary struggle of the Party, the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee went to Yen Lac village, Thanh Ngoc commune to operate secretly. The people of Yen Lac also wholeheartedly followed the Party, regardless of hardships and sacrifices, saving all the material things they had from potatoes, rice, and pickled vegetables to hide cadres, ready to sacrifice their lives for the common cause. During the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement, Yen Lac village was severely terrorized by the enemy, dozens of people were arrested, imprisoned and tortured to death. The driftwood tree, communal house roof, and courtyard of that day became evidence of the resilience, bravery, and sacrifice of the homeland.

From September 1930 to February 1931, Dien Trang village, Thanh Phong commune was also a secret location for the Provincial Party Committee. Nguyen Duy family temple was the residence and meeting place of Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Tiem, Nguyen Ba and Nguyen Ich family temples, and Dien Trang sui tree used to be a place for printing and hiding documents.

Having survived hundreds of years, overcoming storms and bombs of war, the Dien Trang sui tree still grows green on the top of Tron Mountain, symbolizing the indomitable spirit, resilience, strong vitality and deep affection of the revolutionary countryside.

During the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement (1930 - 1931), Thanh Chuong was the locality that "rose first". On May 1, 1930, thousands of people from Hanh Lam and La Mac, after gathering and rallying for International Labor Day at Ha village communal house, marched to Ky Vien plantation, together burning down houses, warehouses... In just a moment, the plantation of the landlord and capitalist was devastated. The French sent troops to fill the Thuong village communal house, organized a crackdown that killed 17 people and injured 18.

On September 1, 1930, more than 20,000 Thanh Chuong farmers from Dai Dong, Xuan Lam, Vo Liet, Cat Ngan communes... rose up and marched to Ro to attack the district office, smashed prisons, freed prisoners, burned documents... Taking advantage of the victory, people from villages and communes in the district simultaneously rose up to protest and demonstrate, the colonial and feudal government apparatus in Thanh Chuong completely disintegrated.

The Red Peasant Associations in the villages took charge of all affairs as a government. The "earth-shattering" demonstration on September 1, 1930 in Thanh Chuong was considered the starting point, marking the birth of the Nghe Tinh Soviet, a new form of government in the history of the nation.

Thanh Chuong is also famous for being a studious and talented hometown, the names of mountains, wharfs, and villages are also shining with learning. But Tower Mountain rising high in the blue sky like a pen in Thanh Huong commune is a symbol of Thanh Chuong's land of learning. Ba Nghe wharf, Ba Nghe hamlet in Thanh Giang commune is the place where 3 people passed the imperial examinations in the feudal period: 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).

The unique steles that record the names of the scholars will last forever. In front of Vo Liet communal house (Vo Liet commune), there are two rows of stone steles engraved with Chinese characters recording the names of 455 successful children (bachelor, bachelor, doctor, and vice-president) of Vo Liet commune, from the Le dynasty to the Nguyen dynasty.

In Thanh Lien commune, there are still 3 stone steles of the old Cat Ngan communal house, clearly recording the names of 267 people who passed the imperial examinations (third-year graduates, doctors), bachelors, and bachelors in the feudal imperial examination history of Cat Ngan communal house. Among them are the names of great scholars such as Dinh Bo Cuong, Nguyen The Binh...

A land of outstanding people with many famous families, such as Nguyen Canh, Nguyen Sy, Nguyen Phung, Phan Sy, Tran family, Chu family, Ton family, Dang family... has produced many generations of civil and military mandarins, revolutionaries, culturalists who have contributed a lot to the homeland: Nguyen Canh Huy and descendants, Nguyen Phung Thoi, Chu Di Hien, Tran Hung Hoc, Tran Hung Nhuong, Dang Thai Mai, Ton Quang Phiet...

In Thanh Luong commune, Ke Tram village has been passed down in the folk song "Ke Ngan fields, Ke Tram mandarins" - Ke Ngan has many fields, Ke Tram has many mandarins. Among them, the Chu family is a "noble and prestigious family". The history of the family has spanned thousands of years with many generations of dukes, doctors, civil and military officials of the royal court.

The revolutionary and studious traditions of Thanh Chuong people are being continued and fostered in today's era. In each exam, the number of Thanh Chuong children passing the entrance exams to top universities and academies in the country and studying at prestigious schools in the world is increasing. Many people have become famous high-ranking officials, including many famous professors, doctors, engineers, scientists, poets and artists of Nghe An and the whole country.

Thanh Chuong, the land of thirst: the desire to rise up to learn, to escape poverty, to reach far, the desire to contribute to building the homeland is still the concern and anxiety of Thanh Chuong people past and present:

"The Lao wind is burning hot, the North wind is numbing

The barren rocks and soil still rise up

In hardship still dreaming of that far away

Every exam season there are many "bachelors and scholars". (An Nam)

Attractive destinations

1. Poetic Tea Island

The land and people of Thanh Chuong have hidden beauty, "knowing how to see, knowing how to admire to be intoxicated", is an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world in their journey to experience and explore Nghe An.

Cau Cau Tea Island has long been known as “Ha Long of Nghe An” thanks to its green mountains and blue water, charming landscape, and unique features that are rarely found anywhere else. On the reservoir, the tea islands emerge amidst the mountains and water with their natural, wild, and poetic beauty, making them an interesting place to sightsee, relax, and take photos.

The tea island is located next to Ho Chi Minh road, convenient for tours, connecting destinations in the area. The ideal time to visit the tea island is in spring and autumn. Here, shopping, food and beverage services serving tourists are increasingly bustling.

2. Liep Waterfall

Thanh Chuong is a mountainous district with many rivers, streams..., especially, many beautiful waterfalls. Still wild, Liep waterfall in Thanh Son commune, Van waterfall in Thanh Ha commune are attractive destinations for locals and tourists on hot days.

Although there are no majestic, massive water columns, these two waterfalls are still as beautiful as ink paintings with unique, strangely attractive strokes. Between the banks of lush green trees, clear streams of water flow through the crevices of rocks and flow downstream in a fresh, peaceful space.

3. Bach Ma Temple

In addition to the tourism potential bestowed by nature, Thanh Chuong district also has a unique system of temples, communal houses, palaces... Bach Ma Temple in Vo Liet commune was built during the Le Dynasty to worship the famous general Phan Da and is one of the most sacred temples in Nghe An. The temple has a massive architecture. The main hall of the temple is intricately carved and sculpted, creating beautiful works of art.

Vo Liet Communal House was built in 1859 and is one of the largest ancient communal houses in the province. The main communal house has a unique architecture with 4 closed houses forming the shape of the letter "khau", in which the upper communal house is a unique 8-roofed house.

4. Dang Cao Palace

Dang Cao Palace in Dai Dong Commune was built in the 16th century to worship three historical figures who made great contributions to the country during the post-Le period of the Nguyen Canh family. The palace has many items, of which the three-story gate with its majestic shape and sophisticated patterns is the most unique work.

The Dang Cao Palace's Nghi Mon Gate has a unique architecture, a harmonious combination of Vo Bang - French architecture and traditional Eastern architecture. It is a work of high artistic value, considered the most beautiful ceremonial gate in the system of relics in Nghe An.

5. Nguyen Viet Family Temple

Also in Dai Dong commune, Nguyen Viet family temple is an ancient and rare work of art in Nghe An. The temple was built during the Nguyen Dynasty, including the lower hall and the upper hall, of which the lower hall is a 3-room, 2-wing house that most fully and concentratedly displays the beauty of the ancients' sophisticated wood carving art...

Not far from Vinh City, convenient for travel, Thanh Chuong district with its long-standing cultural sediments, beautiful landscapes, and simple, gentle people, has been and is an attractive and interesting destination for tourists from all over.

Coming here, people can not only immerse themselves in the charming green mountains and blue water landscape, visit typical relics and scenic spots to better understand and love Thanh Chuong land and people, but also enjoy and shop for famous delicious and clean specialties of the land.