Ha Tien Ten Sceneries: Precarious Da Dung Mountain

Located on the right side of the road to the Vietnam - Cambodia border and not far from Thach Dong mountain, Da Dung mountain has a very beautiful landscape, with many mysterious winding caves, in Ha Tien ward, An Giang province.

Other Stone Erecting Chau Nham

In addition to the stone plaque reading "Scenic relic of Da Dung mountain - ranked as a national relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information" (Decision No. 44/2007/QD-BVHTT dated August 3, 2007) outside, on the way up the mountain there is now a flock of storks and the four words "Chau Nham lac lo" carved on the cliff. However, for a long time, many researchers have argued that Da Dung mountain is not Chau Nham, but Chau Nham is the name of a mountain in Bai Ot, belonging to the old Duong Hoa commune (now To Chau Ward, An Giang ).

The road up to Da Dung mountain has many winding sections.

Photo: Hoang Phuong - Ngoc Phan

The book " Nam Ky Luc Tinh Dia Du Chi" by Duy Minh Thi (1872) recorded: "Chau Nham (commonly known as Bai Ot) is 22 miles east of the provincial capital. The top of the mountain, straight to the beach, large mud and sand, around left and right, in which there are sparkling rocks. Underneath many oysters there are red threads. Legend has it that in ancient times, when Mac Cuu was still alive, he went there and picked up a very large pearl. The treasure is priceless".

Narrow, mossy crevices on the way up the mountain

In a conversation with Thanh Nien reporter in 2013, researcher Truong Minh Dat (Ha Tien) confirmed the mistake in calling Da Dung mountain Chau Nham. He cited the poem Chau Nham lac lo in 1736 by Mac Thien Tich, with Nguyen Cu Trinh's rhyme (translated by Pham Ngoc Khue): "The blue sky has no trace of the sea and mountains/Someone is playing the lute and the dew has come to dot the flowers/On the waves, racing to swim, the fishing is out of tricks/On the pine trees, the heron is standing, the houseless heron/The tide rises and falls everywhere/The cranes, short and long, are always in love...".

Stone plaque inscribed with Da Dung Mountain Relic

"This poem highlights the scene of high mountains and vast seas blending together, where there are waves and tides rising and falling. It is clear that Chau Nham is located close to the coast, not on a flat land like Da Dung mountain," said Mr. Dat.

A flock of storks and the four words Chau Nham lost on the cliff

Why is there confusion? According to researcher Truong Minh Dat, the cause started with Dong Ho's essay Playing Chau Nham published in Dong Phap Times in 1926 and then republished in Nam Phong Magazine in September 1930. At that time, Dong Ho wrote: "Chau Nham Lac Lo, commonly known as Da Dung Mountain, is a scene in Ha Tien Thap Canh Vinh by Mac Thien Tich". Because at that time, national language documents were still rare, Dong Ho's article was widely circulated, without anyone objecting. And this confusion continued to be reinforced when Dong Ho and Mong Tuyet published the small book Ha Tien Thap Canh in 1960, affirming that Da Dung Mountain is Chau Nham Lac Lo.

Da Dung Mountain then and now

An article in Tan Van Newspaper (November 3, 1934) described that from Thach Dong to Da Dung, one had to cross fields. In the dry season, it was easy to go, but in the rainy season, it was very muddy. There were years when the water rose and flooded so deeply that one had to use a boat to get in.

Researcher Truong Minh Dat once affirmed: "Dak Dung Mountain is not the lost Chau Nham road"

Until the end of the 1950s, there was still no road for vehicles. The article "Ha Tien scenic spots" published in the Popular Magazine (March 31, 1959) reported: "Visitors have to walk about 2 kilometers along the edge of the rice fields, through small hamlets with only a few thatched houses. The path to the caves is quite steep, you have to hold on to vines to avoid slipping and falling. In the caves, water flows slowly, deep into the mountain. The further in, the more difficult it is to walk, some places are wide, some are narrow, people have to put ladders over several piles of rocks. There is also a cave on the cliff with 5 lines like 5 strings, when you put stones in, each sound is different, so it is called a lithophone".

Around Da Dung Mountain, there are 14 large and small caves. Today, to go through all those wonders to reach the top of the mountain, you have to follow the signs and cross the winding stone steps with a length of more than 3,000 m. The road up the mountain has many beautiful scenes, many steep sections or sections that seem to fall into the abyss, winding and twisting, mossy cliffs. There are many winding sections that are very narrow, you have to squeeze through the crevices of the rocks that are just wide enough for one person to walk. Ancient trees and vines cling to the rocks in a tangled manner.

Bong Lai Cave

Chest Drum Cave

Heaven's Gate Cave

Golden Turtle Cave

The ancients named caves after the shape of the rocks, such as Than Kim Quy cave with a yellow rock shaped like a turtle raising its head, Bong Lai cave with the shape of a Buddha's hand imprinted on the cliff, Sam Hoi cave with a large rock shaped like a monk bowing his head to the cliff in contemplation. Cong Troi cave gets narrower as you go deeper, giving the feeling of going down into the dark underground, but in fact the cave gradually goes up and opens up to a space filled with sunlight. Doi cave has stalactites shaped like a gourd and is inhabited by many bats. Kho Qua cave has oval stalactites shaped like bitter melons growing from the rock...

Drum Chest is the highest cave among the 14 caves, at an altitude of 83 m above the foot of the mountain. The cave is 12 m deep, 6 m wide, on the right side there is a high cliff with sparkling stalactites. When entering the cave, raise your hand to beat your chest, the cave wall will echo a sound like the sound of a drum... This cave is also called Dragon Cave because there is a rock slab shaped like a dragon. In addition, there is Xa Loc Ky Cave with a skylight leading up to the top with strange stone slabs, the cave entrance has an altar and incense bowl.

The book Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi recorded: "Dak Dung Mountain is also called Bach Thap Son, the mountain has a winding shape, lush green grass and trees, there was a monk in Quy Nhon named Huynh Long Dai Hoa Thuong stopped to build a pagoda here. In 1737, the monk passed away, his disciples built a 7-level tower to preserve the relics. Every year, on the 3 big full moon days and Buddha's birthday, a black crane comes to pay homage, a green gibbon offers fruit, lingering and lingering as if wanting to meditate and listen to the Dharma". (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ha-tien-thap-canh-cheo-leo-nui-da-dung-18525092422573942.htm