Ha Tien Ten Sceneries: Kim Du Lan Dao is now only ruins.

Kim Du Lan Dao is the name of the first poem in the collection of Ha Tien Thap Vinh by Mac Thien Tich describing the beautiful scenery of Kim Du mountain: "This Kim Du is a key mountain/Green green mountain guarding the gate of Ha Tien/Preventing the fierce water from struggling/Protecting the innocent people from being overwhelmed..." .

Pearl of the town

Located next to To Chau bridge, Kim Du island (in Ha Tien ward, An Giang - formerly Ha Tien city, Kien Giang ) is about 25 m high, the road to the top has an asphalt road, cars go straight to the hotel door named Phao Dai, day and night the wind blows strongly. From this position, visitors can watch To Chau bridge bustling with people and vehicles, watch the sunrise, sunset with the murmuring waves. According to the interpretation of poet Dong Ho, Kim Du lan dao is a golden island in front of Ha Tien sea gate, blocking the wind and waves, keeping the inland peaceful.

Hà Tiên thập cảnh: Kim Dự lan đào chỉ còn phế tích- Ảnh 1. — Suzhou Bridge seen from Cannon Mountain

The book Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi by Trinh Hoai Duc (translated by Pham Hoang Quan) recorded: "Dai Kim Du is on the southern coast of the town, with a circumference of 193 truong 5 thuoc, standing to block the fierce waves, it is the pearl of the town. On the shore there is a wooden bridge to go in and out, behind the mountain there is Quan Am Vien where Tong Thi Suong meditated and embroidered Buddha paintings. On the left side there is a pavilion for tourists to fish and enjoy the scenery when the wind is cool and the moon is clear. In front of the island there is a guard camp, in the southwest there is a stone rampart built to keep out pirates. This is Kim Du Lan Dao, one of the ten beautiful scenes in Ha Tien".

Since 1833, the Nguyen Dynasty under the reign of Minh Mang had renovated and built a solid fortress, placing more cannons on the mountain, from then on Kim Du Island was also called Phao Dai Mountain - a military base to guard the seaport. Due to the ebb and flow of the tide, the distance between the island and the mainland was sometimes far away, sometimes near, so folk legends say that Kim Du Island floats and drifts in and out with the tide... There is also a story about a dragon hiding under the island, which has been there for a long time. Occasionally, the dragon moves, causing the island to move, sometimes drifting far away, sometimes drifting to shore.

After occupying Ha Tien in 1867, the French colonialists used the Fort as a military base. They rebuilt the stone bridge and built a prison camp, and forced prisoners to build a road connecting the Fort to the mainland towards Ha Tien market, formerly called Cau Da hamlet and Cau Da street, now Mac Thien Tich street.

The remaining traces…

Around 1912, the French ended military operations on the mountain. At that time, the Fortress was converted into a hospital, and then a bungalow was built as a resort. Until around 1935, the hospital was still there.

In Tuyet Hoa's 30-day travelogue published in Tan Van newspaper (issued on September 29, 1934), it was described: "The Fortress is a large area of land, low all around, with a high mound in the middle. This place used to be Lang Sa military camp, now it is a bungalow and hospital. Some places still have 8-inch thick walls. There are also lighthouses to help boats avoid collisions when entering the island at night. On the shore there are still a few cannons pointing out to the sea, but now they are broken and rusted and cannot be used anymore."

Regarding the bungalow on the Fortress, in the travelogue That Son - Ha Tien published in 1935, author Cuu Long Giang wrote: "The hotel is on a high mound of earth, surrounded by roads, cars can go up there, but you have to go around the building, walking up and down several stone steps. From the hotel, looking down at the bay, the waves are noisy, the wind is cool. The foundation of the "old dynasty" fortification still has the old gate, cracked bricks and stones. The two cannons are covered with rust, their mouths wide open, as if to prove to the years that in the past, there were thunders and lightnings that protected this country and its borders."

During the period 1960 - 1975, Phao Dai Mountain became a military base of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and American soldiers. The public was not allowed to visit.

Nowadays, Kim Du Island is rarely mentioned, but at the foot of the mountain on Road 6 there is a coffee shop named Kim Du, perhaps the owner is someone who has studied local history. The only vestiges of the ancient fortifications remaining are two French-era bunkers that have been broken in many places. As for the cannons, the manager of the Phao Dai Hotel said that the locality has a plan to restore them to serve tourists.

…and the small hermitage on the mountain

The book Gia Dinh Thanh Thong Chi tells the story of Ms. Tong Thi Suong who became a nun in a small hermitage on Kim Du mountain: "During the reign of Mac Do Doc, there was Tong Thi Suong, a rich family's daughter, of marriageable age, a very skillful woman. They tried to matchmake her but she did not agree, she said: wait until Buddha teaches then we will get married...

At that time, there was a monk named Ngo Chan who practiced seriously, only chanted Buddha's name, did not study scriptures, did not eat smelly things or grains, only ate one meal of vegetables and fruits every day, and had many strange behaviors, people called him Thai Tang. One day, the monk passed by the alley, saw Tong Thi Suong drying her underwear, happily went in to beg for it, saying that it was to pray to Buddha. Her parents scolded and chased her away. The monk laughed loudly and walked away.

From then on, she developed a compassionate heart, often chanted Buddha's name, vowed to give up all worldly affairs, cut her hair and become a nun to serve Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Her family tried to advise her in every way but to no avail, so she had no choice but to build a hermitage on the left side of Dai Kim mountain. She happily moved there, embroidering a statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as tall as a human body. Every time she put the needle down, she chanted Buddha's name once. It took her 3 months to complete the embroidery, the colors were as vivid as a living Buddha...".

The above story is difficult to verify. We only know that there is a small temple behind the Phao Dai Hotel, under a large Bodhi tree. There is no memorial tablet in the temple, but the hotel manager said that it is the place that marks the ancient hermitage. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ha-tien-thap-canh-kim-du-lan-dao-chi-con-phe-tich-185250919224720177.htm