Legendary Central Coastal Ports: Cua Tung, overlapping memories

Records of modern Vietnamese scholars show that Cua Tung had an important military position many centuries ago. Duong Van An (1514 - 1591) in the book O Chau Can Luc said: "The seaport of Minh Linh district (Vinh Linh)... has a guard post, it is truly a crucial place". Two centuries later, when writing Phu Bien Tap Luc , scholar Le Quy Don (1726 - 1784) described: "Minh Linh district has Minh Linh seaport (Cua Tung), to the east is Hon Co, to the west is Co Trai mountain, there are mandarins stationed there, it is a crucial point".

In the past, Cua Tung included a fairly large area of land located to the east of Minh Linh district, now Vinh Linh and Gio Linh. The discoveries of archaeologists show that there were people living here and along with that was a culture of the Neolithic period. From the end of the 11th century to the end of the 19th century, when Vietnamese people from the north came here to settle and make a living, Cua Tung gradually became a bustling port, contributing to promoting economic development and cultural exchange in the south of Dai Viet country, followed by Dang Trong, lasting until the Nguyen Dynasty.

Những cửa biển huyền thọai miền Trung và ký ức lịch sử - Ảnh 1. — Cua Tung Beach

Around the beginning of the 20th century, the Cua Tung area was bordered by the sea to the east; by the Ben Hai River to the south, by Liem Cong village to the west, by Thuy Can village and Thach Ban village to the north. Cua Tung originally belonged to a ward of Tung Luat village, the locals used to call it Tung village, so the seaport was called Cua Tung. Around 1915 - 1920, Tung ward became a village, named Vinh An, the population was not too crowded but lived crowded on a section of the north bank of Ben Hai river, next to the seaport.

Léopold Cadière (1869 - 1955), editor of the Bulletin des Amis du Vieux Hue ( The Ancient Capital , 1914 - 1944), in his book Mission de Hue, wrote about the mulberry growing and silkworm raising area in Cua Tung as follows: " They grow cotton to spin thread and weave large fabrics, which is the unique fabric of Quang Tri province. They also grow mulberry to raise silkworms to spin silk to weave good quality silk, widely consumed domestically and internationally. The small-scale industry of the women has attracted many tourists to Cua Tung, including the former Emperor Bao Dai and his wife...".

Due to the climate characteristics, the North Central Coast often experiences erratic storms near the shore, but Cua Tung is a place that is quite sheltered from the wind, and fishing boats can anchor quite safely. This is because two rocky capes that extend deep into the sea from both sides, Mui Si and Mui Lai, create a closed bay, unaffected by ocean currents.

Những cửa biển huyền thọai miền Trung và ký ức lịch sử - Ảnh 2. — Old Tung Luat Commercial Port Area

During the French colonial period, realizing that the climate here was cool and mild, the French chose Cua Tung as a place to rest and swim. In 1896, the Central Region Resident Brière, when on a tour here, really liked the natural scenery of Cua Tung. Therefore, he built a resort for the Resident.

In 1907, King Duy Tan ascended the throne in Hue. At that time, the king was only 8 years old, so all matters in the court were assigned to the Grand Minister Truong Nhu Cuong. Due to his unrestrained nature, King Duy Tan was very uncomfortable because he had to confine himself in the palace every day. Knowing this, the French wanted to turn him into a king who loved to play around and neglected state affairs, making it easier to sway him. Therefore, the French envoy Brière gave the palace's summer house to the king, from then on the summer house was called Thua Luong Cua Tung. The French also established a Post Office and a Commercial Department here.

Collectors still keep postcards from the French hundreds of years ago, printed with a picture of Cua Tung beach and the words "Cua Tung Plage. Province Quang Tri - La reine des Plages" (Cua Tung Beach, Quang Tri Province - Queen of the beaches).

Những cửa biển huyền thọai miền Trung và ký ức lịch sử - Ảnh 3. — Cua Tung around 1930

Legend has it that in the summer of that year, at Thua Luong's house, King Duy Tan went on vacation. One day, because he was so engrossed in practicing mechanical engineering, his hands were covered with grease, so he asked the guard to bring him a basin of water to wash them. While washing his hands, the king suddenly raised his head, looked at the guard, and asked: "If your hands are dirty, use water to wash them. If the water is dirty, what do you use to wash it?". While the guard was still confused and had not yet answered, the king said: "If the water is dirty, use blood to wash it. Do you know?".

Before 1954, at Cua Tung there was a lighthouse at the current lighthouse station. In 1957, musician Hoang Hiep from Hanoi went to infiltrate the reality at the 17th parallel. While climbing up to Cua Tung lighthouse, the musician suddenly saw the absent-minded face of the lighthouse keeper named Phan Van Dong, because he missed his wife and children on the other side of the parallel. From the story of the lighthouse keeper, the famous song Ben ven bo Hien Luong was born, with lyrics and melody that touched people's hearts.

In the summer of 1962, writer Nguyen Tuan visited Cua Tung. His essay " Between War and Peace is a beach called Cua Tung" was written by the most talented writer in modern Vietnamese literature on this occasion, with a passage: "Cua Tung is the best in our country. The lighter the sunlight, the more beautiful Cua Tung beach is. There are all levels of green, blue and pink, and changing quickly like lightning. The sky and waves are full of the colors of nature... In the past, only ordinary colonists rested in Sam Son, while the big and the big had to stay in Cua Tung".

Những cửa biển huyền thọai miền Trung và ký ức lịch sử - Ảnh 4. — A French postcard of Cua Tung nearly a century ago

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Cua Tung was one of the main targets of fierce enemy attacks. Enemy bombs and bullets rained down day and night, flattening all the once famous structures.

Located to the south of the present Cua Tung beach is the "Historic Ferry A", connecting Cuu Tung (North) and Trung Giang commune (South). From 1965 to 1972, this place was an important traffic point on the Ben Hai River, directly supporting human and material resources to the Southern battlefield and Con Co island. With 82,000 ferry trips, it transported 2 million people, tens of thousands of tons of food, weapons, and goods; fought in 392 battles, shot down 4 planes, and sank 6 enemy warships with the 1A Navy Group. Dozens of officers heroically sacrificed their lives while on duty.

Coming to Cua Tung today, tourists are fascinated by the beautiful beach, with gentle waves, the color of the water and the color of the sky changing with each moment of the day. Coming to Cua Tung is also coming to historical sites filled with memories, associated with the heroic resistance for independence and freedom: the 17th parallel, Hien Luong bridge, Ben Hai river, Truong Son martyrs' cemetery, Vinh Moc tunnel, heroic Con Co island. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-cua-bien-mien-trung-huyen-thoai-cua-tung-diep-trung-ky-uc-185250315192246832.htm