Famous water flag, sacred energy converges!

“Oh, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, the sacred sound is profound. The future will follow that trace (...). I hope this piece of land will forever be ranked among the most famous lands”! That was the sentiment of Second Class Doctor Nguyen Thuong Hien under the Nguyen Dynasty, when talking about the important land of Thanh.

995 years of Thanh Hoa's name: Famous for its beautiful water and sacred energy! Ho Dynasty Citadel Heritage.

There is an interesting observation that the essence of heaven and earth that creates mountains and rivers, no matter how beautiful, becomes meaningless when people do not see the beauty, value and possess it. Is that why the ancients often "inspired by the scene", also because natural scenery can bring deep emotions to the soul, urging creativity so that words can flow to the tip of the pen and "release" intense vibrations? But after all, for the poet's soul to be moved and "inspired by the scene", that scene, if not a place of "famous water and beauty", must be a place where "sacred energy converges".

On a return to pay homage to Son Lang, seeing the scene of "warm weather, flowers and spring scenery" on Long Ham mountain, Thien Nam cave owner - Thanh Tong Thuan Hoang De "inspired by the scene" and wrote: "The beautiful scene on the green mountainside makes me feel nostalgic/ Looking up high and looking out into the distance, the vast universe is vast/ Thinking that I had finished sealing the jade box/ Unexpectedly, I got lost and arrived at the edge of the world/ Idle clouds cover the land, no one sweeps/ The empty house is covered with mist, blocking the sunlight/ The stream meanders beside the deserted forest/ I personally welcome the king's golden carriage to visit".

The famous landscape that moved the poet's soul of the owner of Thien Nam cave, and made him exclaim, is none other than Ham Rong - "the land where the dragon resides". However, looking across the Thanh land, there is not only the ancient legendary land "Dragon playing with pearls, Crane swimming sincerely", but also countless beautiful landscapes of mountains and rivers, high mountains and white clouds, the same color of water and sky, a fairyland far away from the mundane world... That is why Professor Hoang Xuan Han once affirmed: "With the famous mountains and rivers, in the whole of Vietnam, there is no place as rich and beautiful as Thanh Hoa"! At the same time, Second Class Doctor Nguyen Thuong Hien could not help but exclaim: “Famous landscapes of mountains and rivers are places that connect people and things, in that beautiful space, the reputation is resounding (...). A stone slab on Thuy Son, leaning against the clouds to look to the South. Long Mountain stretches thousands of meters, with Minh Chau Mountain in front. There is a poem by King Thuan Hoang still clearly written in the mountain cave. Bo Dien Mountain range, with the wind and clouds covering it, imprinted with the mighty wind of Le Hai Vuong, still praised to this day. A stone slab of Tay Giai citadel resists the wind and rain, making people both cry and sing happily. Nua Mountain is green, far away from the mortal world, seeing the scene of woodcutters reading books, the scene of fairies singing, suddenly wanting to overcome the wind to fly up. Oh beautiful mountains and rivers, the sacred sound is profound. In the future, we will follow that trace (...). I hope that this inch of land and mountains will forever be ranked among the famous fragrances”.

Located on the S-shaped strip of land with "endless beauty", and likened to a "miniature Vietnam", Thanh Hoa converges many natural wonders and historical - cultural values, creating a special and unique attraction for the land bearing the mark of time, intensity and not a little mystery. From high mountains to the sea, everywhere there are scenes that make people tremble. Those are the majestic forests, the teasing abysses - where nature displays all its strength, power, value, beauty and attraction. That is the vast ocean - sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle - lying under the shimmering, sweet layer of sunlight and letting human emotions paint fresh colors... The legendary stories about the formation of rivers and mountains are still engraved on every piece of rock, hanging over the majestic forests, still melodious in the depths of the ocean, always surprising people about the great power of nature.

Because of the "sacred air" from ancient times, this land has deposited a rich and valuable cultural sediment. Since the beginning of time, when humans had just established their presence on the earth, Thanh Hoa has left many footprints of ancient people. At the same time, it reflects the strong desire for survival of our ancestors, from which can awaken in each person a sense of pride and a spirit of intense praise. Because, on the thousands of years of human's long journey before the sun - rain, light - dark, landslides - deposits and the terrifying mysteries of nature, to build human society, Thanh Hoa has "dedicated" to the nation many civilizations and cultures along the banks of the Ma River. The Do Mountain relic - the place "witnessed the fierce and fierce struggle of our ancestors against all obstacles of nature", or the place "witnessed the first seeds of human talent and creativity". Dong Son culture - a vivid proof of the ability to master the plains of the ancient Vietnamese in Thanh Hoa. Then, from Do mountain to Dong Son, the nation went from a primitive civilization to one of the most brilliant peaks of ancient Vietnamese civilization. To put it figuratively, "from stone age to bronze age, from unconsciousness to consciousness is a process of continuous struggle of the desire to fly up, is the depth of culture layer by layer of generations of people spreading down".

995 years of Thanh Hoa's name: Famous for its beautiful water and sacred energy! Ba Trieu Temple Festival.

The vestiges that demonstrate the depth of Thanh land's culture are perhaps most vividly reflected through its tangible heritages. From the stone foundations lying bare among the reeds as evidence of a period of decline of "The traces of the ancient carriages and horses in the autumn grass/ The old foundations of the castle in the sunset", up to now, the "memorial capital" Lam Kinh has revived its original appearance and become a historical and cultural destination that cannot be missed when coming to Thanh land. Or the Ho Dynasty Citadel is likened to "a materialized message sent by our ancestors to the generations" - the most brilliant "message" about a period of historical change, when our ancestors used their sweat, intelligence and even their blood and bones to build it. This cultural heritage, honored by UNESCO, was once included in the list of 21 most beautiful world heritages (voted and announced by the prestigious American CNN website in 2015). The more than 600-year-old stone citadel - "a prominent symbol representing the new style of the Southeast Asian royal court" - is placed on par with world heritage sites famous for their grandeur, magnificence, and mystery such as the capital Valletta (Malta), Angkor Temple (Cambodia), the ancient capital Bagan (Myanmar), or Acropolis Hill (Greece)... Moreover, there is no place here that does not contain a mysterious legend. That is Mai An Tiem with the story of the watermelon or the journey of people reclaiming and restoring, struggling to conquer and master nature. It is also the place "with a path to heaven", where Tu Thuc's one lost step cost him a lifetime. It is also the story of Binh Khuong throwing herself into the rock and carving a tearful story at the foot of the ancient citadel wall...

“Thanh Hoa has been the land of emperors for thousands of years. This place has a sacred land, talented people, and pure and beautiful customs”. Therefore, since the dawn of the country's founding, Thanh Hoa has given birth to and nurtured many heroes whose names and achievements are engraved in history books and will be remembered for thousands of years. That is the aspiration to “ride the strong wind, step on the fierce waves, and kill whales in the East Sea” of the female hero Trieu Thi Trinh with the uprising that once shook the entire Giao Chau region. That is the Dien Tien Chi Huy Su, the General of the Ten Directions Le Hoan who “recreated a Bach Dang River, created a Chi Lang Pass” and opened the era of Dai Viet's hundred victories over the feudalism of the North. That is the uprising that lasted for 10 years of Binh Dinh King Le Loi, ending 2 decades of Dai Viet nation sinking in resentment and humiliation under the brutal, intolerant, and unforgiving yoke of the Ming Dynasty; At the same time, it laid the foundation for the birth of the most prosperous Later Le Dynasty in the history of the nation... In addition, Thanh Hoa is recorded in history as the land of Thang Moc, the homeland, the birthplace of the Le Dynasty, Lord Nguyen, Lord Trinh. The Le, Trinh, and Nguyen dynasties left a very deep mark in the historical process of preserving and developing the increasingly prosperous Dai Viet nation.

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Thanh Hoa, “the place with the most beautiful nature, as well as the richest historical memories and legends in Indochina” (H. LeBreton), will forever be the place that holds the footsteps and souls of those who love beauty. Then, those souls that are easily moved by that beauty - like a tight string that needs only a light touch of emotion - will resonate with endless melodies of love for the country and the desire for the nation to survive.

Article and photos: Khoi Nguyen

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