A special gift from Nhon Hai

I had heard of Nhon Hai for a long time, but only now have I witnessed things here that " science cannot explain."

Sea grape season in Nhon Hai. (Photo: Hoang Duong)

From Quy Nhon city, driving along the blue sea, white sand, and golden sunshine for about 30 km, we arrived at Nhon Hai fishing village.

Walking in the middle of the ocean

You don't know how to swim, you're not good at diving, but you want to "walk" in the middle of the ocean? You want to see living coral reefs with the naked eye? Look no further, right here in Nhon Hai - Quy Nhon, you can experience this feeling by walking on the ancient underwater wall, which only appears a few times a month.

I was fortunate to have Mr. Vu Trong Huu, born and raised in Nhon Hai, volunteer as my " tour guide" for the trip. Amidst the sound of the sea breeze, he humorously remarked, "Anyone who loves poetry but hasn't visited the tomb of Han Mac Tu hasn't truly been to Quy Nhon. Anyone who loves exploration but hasn't visited the ancient Nhon Hai city wall also hasn't truly been to Quy Nhon." Following his gesture, the Nhon Hai fishing village appeared, curving gracefully as if wanting to reach out its small arms to embrace the entire blue sea.

Except for stormy days, the sea around Nhon Hai is mostly adorned with a stunning emerald hue. From afar, the fishing village looks like a princess on the ocean's edge, with Hon Kho Island as her crown, standing out amidst the captivatingly colorful coral reefs. Her hands seem to be supporting a mysterious ancient wall – a gift from Mother Nature to Nhon Hai beneath the sea, appearing only twice a month, on the first and fifteenth days (according to the lunar calendar).

Mr. Huu shared that the ancient city wall was discovered by locals a long time ago. But it wasn't until a few years ago, in August, that the lush green moss growing on the stone embankment, like the hair of a young maiden, attracted tourists. During the Lunar New Year, many tourists flocked to Nhon Hai to celebrate the holiday and admire the sea, making it crowded. From then on, people talked a lot about "Nhon Hai moss," and subsequently, people sought out the old embankment to experience the feeling of standing in the middle of the ocean. And that's how the name "Nhon Hai ancient city wall" came about.

There isn't just one, but two such ancient city walls here. The first connects the cliffs of Hai Nam village (Nhon Hai fishing village) to Hon Kho island in Hai Dong village. The second is in Hai Giang village, about 5km away, also submerged under the sea. When the tide recedes, a section of the wall more than 3km long is visible near the shore; locals call it Rang Cau.

"Unfortunately, by the time you arrive in September, the green moss has all covered everything, leaving only the seaweed. Although it's the end of the season, it still floats on the sea surface, forming streaks and golden carpets that look very beautiful," Mr. Huu said.

We stopped at Nhon Hai fishing village, where the first ancient city wall is located. Before me was a straight white line, as if drawn by the waves, connecting the cliffs of Hai Nam village to Hon Kho island. Mr. Huu called out, "Ms. Mien, please let us come to the dam to play!" Pulling the boat ashore, Ms. Mien, with her strong, weathered face typical of coastal people and her "thoughtful" complexion, smiled kindly at us. The boat trip took about 5-7 minutes to reach this natural wonder. The ancient city wall gradually appeared, its white streak visible only from a distance due to the waves lapping against it. In the middle of this white streak, a small path, about 2 meters wide, gradually emerged – one end leading to the cliffs of Hai Nam village, the other towards Hon Kho island. The total length of the path was easily several kilometers. I say "towards" because the other end didn't connect to Hon Kho island; there was still a gap several hundred meters long. It is a place where small boats and ships pass back and forth from the sea to the shore or from the shore to the sea to catch seafood.

The boat stopped right in the middle of the ancient city wall, in a wide open space of about 10 meters. We waded a few meters and reached the raised section of the wall. It felt like we were strolling in the middle of a vast, boundless ocean. A feeling I had never experienced before.

The walls were covered in tightly packed seashells. For the first time in my life, I saw tiny coral reefs rising above the crystal-clear water.

I gently touched them; they felt soft and smooth. The broken sections of the seawall, where water flows in, are where coral grows most densely. And now, we don't need to wade deep into the sea like at Hon Kho or Con Dao to see the coral.

The author is standing at the site of the Old City Wall. (Photo: George Newman)

The mystery of the ancient underwater city wall.

We strolled around for about an hour before Ms. Mien came to pick us up. She said that the elders in the village call this the dam. She doesn't know how old it is, but this ancient wall only fully emerged from the water about 40 years ago. It's most visible on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, or on days when the tide is low. Specifically, in the first half of the year – in June, the ancient wall is low in the morning, and on the 8th to 12th days of the lunar month. From the following months until the end of the year, on the 15th to 20th of each month, the wall is low in the afternoon. Especially on the first and fifteenth days of each month, when the water is lowest, the ancient wall is most clearly visible.

According to Ms. Mien, relevant officials and scientists have also surveyed the area, but they don't know how old the wall is or how it was built. They only know that the wall's surface is quite flat, more than 10 meters wide, but its height is undetermined. Local people who once dived down and hammered iron nails to secure ships here claim that the wall wasn't built of stone or brick, but of something like solid, thick mortar.

This area has two sections of embankment with similar structures, leading many to speculate that it's a single, extended wall. However, no one knows exactly how long this ancient wall is or when it was built. We affectionately call it the embankment, which helps protect fishermen from sea storms.

Perhaps the Nhon Hai rampart and the stone fortifications on Tam Toa mountain are related defensive structures, although there is no documentation mentioning a rampart built in the Nhon Hai coastal area.

Dr. Dinh Ba Hoa, former Director of the Binh Dinh General Museum, shared that he had surveyed the site and initially thought it was a structure built by the ancient Champa people. However, some of his friends working in geology later took samples and concluded that it was an ancient coral reef formed naturally millions of years ago. It's possible that this is an ancient coral reef, not one of the coral reefs we see today. The geological formation process that created this ancient coral reef is also unexplained. Whether the Champa people used it as a harbor later on is also not mentioned in any documents.

Drifting along with the cool sea breeze, I watched couples happily taking photos on the ancient city wall – this unique path made me feel that Nhon Hai will soon become a tourist capital. The ideal time to visit Nhon Hai fishing village is from March to September. During this time, Nhon Hoa beach is bathed in sunshine, the waves are gentle, making it perfect for recreation. If you're lucky, you might even be able to admire the beauty of the green moss clinging to the rocky seawalls. Especially from May to July, when the golden seaweed sways gently in the clear blue water, it can be truly captivating.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/mon-qua-dac-biet-o-nhon-hai-286991.html