From National Highway 1A, follow the wide asphalt road about 4 kilometers towards the sea to reach the foot of the mountain. Since ancient times, the local people here have given these mountains a very rustic name, "Ba Hon Mountain". Because in the vast, flat space of Ham Kiem commune, there are 3 not-so-high mountains; each mountain is about 100m away from the other, on the mountain, the forest trees and bamboo trees are closely intertwined, so the paths up the mountain are very few. To reach the foot of the mountain, we had to go through vast dragon fruit fields mixed with jackfruit and mango gardens full of fruit. Right at the foot of the mountain, the stream flows babblingly, mixed with the chirping sound of wild birds. When the monkeys see people, they quickly jump into the bushes and then turn their heads to look back as if they are wary of everything around them. During the historic days of April, not only us but many other groups of backpackers also went to the source of "Ba Hon Mountain" to learn about the revolutionary activities here. Because, during the years of resistance against the French and the Americans to save the country, the Co Ke swamp - Ba Hon mountain area was the base of the Phan Thiet City Party Committee to lead the army and people to fight against the French and American invaders. And during those two resistance wars, the Co Ke swamp, Ba Tung swamp, and Bi swamp of Ba Hon mountain were solid revolutionary bases, contributing to the glorious achievements of the army and people of the whole country. Especially the revolutionary base at the Co Ke swamp - Ba Hon mountain, the revolutionary forces continuously supplied supplies to serve the requirements of the resistance war in Phan Thiet town via National Highway 1A or secretly intercepted enemy motor vehicle operations on national and provincial highways many times.
Ba Hon Mountain
Mr. Le Hoan - a veteran living in Ham Kiem commune said: “During the years of the war against the US to save the country, revolutionary activities at Ba Hon base were extremely difficult, sometimes only eating cassava and sweet potatoes, but the fighting spirit was very strong. The terrain here is covered with forests, dense trees, fresh water from the swamps flowing all year round and close to the traffic route, so it was very favorable for revolutionary activities. The revolutionary base at Ba Hon served as a bridge for the main force to attack Esepic Binh Thuan airport, the battle of Ham Thuan Sub-region at Ham My intersection; attack the base of Post 18 in Ham Cuong commune in 1971…”.
Following the trail, we went halfway up the mountain, where there was a deserted temple. In the temple grounds, there was a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and next to it was a prostrate elephant offering flowers to the Buddha statue. The atmosphere here was quiet. Old farmer Nguyen Thanh Le, from Ham Kiem commune, was taking care of the mango garden at the foot of the mountain and shared: “This season, there is a lot of sun and wind, so the trees turn yellow, but when the rainy season comes, the forest trees are deep green and beautiful. Occasionally, groups of backpackers come to visit, explore, and learn about the revolutionary traditions of Ba Hon mountain. If this place is planned to be an eco-tourism area or a tourist attraction to learn about history and revolutionary traditions, it will have great significance in educating the younger generation…”.
Nature has bestowed on Ham Kiem (Ham Thuan Nam) beautiful mountains amidst flat land filled with the green of dragon fruit, jackfruit gardens, and mango gardens laden with fruit. The place names of Ba Hon mountain, Co Ke lagoon… bearing many revolutionary historical vestiges are becoming increasingly familiar not only to locals but also to travelers and backpackers who are passionate about discovering new things.
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