Talking about the prime location and lyrical beauty of the ancient land of Hac Thanh, Thanh Hoa City today, the ancients have a saying: "Thanh Hoa is a place where/ Dragons play with pearls, Cranes swim at the foot of the Citadel". And then, after thousands of years with countless changes, the ancient land on the back of the Crane is still the origin of traditions and captivating beauty.
Thanh Hoa city was built on the foundation of an ancient land along the banks of the Ma River. The history of the land is closely linked to the long history of formation and development of the entire Thanh land, starting from the time of the Hung Kings. Therefore, this land contains many cultural layers from the time of the Hung Kings to the present day. Archaeological documents have determined that more than 2,000 years ago, the indigenous people of Dong Son village knew how to make bronze agricultural tools (plowshares, rice sickles, etc.). At the same time, they knew how to raise buffaloes and cows and use buffaloes and cows as draft animals; knew how to build banks, demarcate areas to retain water to create conditions for regular intensive farming, and increase crops to have food. In particular, this is where the traces of the extremely brilliant Dong Son culture were found. The Dong Son archaeological site was discovered in 1924. The artifacts found were very diverse and rich, including stone, bronze, and iron tools, with two characteristics of residence and burial. Among them, Dong Son bronze drums are the most typical relics of Dong Son culture in bronze. The images carved on the bronze drums confirm that before the Christian era, livestock raising, fishing, and hunting were very developed here. Dong Son bronze drums are not only found in Vietnam, but also in Southern China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This proves that Dong Son culture has spread to the world, especially Southeast Asia.
Not stopping there, the “heart” of Thanh Hoa also possesses many beauties that few places can compare to. The most prominent is the Ham Rong historical site - a picturesque landscape, where every literati and traveler who passes by cannot help but be “inspired by the scenery”. The Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi book records: "Ham Rong Mountain, also known as Long Ham, is 2 miles northeast of Dong Son district, its old name is Dong Son, and it has another name, Truong Son. The mountain range from Ngu Hoa Mountain, Duong Xa Commune, leads along the river, winding and continuously like a dragon shape, finally rising up to a high mountain, with layers of rocks piled up, on the mountain there is Long Quang Cave. The kings Le Thanh Tong and Le Hien Tong went up to enjoy the view and wrote poems carved into the stone that still exist today. Below the mountain, there is a rocky outcrop jutting out into the river, looking like a dragon's jaw holding sand and sucking water; on the opposite bank is Hoa Chau Mountain, the river water flows in the middle, both sides of the river are mountains; at the bottom of the water there are many jagged rocks, so it is also called Khe Da; at the place of the dragon's jaw there is a ferry, where fishermen often dock their boats. The An Nam Chi book by Cao Hung Trung records that this mountain is high and beautiful, overlooking Dinh Minh River, from high up looking far away, the sky and water are of the same color, truly a beautiful scene". Emperor Le Thanh Tong of Thien Nam Cave, during a visit to the mausoleum, when passing by, saw “the warm air of the mountains and hills, the flowers and grasses of spring”, so he moved his boat ashore to admire the scenery and wrote a poem: “Thuy vi that land, my heart is filled with emotion/ My eyes look up to the vast land and sky/ But strangely, after finishing the work, I seal the jade/ Otherwise, I will lose the way to heaven/ Clouds fall all over the land, no one sweeps/ The house is lonely all night, the door is always open/ The deep caves outside the deep mountains are crooked/ Not only the king's flags” (translated by Luong Trong Nhan).
On the cradle of Dong Son culture and with that long history of formation and development, generations born from this land, despite experiencing countless historical changes, have always upheld the spirit of solidarity, with creativity and a spirit of tireless labor, contributing to the cultivation of a heroic revolutionary tradition. The historical documents remaining today have shown that, in the struggles for national liberation and protection of the Fatherland, the people here have not been afraid of hardships and sacrifices, contributing worthily to the glorious victories of the nation.
Typically, during the period of fighting against the Northern invaders, residents of Dai Khoi, Dong Son, Dong Tac villages... contributed to the cause of fighting against foreign invaders and assimilation by the enemy. During the Lam Son uprising (1418-1428) against the invading Ming army, in the city, many families followed Le Loi from the very beginning. Typical examples include Nguyen Truyen and his son, Le Chi Quyen's family in Lai Thanh village (Dong Hai), and Mr. and Mrs. Le Thanh in Dinh Hoa village (Dong Cuong commune) - a meritorious mandarin who was granted the national surname by the Le dynasty. On November 25, 1788 (Mau Than), the Tay Son army led by Quang Trung marched from Phu Xuan to the North. When passing through Nghe An and Thanh Hoa, he recruited more than 80,000 soldiers and organized a parade in Tho Hac village (now Dong Tho ward, Thanh Hoa city). During the Can Vuong movement against the French, Dr. Tong Duy Tan, Chief of the Can Vuong Thanh Hoa Mountain Defense Army (from Bong Trung village, Vinh Loc district), was the leader of the Hung Linh uprising, responded to and coordinated with the Ba Dinh uprising against the French invasion. Later, he was betrayed by his student Cao Ngoc Le and captured by the French, brought back to Phu Coc village to be executed (in 1892)...
The August Revolution broke out and achieved complete victory. The Party Committee and the People of the city immediately began to carry out urgent tasks to strengthen the revolutionary strength. That was to build a people's democratic government, nurture the people's strength, consolidate and develop the political and armed forces, eliminate internal reactionaries, fight against hunger and illiteracy, improve the people's strength, prepare for resistance, mobilize human and material resources for the resistance in the South... When the nationwide resistance broke out, the policy of "scorched earth resistance" was thoroughly implemented, the fields were empty, houses were empty, and bases and rear areas for resistance were built. After 9 years of resistance against the French colonialists, cadres, party members and the People were always united, endured hardships and sacrifices, actively fought to protect the homeland and made every effort to support human and material resources for the resistance to achieve complete victory.
Entering the period of resistance against the US to save the country, the heroic historical and revolutionary tradition of this land along the banks of the Ma River was once again ignited. Not only did we concentrate on labor to support the battlefield in the South, but our army and people also fought enthusiastically to "share the fire" with the battlefield. And, speaking of one of the glorious events that has imprinted a brilliant page in the history of the Vietnamese nation in the Ho Chi Minh era, first of all, we must mention the Ham Rong victory.
During the resistance war against the US to save the country, Thanh Hoa was an important strategic area, the "iron armor" protecting the capital Hanoi; the strategic reserve; the bridge connecting the North and the South. Therefore, the US imperialists always considered Thanh Hoa as the key target for destruction in the destructive war, especially on the supply route from the North to the South and to Laos. The US military considered Ham Rong as the "ideal choke point" and the "tip of the pan handle", so the center of Thanh Hoa province - where Ham Rong bridge spanned the two banks of the Ma River - became one of the most fiercely attacked targets. On February 13, 1965, US President Johnson approved the "thunderous" plan to escalate the bombing of the North to the 19th parallel. On March 2, 1965, they sent planes to invade Thanh Hoa's sky, firing 20mm bullets and rockets into the districts of Tinh Gia, Nong Cong, and Nhu Xuan. At the same time, the aircraft reconnaissance area of Ham Rong was conducted many times. At 8:45 a.m. on April 3, 1965, the enemy launched the first attack on Do Len. At 1 p.m. the same day, the US Air Force was mobilized with the largest number of aircraft and bombs, focusing on attacking Ham Rong bridge and the Thanh Hoa town area. Groups of jet planes of all types, F105, F8, RE101, continuously attacked the bridge for more than 2 hours. The sky of Ham Rong resounded with the roar of American aircraft, the ground shook with the series of heavy bombs falling down.
With the determination to defeat the American war of destruction right from the first battle, the army and people of Ham Rong held on to the battlefield, with a brave and heroic spirit of determination to fight and win. At 17:11, after 17 planes were destroyed, the enemy had to stop attacking. Despite the rain of bombs and bullets from the enemy, Ham Rong Bridge still stood tall and proud across the banks of the Ma River. The victory of the army and people of the Ham Rong - Nam Ngan area made the people of the whole country proud. This was a victory of extremely special significance, when our army and people won right from the first battle and a glorious victory against the massive attack from the "US air force".
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It can be said that the ancient land on the banks of the Ma River was initially reclaimed, preserved, protected and developed by indigenous people until it was chosen to build the citadel (in 1804). The people here are not only educated and skilled, but also upright, open-minded, compassionate, and ready to sacrifice for a great cause. They are the ones who create culture and nurture the spirit of patriotism and revolution that has permeated through many generations. Thanks to that, when the opportunity came, the fire of struggle was ignited, contributing to regaining independence for the homeland and the right to live for people. More specifically, it is also because of that tradition of patriotism and struggle that has become a valuable asset and the basis and foundation to contribute to building the urban appearance of Thanh Hoa today. At the same time, thanks to the accumulation and interweaving of the history and culture of the land, Thanh Hoa City has a very unique appearance: both quiet and profound, modern and full of positive energy for development.
Article and photos: Khoi Nguyen
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Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/khang-dinh-vi-the-do-thi-tinh-ly-xu-thanh-bai-1-vung-dat-giau-truyen-thong-lich-su-van-hoa-233211.htm
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