Ban Than - Hon Mang

A corner of Thuan An village lies at the foot of Ban Than mountain.

The above landscape belongs to Tam Hai island commune, Nui Thanh district, Quang Nam province, with an area of 15.03 km2, a population of about 8,500 people, 3 places bordering the sea and 1 place bordering the river. According to the Management Board of Monuments and Landscapes of Quang Nam: "Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua cluster of scenic spots developed on hard rocks of the metamorphosed sedimentary type, more than 400 - 500 million years old".

To better understand this place, in mid-August, we visited this scenic spot. Following the cliffs around Ban Than Mountain, we witnessed black rocks rising high in the middle of the sea, which the locals call Ong Dun - Ba Che. Here, the rocks are covered with a layer of smooth green moss, the sea is very quiet, the water is clear blue. Here and there, tourists stroll and far away are fishing boats. On the shore, we welcome the cool breezes blowing in from the sea, feeling like we are blending into nature.

Coming to Tam Hai island commune this time, we had a chance to talk with Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tho, Secretary of Thuan An village Party cell. Through his thoughts, he said: "People like us do not know clearly about the famous landscapes of Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua, we only know through the history of this land for nearly 500 years. But our ancestors and then our descendants live here, love the sea, love our homeland, and are very proud of this cluster of famous landscapes", then Mr. Tho led us to meet the oldest person in the village, Nguyen Duc Ba, with the hope of finding the stories that are still in Mr. Ba's heart.

A corner of Bai Nom in Ban Than area.

Receiving us over a cup of tea, Mr. Nguyen Duc Ba recounted, “It is said that our ancestors went down to the sea to make a living. When they came here, they saw the land jutting out into the sea, the waves were gentle, the water was clear, calm and there was a lot of seafood, so they settled here. At first, they were close to the foot of the mountain, then they gradually moved in and established this land and their descendants have always kept the fishing profession to make a living and protect the sea.”

According to Mr. Ba, Ban Than mountain is flat and long. Therefore, the ancients passed down the original name as “Bang Than”, meaning the mountain is too flat. Later, the following generations mispronounced it as Ban Than.

Meanwhile, according to the documents of two geologists Nguyen Xuan Bao and Trinh Long published in July 2017 about the above site, mainly amphibole schist, some places with amphibolite, the schist surface is pointed to the Southwest, with a slope angle of 30 degrees. Relics of ancient sea terraces, 20 - 36m high terrace, about 20ha wide in Ban Than mountain, age not yet determined; 10-14m high terrace, a few hectares wide in Hon Dua and Hon Mang islands, assumed age late Pleistocene. Younger, corresponding to the sea terraces of middle Holocene, middle - late Holocene, there are abrasion terraces; abrasion - accumulation terraces 5 - 6m high, 2 - 3m high. Syngenetic with each terrace surface there are erosion - abrasion walls cutting into the bedrock, steep and very steep, relative height from a few meters to 5 - 10m.

A corner of Ban Than scenic spot of Tam Hai island commune.

Mr. Do Kim Hung, Vice Chairman of Tam Hai Commune People's Committee, said: "According to the research results of scientists, Tam Hai island commune and especially around the scenic areas of Ban Than, Hon Mang, Hon Dua... currently has more than 90 hectares of coral reefs, with about more than 100 species, most of which are antler corals and block corals. The Tam Hai coral reef ecosystem has 41 species of seaweed, 168 species of fish, many of which have economic value such as red snapper, mua fish, luong fish, along with red lobster, pebble lobster and many beautiful snails, besides there are also some aquatic species that can be used as medicinal herbs".

Mr. Do Kim Hung also said: “The national relic site of Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua is a well-known place. This area has Ban Than rapids stretching around a small mountain, with black stone tables of different shapes, randomly arranged like countless sculptures lying between the earth and sky, bringing excitement to every tourist who comes here to visit.”

Indeed! In front of the beauty of Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua, many locals and tourists have come here to visit and experience life with the people on Tam Hai island. Especially after the Covid-19 epidemic was controlled, more and more tourists came to the island commune to visit the scenic spots and experience local life.

Ms. Truong Thi Cuc, in Tam Hai commune, said: “Not only visitors coming to visit Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua stop by to drink water and buy specialties of this area such as rau xoa, fish, shrimp, crab, etc., but also groups of guests from far away also book my house to prepare parties and meals, thanks to which I have a source of income to take care of my family.”

Rock reefs in Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DOCST) of Quang Nam province, said that last February, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 393 recognizing Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua as a national relic. The Department also requested Nui Thanh district and Tam Hai commune to develop a plan and regulations to protect and promote the value of the relic in conjunction with local tourism and socio-economic development. Promote socialization in preserving and promoting the value of the relic, creating all conditions for investing resources in the sustainable exploitation of the Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua scenic spot.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province said: “Ban Than - Hon Mang - Hon Dua has just been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national relic, the local government and people together promote and introduce this scenic spot, along with that, doing a good job of protecting the environment and landscape of the national relic. Building suitable tourism products to attract tourists, contributing to socio-economic development”.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/ban-than-hon-mang-hon-dua-danh-thang-quoc-gia-quyen-ru-vi-ve-dep-hoang-so-10291090.html