LEGEND OF THE OCEAN DOOR
If you go south - north on National Highway 1, when you just arrive at the gateway of Quang Binh in Sen Thuy commune (Le Thuy district), Bau Sen appears as a welcome, promoting the best things that nature has bestowed on this land.
The temple of the tutelary god Mai Van Bon is still being looked after and worshiped by Mr. Tam and the people.
Ba Cuong - Nguyen Phuc
The temple of the tutelary god Mai Van Bon is still being looked after and worshiped by Mr. Tam and the people.
Ba Cuong - Nguyen Phuc
Since ancient times, associated with Bau Sen, there is a rather tragic story about the sacrifice of a village tutelary god who dared to oppose the king's will to protect the lake's clean water.
According to Mr. Tran Minh Tam (65 years old, in Sen Thuy commune, Le Thuy district), the tutelary god here is Mr. Mai Van Bon (Ban), who used to be the village chief. Leading us to the temple to worship the tutelary god, Mr. Tam slowly recounted: "On the occasion when a king of the Nguyen dynasty passed by here, wanting to dig a gate in the lake to open a road connecting to the sea, Mr. Bon strongly opposed the king's will, saying that the people's strength and manpower were not enough to dig enough. It was also because of this boldness that Mr. Bon was beheaded by the king's soldiers".
In the end, the digging of the gate from Bau Sen to the sea was not carried out, leaving Bau Sen intact as it is now. Villagers still tell each other that on that day, after this village chief passed away, every time the royal elephants and horses passed through Bau Sen area, they would kneel down, and no matter how much they were beaten and scolded, they would not get up and continue.
Bau Sen stands out among the white sand
Ba Cuong - Nguyen Phuc
Mr. Tam on the cool Bau Sen
Ba Cuong - Nguyen Phuc
According to Mr. Tam, who has lived around Bau Sen area for almost his entire life, lotus used to grow in abundance in the lake. Maybe that’s why people named it Bau Sen. Unfortunately, after the dam was built to bring water to neighboring communes, the water level in the lake increased, and the lotus lost its habitat and gradually decreased…
A STOP ON THE NORTH-SOUTH ROUTE
Chicken rice, fish porridge, and kumquat salad are three things that were once very famous in Bau Sen. All of them have their origins...
Mr. Tran Minh Tam said that during the resistance war against the US, Bau Sen was the last resting place for soldiers before marching to the fierce battlefield of Quang Tri. After peace , in the late 1980s, cargo drivers often stopped their vehicles by the roadside to go to the lake to bathe, relax, and then continue their journey.
Mr. Quyet used to be in a massage team making a living near Bau Sen.
Ba Cuong - Nguyen Phuc
"Around 1989, a household opened a chicken rice shop. I also learned from them and opened a restaurant, caught fish from Bau Sen and sold porridge to serve passersby," Mr. Tam recalled.
Nowadays, the section of National Highway 1 near Bau Sen Lake is lined with shops, with an estimated 30-40 households running restaurants, motels, etc. The road on both sides is covered with green cajuput forests, suddenly becoming more bustling than ever.
In addition to chicken rice and fish porridge, there is a rather famous "dish" in Bau Sen, which is massage. There was a time when just by pulling into a restaurant in Bau Sen, dozens of people, mostly teenagers, rushed out to invite guests to experience massage.
Mr. Tran Xuan Quyet (35 years old, son of Mr. Tran Minh Tam) belongs to the "first generation" of massage therapists in Bau Sen, recalling that at that time, all the children in the village went to school and also went to massage therapists to earn extra income. The older children taught the younger children, and eventually each child became a "stylish" massage therapist, not inferior to the street massage therapists in Saigon in the past.
Bau Sen attracts drivers and tourists to stop and rest
Ba Cuong - Nguyen Phuc
"At that time, I was about 13 years old. Dozens of kids like me came out at night, carrying mats and sitting on the street to park their motorbikes at restaurants and rest stops. They called us to come and punch them. Normally, the price was 1,000 VND/time, and the big customers got 2,000 VND," Mr. Quyet recalled.
Since then, people here have had different jobs, but no matter what job they do, they still mainly depend on Bau Sen to earn a living... "When passing through Quang Binh, you have to stop at Bau Sen. Some people go for a cool bath, some people enjoy fish porridge, or just to admire the lake and welcome the cool breeze blowing in. Therefore, we, the people, are grateful to this lake. Thanks to it, our families have food to eat, our children can go to school, and the village has changed," Mr. Tam reflected.
Until now, in the middle of a sunny and windy land, the clear water of Bau Sen is still like a mirror reflecting the sky and earth. The lake may not be too big, it may not have as many fish and shrimp as in the past… but Bau Sen is still something very familiar, belonging only to Quang Binh… to many people when traveling north and south.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-mach-nuoc-la-ky-bau-sen-hat-ngoc-giua-mien-cat-trang-185240626211051134.htm
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