Carrying along the river life…

VHXQ - “Son ha” are mountains and rivers, to shape and locate the territory of “society”. At the turning point in the history of opening the country, when crossing Hoanh Son to open the Southern land, Lord Nguyen Hoang recognized the “weak” land, then instructed the next generation to develop the land embracing the mountains and rivers: “The land of Thuan Quang in the North has the dangerous Hoanh Son and Linh Giang, the South has the solid Hai Van and Da Bia mountains. The mountains are full of gold and iron, the seas are full of salted fish, truly a land for heroes to show their martial arts”. Located in the center of that land, the rivers of Quang land, carry heavy alluvial soil of cultural history.

Báo Đà Nẵng•02/12/2025

Village festival in Trung Phuoc. Photo: NGO HOA

Village festival by the river. Photo: NGO HOA

Cu De, Tuy Loan, Thu Bon, Vu Gia, Truong Giang, Tranh River, Tam Ky, Ben Van... are river names, originating from the "six source gates" that the ancients described in the mountains and rivers of Quang: " Huu Bang is close to Tra My mountain/ Chien Dan source is in the inside/ Thu Bon is a strip around/ O Gia is on Con river/ Lo Dong is close to Cao Son mountain/ Cu De is near Hai Van island. .".

Delta alluvium

Inspector of Education Tran Dinh Phong (1847-1920) in the poem " Quang Nam Province Poetry" described both the shape and color of the rivers' landscape:

"The two Sai Giang streams originate from Ta Trach
Several branches of Ky Thuy River flow down to An Hoa estuary.
The Truong Giang River is a strip of flat sand, winding in several bends.
Vinh Dien is a new river dug by the project.
Australian Tea from Clear River Water
Cam Le deep rippling river
Lotus grows well on Ha Lam River, with a fragrant scent.
Hoa Vang River, white storks often swim, exposing their colors…”.

Carrying along the lives of those rivers are many historical changes of Quang Nam. Among them, the "mother river" Thu Bon carries the burden of giving birth to the alluvial delta in a basin of more than 10 thousand square kilometers, being one of the inland rivers with the largest basin in Vietnam. Perhaps because of that, the Thu Bon's culture and customs are enough to represent the land full of historical sediments, flowing from the towering Ngoc Linh, the highest point of Truong Son Nam, down to Cua Dai, Cua Han, reflecting many villages, temples, citadels, citadels, ancient streets...

Thu Bon is not only the lifeline for the formation of Quang agricultural civilization but also an important trade route connecting Hoi An port with the highlands, where the "salt road", "ceramic road", "silk road" are preserved...

Since ancient times, merchant ships have traveled up the Thu Bon River to Chiem Son, Tra Kieu, up to Giao Thuy, then connecting Vu Gia through Ben Dau, Hoi Khach, and even Ben Gieng to exchange goods. Great relics such as My Son Temple Complex, Tra Kieu Capital, Ma Chau weaving village, Thanh Chiem Citadel, Thanh Ha pottery, Kim Bong carpentry or Hoi An ancient town are all located along the Thu Bon River, as if the culture here was crystallized from the water and alluvium of the delta.

The sacred soul echoes back

Telling further about the history of Quang, it was not only since the country was opened to Dai Viet that the river culture was formed. It must have been thousands of years ago that the ancient people of Bau Du and Sa Huynh lived on this strip of land, leaving behind a dense array of jar burial sites along the Thu Bon, Vu Gia, Truong Giang rivers, etc., including countless artifacts marking the riverside and coastal exchange system. The story of the two regions going back and forth early traded with the inner region and the outer region, and archaeologists have conducted many excavation trips, awakening the voices of the ancients, echoing to posterity the song "young jackfruit sent down, flying fish sent up".

The mysterious thing is that in the Sa Huynh jar tombs, glass, agate, and beads brought from Burma and India were discovered, showing traces of the “ceramic-glass road” on the East Sea connecting the Indian Ocean in ancient times. In Lac Cau (along the Truong Giang River), Lai Nghi, to the Go Dua site (Thu Bon), up to Nong Son… ancient jewelry was found, which was taken for burial, and also carried sacred beliefs.

From the Sa Huynh residents to Champa, the historical flow continues through sacred rivers and sacred mountains as the late Professor Tran Quoc Vuong discovered, that the small country Amaravati spread along the West - East axis: My Son - Nui Chua/Nui Rang Meo - Thu Bon River - Holy Capital Tra Kieu - Chiem Cang/Hoi An and the Cu Lao Cham screen. Thien YA Na - Lady Ngoc - Lady Phuong Ranh - Lady Thu Bon - Lady Cho Duoc, is the incarnation of the Mother of the land, worshiped in religious relics along the rivers of Quang.

Nowadays, every year, Quang people have the custom of worshiping the land, praying for peace, spring and autumn sacrifices, often along the riverbank, from the source to the sea, where one can hear the echoes of prayers for peace and calm. Even though the river sometimes rages with floods, people still thank the river god: "We respectfully invite natural disasters, droughts, the heavenly stems and earthly branches, the twelve time gods. The yearly disasters, the lunar disasters, the daily disasters, the thirty-six class gods, the five directions, the five earth gods.

Mountains and rivers desire beauty - River and sea journey
Manifest Virtue - Compassion for the Soul
Protect the country and govern the people - Look up to the emperor's grace
The museum protects the people and benefits the animals.
"Benefits of world peace ...".

Mountains and rivers create beauty. The journey of great rivers and oceans is to “bring peace to the people and benefit the animals”, the meaning of the prayer “mountains and rivers make beauty”. And it is not by chance that King Minh Mang soon codified the worship of river and mountain gods for the “famous mountains and rivers” across the country.

Not only sacred in festivals, in worshiping the river god and the water goddess, but the river also has a long journey of trade, opening up economic opportunities and enriching culture.

Then how much clay from the river, from earth-water-fire, was baked into bricks, pottery, to build temples, towers, ancient streets, communal houses, the entire citadel and thousand-year-old cemetery.

And so many professions for a living, from sericulture, rice farming, fishing, to long-distance trading boats, also cross the rivers that connect all regions.

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