The imprint of the Ho clan on the swiftlet farming industry in Thanh Chau.

VHXQ - During the Nguyen Dynasty, the swiftlet farming industry not only brought economic benefits but also contributed to ensuring security and national defense in the central coastal and island regions.

The ancestral shrine of the swiftlet farming profession on Cu Lao Cham island. Photo: Tong Quoc Hung

From "Qingzhou Banquet Team" to "Three Provinces Banquet Team"

The swiftlet nest harvesting industry in Thanh Chau (now part of Hoi An Dong ward) has a very long history and is documented in numerous historical records, mostly in Han-Nom script. These records show the important role of the Thanh Chau swiftlet nest industry in the economic life, and also reflect the presence of many clans and individuals associated with the profession throughout different historical periods.

Among the clans involved in the swiftlet farming industry during the Nguyen dynasty, the Ho clan, originally from Thanh Chau commune, played the most prominent role. Many members of this clan, such as Ho Van Hoa, Ho Van Hoc, Ho Van Phu, etc., once headed swiftlet farming organizations, swiftlet farming groups, and the Tam Tinh Swiftlet Farming Management groups.

According to existing Sino-Vietnamese documents, on February 23rd, the 3rd year of Gia Long (1804), Ho Van Hoa submitted a petition to gather foreign residents to establish the Thanh Chau Swiftlet Team. The Quang Nam Provincial People's Court approved his appointment as Swiftlet Team Leader, with the task of managing the villagers, anchoring boats at Cu Lao Cham to guard and harvest swiftlets, and paying annual swiftlet tax according to regulations.

This event led to the later popular belief that Ho Van Hoa was the "founder of the Thanh Chau swiftlet farming industry." However, many ancient texts indicate that the Cham people had known how to harvest swiftlet nests even before that. Western missionaries who visited Dang Trong in the 17th century also recorded information about Quang Nam swiftlet nests, but no documents have specifically described the methods of managing and harvesting them at that time.

During his time managing the Thanh Chau Yen Team, Ho Van Hoa actively strengthened the force and maintained the full payment of swallow's nest tax, so the court bestowed upon him the title of Baron, with the honorary title Hoa Duc Baron. On June 7, 1820, the first year of Minh Mang's reign, the Thanh Chau Yen Team was renamed Thanh Chau Yen Guard, and Ho Van Hoa continued to hold the position of Guard Commander with the title Hoa Thuan Tu, a ninth-rank official.

From then on, the Thanh Chau Swiftlet Farm was increasingly strengthened. Every year, the imperial court provided more boats and allowed the recruitment of additional laborers. In the 3rd and 6th years of Minh Mang's reign, at the suggestion of Ho Van Hoa, the court allowed the recruitment of more manpower into the Swiftlet Farm; these people were exempted from many types of personal taxes and corvée labor, and this obligation was factored into the amount of swiftlet nests they had to submit.

This policy helped the court secure valuable resources while maintaining a force to guard the central coastal and island region – a crucial area near the capital. For these contributions, in the 5th year of Minh Mạng's reign (1824), Hồ Văn Hòa was promoted to Chief Commander, granted the title of Hòa Đức Marquis, and given the rank of Sixth Grade.

Harvesting swallows' nests on Cu Lao Cham Island. Photo: Vinh Tan

The role of the Ho clan in the swiftlet farming industry in Central Vietnam.

Under the Nguyen Dynasty, besides the Thanh Chau Yen Ho in Quang Nam, there were also Yen Doi units in Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa . In the 9th year of Minh Mang's reign (1828), after the commander of the Binh Dinh Yen Doi unit was dismissed, the court assigned Ho Van Hoa to manage the unit concurrently. He continued to recruit more able-bodied men to strengthen the force, and from then on, the Binh Dinh Yen Doi unit was also renamed Yen Ho. By 1831, the Ministry of War began to directly manage the Yen Ho units, requiring Ho Van Hoa to hand over all the registers of able-bodied men and regularly report on their activities. From then on, the organization and management of the Yen Ho units were under the strict supervision of the court.

Three years later, in the 14th year of Minh Mạng's reign (1834), Hồ Văn Hòa was promoted to Captain, with the rank of Fifth Grade. During this time, he was also assigned by the court to participate in the tax collection of swallows' nests in Côn Lôn and agarwood on Phú Quốc Island along with many other officials such as Nguyễn Văn Chương, Lâm Duy Nghĩa, Doãn Uẩn, Phan Thanh Giản…

For his contributions to managing the Yen Ho (a type of bird's nest) in Central Vietnam, as well as many other court affairs, in the 3rd year of Thieu Tri (1843), Ho Van Hoa was promoted to Deputy Commander. This was the highest position he held before retiring in the 8th year of Tu Duc (1855).

Ho Van Hoa's successor was his son, Ho Van Hoc. Following Ho Van Hoa's recommendation, in 1855 Ho Van Hoc was appointed Chief of the Swiftlet Farming Department, overseeing the three provinces of Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, and Khanh Hoa. From this period onwards, the Swiftlet Farming system generally stabilized, annually paying swiftlet tax according to the regulations of the imperial court.

Following Ho Van Hoc, other members of the Ho clan, such as Ho Van Binh, Ho Van Tru, and Ho Van Phu, continued to take turns managing the Tam Tinh Yen Ho (Three Provinces) administration. In addition, many members of the clan were appointed as heads of the administration in Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa, such as Ho Van Khai and Ho Van Yen…

Cu Lao Cham is the main area for harvesting swallow nests in the Thanh Chau swallow nest industry. Photo: Dao Dang Cong Trung

However, during the reign of Emperor Đồng Khánh, the Hồ clan's role in the swiftlet farming industry gradually declined. The court began allowing swiftlet farming taxes to be paid in cash instead of in nests as before. At the same time, the French intervened in swiftlet farming activities, shifting from a system of assigning management to swiftlet farmers to a bidding process for tax payment.

According to reports submitted by Ho Van Tru and Ho Van Phu to the Commissioner of Nam Ngai at Cua Han, although the Ho clan repeatedly requested reconsideration due to their ancestors' significant contributions to the swiftlet farming industry, their requests were not approved. Many Chinese immigrants won contracts to exploit swiftlet nests, and not a few former members of swiftlet farming households became laborers for Chinese-owned swiftlet farming companies.

Today, when mentioning the swiftlet farming industry in Thanh Chau, many documents and local people still remember the role of the Ho clan, a family that played a significant role in the formation and development of the swiftlet farming industry under the Nguyen dynasty. The tombs of Ho Van Hoa and his descendants are still preserved and honored with incense as a way of showing gratitude to those who made great contributions to the economy and the protection of the central coastal and island region.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/dau-an-toc-ho-trong-nghe-yen-thanh-chau-3338836.html