Phu Tho Stone Mountain National Monument at Risk of Being Eradicated

B INVASION TO BUILD A TOMB

Phu Tho Mountain (also known as Da Mountain, Thach Son Mountain) is located in Nghia Phu Commune (Quang Ngai City). The mountain is more than 60 m above sea level, with many gray granite blocks of different sizes and shapes. There are still ruins of Ban Co citadel built by the Cham people around the 9th - 10th century, on the citadel there was a Cham tower, but now it has been destroyed. Around Phu Tho Mountain, local people have encroached and built hundreds of tombs.

The remaining Tam Quan Gate on the top of Phu Tho stone mountain

Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy (55 years old, in Co Luy Nam village, Nghia Phu commune) said that Phu Tho stone mountain was recognized as a national relic a long time ago but no one seems to preserve it.

According to the reporter's records, after 30 years of being recognized as a national relic, Phu Tho stone mountain is now being turned into a cemetery, with overgrown trees, ancient steles and traces on the mountain have been damaged and are at risk of being erased. On the top of the mountain, there remains the Tam Quan gate built of laterite and bricks, about 3 m high and more than 3 m wide. This gate is seriously degraded, with weeds growing on the gate, at risk of collapsing at any time. According to the master plan, the Phu Tho stone mountain relic site has an area of about 12 hectares, but in reality, only about 20% of the vacant land of the relic remains.

Speaking to Thanh Nien reporter, Ms. Vo Thi Le Thu, Chairwoman of Nghia Phu Commune People's Committee, said that around the Phu Tho stone mountain relic, there are many graves of local people. "The burial here has been going on for many years, because the locality has not yet had a place to plan a cemetery," Ms. Thu said.

Tam Quan Gate is built of laterite and bricks.

Restoration and preservation costs are still limited.

Regarding this issue, the leader of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai City said that he had directed the People's Committee of Nghia Phu Commune to strengthen management and propaganda to encourage local people not to bury their relatives on Phu Tho rock mountain when they die, but to bury them at the cemetery of Quang Ngai City (in Nghia Ky Commune). However, due to the distance from Nghia Phu Commune to the cemetery of Quang Ngai City, it is quite difficult for people to visit and take care of their relatives' graves, and the cost of burial also increases.

Phu Tho Mountain (also known as Da Mountain, Thach Son Mountain) is located in Nghia Phu Commune, Quang Ngai City. Located next to Dai and Co Luy gates, Phu Tho Mountain is like a natural fortress guarding the most important seaport in Quang Ngai Province.

Phu Tho Stone Mountain is part of the national relic of Phu Tho Mountain and Co Luy Co Thon, recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a national historical and cultural relic on January 7, 1993.

In the Co Luy area - Phu Tho, archaeologists have discovered many pre-Champa relics, dating from the 3rd - 7th centuries.

Phu Tho Mountain, Ban Co Citadel, Hon Yang Citadel are also associated with many interesting anecdotes.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai province, as of August 30, 2022, the whole province of Quang Ngai has 254 historical - cultural relics and scenic spots. Of these, there is 1 special national relic, 32 national-level relics, 153 provincial-level relics, the rest are relics with protection decisions and protection registration. Through review, only 98/254 relics have boundary markers, 41/254 relics have been granted land use right certificates; about 50/254 relics have been encroached upon and damaged, including national and special national historical - cultural relics.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai province, said that Quang Ngai province has many relics, mainly historical and revolutionary relics existing in the form of locations, scattered, distributed in remote areas, with difficult traffic routes, so there has not been a connection to effectively develop sightseeing and tourism routes in the province.

People build tombs around Phu Tho Stone Mountain National Monument

According to Mr. Dung, since 2018, Quang Ngai province has annually allocated 1.5 - 3 billion VND to carry out the restoration, embellishment, and periodic preservation of relics at risk of degradation and destruction. However, this funding source is not enough to carry out the restoration, embellishment, and promote the value of ranked relics.

"In the coming time, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai province will re-evaluate a number of important relics to plan for preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of relics, as a basis for long-term development orientation as well as calling for investors associated with tourism development," said Mr. Dung.

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