Read "Research on ancient Quang Tri" by author Le Duc Tho

QTO - Le Duc Tho is a familiar face in the historical research community of Quang Tri province (old), a dynamic writer who is quite avid reader, traveler, writer, passionate and serious. The research book "Research on ancient Quang Tri" with more than 900 pages can be said to be the heart and soul of his entire life of diligent scientific work. What is worth mentioning and valuable about the author is the smooth combination of academic knowledge with reality and fieldwork, often the two sides support each other.

The book is divided into 4 parts. Part 1 “Geography” includes 4 lessons, Part 2 “Following the course of history” includes 13 lessons, Part 3 “Sources and flows of culture” includes 19 lessons and Part 4 “Awakening potential” includes 6 lessons.

It is possible to cite an article that not only "quotes the right words" but is also supplemented and oriented from actual surveys leading to convincing results, such as the case of "Mai mountain" in the opening article of the book of the same name.

People in the South of Quang Tri province often say: “Mai mountain, Han river”. Thach Han river is very clear, but where is Mai mountain?

Cover of the book "Research on ancient Quang Tri" - Photo: PXD

Author Le Duc Tho has taken the effort to compare and filter historical documents and folk knowledge, then compare with the field, through many researches and inferences, finally clarified the exact location of Mai mountain in Dakrong Nature Reserve. That is the study of related ancient history to modern books such as "Handbook of Vietnamese Place Names" by Dinh Xuan Vinh and the opinions of journalists, local cultural managers... Finally, the scientific journey has opened the door to decoding. This is also a remarkable contribution of researcher Le Duc Tho. Recently, the local forest rangers discovered a whole forest of ancient mai trees there, further demonstrating that the author's interpretation coincides with reality.

Talking about Quang Tri is talking about two historical figures of great stature with great achievements in opening up the country: in the North is Le Thanh Marquis Nguyen Huu Canh, in the South is Lord Tien Nguyen Hoang, the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty in Dang Trong. The author also has many notable research articles about the Nguyen Dynasty, such as from an archaeological perspective to consolidate existing views or reveal new information (New perceptions of the 3 Nguyen Lord's palaces in Trieu Phong (1558-1626) from the results of archaeological research). Right in the last part of "Awakening potential", the article "The Nguyen Lord's palaces in Quang Tri from archaeology to planning and restoration ideas", the author proposes that when linking culture with tourism development based on 2 main axes, mainly by road or waterway: "The axis connecting the space of the 2 core areas together and with the buffer zone is the main route with the characteristic of providing tourism products bearing the historical mark of the Nguyen Lord period from the historical and cultural values ​​of the relics and the accompanying historical memory reenactment services. This axis operates basically by road. The axis connecting the space of the core area and buffer zone with the surrounding area along the Thach Han River is a supplementary route with the characteristic of providing tourism products with historical, cultural and natural ecological experiences with the space bearing the historical mark of the Nguyen Lord period and the marks of many different historical periods accompanied by other experiential services of spirituality, cuisine and art...".

As in part 4, when discussing “Building the sacred realm of the Ancient Citadel and the sacred space of 81 days and nights”, the author also noted as a suggestion that needs to be shared: “Investing in renovating the Ancient Citadel relics to become a sacred realm is necessary, but if the Ancient Citadel is considered a place to display the entire historical reenactment of the 81-day and night battle, this space is too small. Expanding the space to many locations in the old Quang Tri town area and the suburbs - where relics related to the 81-day and night battle exist - is an even more urgent issue”.

There are also many articles that are quite elaborate, general in scope, and contain a lot of useful information such as "The process of forming villages along the Thach Han river bank seen from the impact and changes in the river's geography", "The sacred river axes of Quang Tri region under the Champa period", "Quang Tri - historical characteristics and advantages on the integration journey" ... and articles about the mother worship custom that the author is also very fond of. There are certainly many useful and interesting things that the book brings that this short article cannot fully describe. Only by reading the book can one fully appreciate the scientific articles that are presented coherently, in an easy-to-understand and easy-to-feel style.

Many readers acknowledge that Le Duc Tho's writings, especially this book, have scientific value at different levels and in a sense, the author is also considered a "Quang Tri scholar". This book can also be firmly placed on the shelf of tool books about ancient Quang Tri. "Reviewing the past to know the new", understanding the past can help to position today and firmly build for tomorrow, a bright future will certainly come to the homeland.

Pham Xuan Dung

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202509/doc-khao-ve-quang-tri-xua-cua-tac-gia-le-duc-tho-3641dd7/