Cai Lang Wharf is located in the Northeast of Quan Lan island commune (Van Don district), the center of the ancient Van Don commercial port. After nearly a millennium with changes over time, the bustling appearance of the ancient commercial port no longer exists, but in this area there are still traces of ancient relics hundreds of years old : The temple worships King Ly Anh Tong - the one who founded Van Don village, and Huu well - a freshwater well from the Ly dynasty, considered the "eye of the village".
The Huu Well is the only ancient freshwater well remaining today on Cai Lang wharf, having existed for nearly 900 years. The well has other names such as the Hoi Well (a misnomer by local residents), the Golden Turtle Well, the Fairy Well, the Jade Well, the Tears Well...
According to the elders in the village, the Huyu well was dug during the Ly Dynasty to provide water for daily life for residents at Cai Lang wharf and domestic and foreign merchant ships docking at Van Don port. At first, the islanders built many wells to get drinking water, but after only a few months, the wells gradually dried up, only the Huyu well was always full of water. Therefore, besides providing the only source of fresh water for the villagers on the island, the Huyu well also brought good feng shui, helping the villagers to do business smoothly, and the boys and girls in the village to be healthy, beautiful, and talented.
The Huu Well is only about 2 meters deep and is always full of water. The water is so cool and clear that you can see the bottom. The walls of the well are made of stone and have remained almost intact to this day. What is special is that the well is located right next to the sea, the sea level often rises but the water in the well is not salty. The water level in the well also does not change whether it is rainy or sunny.
According to legend, when girls in the village bathe in the well water, their skin becomes rosy white, and when they wash their hair with the well water, their hair becomes long, black and shiny. That is why there is a song: " When you go out, your hair is shoulder-length/ When you wash your hair at the Huyu well, your hair is waist-length ." When merchant ships left the port, they stopped at the Huyu well to get fresh water to prepare for the next journey.
There are many mysterious legends surrounding the ancient well that provides the only source of fresh water on the island. The name Golden Turtle Well comes from the story that after the well was dug, a golden turtle appeared in the well and lived in the crevices of the rocks. Occasionally, people saw the turtle emerge from the water. Local people believed that it was a divine turtle that guarded the well.
Mr. Pham Quoc Duyet, former Head of the Culture Committee of Quan Lan Commune and also a person who has spent many years researching the culture of the island commune, said: Among the many names of the Huyu well, the name of the Tears Well is associated with the romantic love story of a couple from Van and Lieu Mai villages who met at the Huyu well. They loved each other deeply, often dated at the Huyu well, and vowed to become husband and wife in the future.
But then, before they could get married, the young man had to go to war to fight against the Northern invaders. The girl waited patiently, every night going to the well to cry until her tears ran dry until she could no longer see. Many years later, the young man returned, and they went to the well to tell each other stories about the days they were apart. A cool stream of water from the bottom of the well sprayed onto their faces. The girl's eyes suddenly lit up again. From then on, the well was also called the Well of Tears.
From Huu well, about 1km deep into the center of Cai Lang, there is an ancient temple worshiping King Ly Anh Tong - the king who established Van Don village, forming the bustling Van Don commercial port in history.
The small temple is located on top of a low hill, under the shade of an ancient banyan tree and surrounded by many green trees. This hill is often called Dinh hill by the locals. Quan Lan communal house was also built here in the past, and was later moved to Quan Lan when the trading port was no longer useful for trade.
According to Mr. Duyet, the ancient temple was built by Cai Lang people more than 300 years ago to worship King Ly Anh Tong and honor him as the village's tutelary god. In the temple, there is a small statue made of jackfruit wood that is also over 300 years old.
In 1994, local people took the original statue from this ancient temple and proposed to restore the statue of King Ly Anh Tong to worship at Quan Lan communal house.
Even though it has been through a millennium and is located in a place with storms all year round, the remaining heritages today on Cai Lang wharf, along with the ancient traces of Van Don ancient trading port, have given us a clearer picture of the prosperous centuries of trade of Dai Viet country during that historical period.
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