Wandering on the hill

Up the hill of "white clouds"

After lighting incense and praying sincerely at the Temple of the Lady of the Land on Sam Mountain, we visited the Tomb of Ong Thoai and then climbed the steep mountain to the sacred mountain. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ngoc (69 years old), whose house is near the Hoa Binh Bridge, was sitting in front of her house in the early morning. Next to Mrs. Ngoc's house, there is a very ferocious red-faced monkey. Mrs. Ngoc said that this monkey was previously released by the people on the mountain. Unexpectedly, it caused havoc in pagodas, ransacked people's houses, and was captured by a local until now. Soon, it will be brought to the Bay Nui area to be released.

Bach Van hill area. Photo: THANH CHINH

Sitting and chatting, Ms. Ngoc told about her life of more than 40 years clinging to the mountains, witnessing many changes. The pagodas here were built before 1975. On the occasion of the full moon, there are many tourists coming to Sam mountain, climbing over Bach Van hill! At the peak of the Sam mountain Lady Chua Xu Festival, tourists climb the mountain to worship at the pagoda day and night.

Bach Van is one of the two hills of Sam mountain, less than 100m high. If Sam mountain has the shape of a scorpion, the head is Bach Van hill, the tail is Da Chet hill. The name Bach Van means white clouds, but how can a hill that is not high have clouds? According to the people on the mountain, around 1942, a layman went up to Bach Van hill to build a hermitage to cultivate himself, named Bach Van hermitage. Since then, this hill has been named Bach Van, in fact the old name of this hill is Nho mountain. On the hill, there are many large, precarious rocks, stacked on top of each other like roofs, creating beautiful natural caves, a place for visitors to rest and enjoy the cool breeze.

On the hill, there are about 10 pagodas, hermitages, and temples, a Buddha statue with a 7-headed dragon snake and a statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin in front of Pham Huong Pagoda. Every year, in spring and summer, people in the surrounding area often come here to sightsee, eat, and have fun. The hill has a moderate height, many ideal flat areas, is windy, and large rocks create a charming shade. Mr. Tran Van Mach - a restaurant owner at the foot of Bach Van Hill said that guests only come in the summer, in the Vu Lan month.

View the plains from above

With an altitude of more than 200m above sea level, the top of the Cannon Fort on Sam Mountain is one of the famous tourist destinations. In 1896, the French Chief of Staff went to the top of the Cannon Fort to build a solid villa with many offices, as well as a place for relaxation and entertainment. The upper floor on the left is a tall spiral tower for enjoying the breeze, from which the top of Sam Mountain was named Cannon Fort. During the war, the enemy used the Cannon Fort as an artillery base to fire at the surrounding areas. In 1969, martyr Hoang Dao Cat destroyed the Cannon Fort. Today, this place is still a military base, but the villa no longer exists.

There are two main roads to the Fortress. The road behind the Confucius Temple is closer but steeper, and is only for pedestrians. Along both sides of the road are many pagodas, hermitages, and restaurants. On summer days, when you reach the top of the Fortress, you will see rows of royal poinciana trees blooming bright red along the road, very beautiful. In the past, this road was a bit difficult to walk on, but now it has been repaired by the locals. Steps are built on steep and slippery parts, and railings are provided for the elderly to go up and down easily. Near the Fortress, there is the ancient Giac Huong Pagoda, with a wide background, which is a place to stop and rest and enjoy the poetic scenery.

The second way up the mountain is a nearly 3km long asphalt road, called Thap Road, which can be traveled by motorbike or car. This road was built during the French colonial period and was later renovated and expanded. Along the way, there are few pagodas, hermitages, and shops, but there are many beautiful resorts and scenic spots such as Tao Ngo Garden, Doctor Nu’s resort, Long Son Pagoda, Truong Gia Mo Temple, and the stone pedestal where the Lady’s statue used to reside…

When following the asphalt road, visitors must conquer the stone pedestal - where the statue of the Lady was formerly located, which was built by the local government to be very spacious and spacious. Standing on this area, visitors can look to the west and see the vast and majestic Seven Mountains. In addition, visitors can also see the Vinh Te canal, which was dug by the famous mandarin Thoai Ngoc Hau, running along the Ha Tien sea, as if reminding us of the time when our ancestors reclaimed and opened up new lands, and then formed famous landmarks in this border area.

THANH CHINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/lang-du-tren-doi-a461606.html