Climbing the Thousand-Year-Old Mountain

In the past, our ancestors came to Thien Tue Peak to clear the land, find hermitages and caves for secluded meditation. Today, this place is part of the system of five peaks on Cam Mountain and is known to many travelers.

Leaving a mark of a wise person.

The place is called Thien Tue Hill because it is home to many ancient cycad trees, making it one of the most famous landmarks in Cam Mountain. While decades ago, there were countless cycad trees at Thien Tue Hill, now only a few remain. In the future, these ancient cycad trees at this location will become mere legends, fading into obscurity.

Pilgrims sit and rest by Thien Tue Hill.

After searching tirelessly around Thien Tue Hill, only a few cycad trees remained. Locals say that about a decade ago, Thien Tue Hill was home to tens of thousands of wild cycad trees growing on the rocks. However, due to the popular trend of cultivating cycads, people flocked to the forest to search and dig them up, causing the natural cycad population to be rapidly destroyed. Many trees were felled and left lying on the rocks; even in the dry season, lacking water, they still survived. "It's strange, only this hill on Mount Cam has so many cycad trees; other places rarely see them. Currently, there are only about a dozen wild cycad trees left in this area. A few years ago, some households collected about 5-6 ancient cycad trees with very beautiful shapes," said Mr. Nam Nha (a resident of Thien Tue Hill).

Fascinating stories

About 100 meters below Thien Tue Peak lies a deep, gleaming cave. Its age is unknown, but it's been named Ong Ho Cave (Tiger Cave) and is associated with many mysterious stories. One day, after descending hundreds of steps and passing a large rock that stretched across the path, I saw a large crowd gathered there, offering prayers. Several elderly people were also seated beside the group. When asked about the legend of this place, the locals recounted stories from the past, saying that a white tiger used to live here. Furthermore, on full moon nights, tigers from all over the mountains and forests would gather here, growling in a chilling way. From then on, the cave was named Ong Ho Cave (Tiger Cave)...

The path down to Ông Hổ cave

Most visitors to Mount Cam stop by Thien Tue Peak and then walk down to Ong Ho Cave. Mr. Tran Van Hao (73 years old, from Hau Giang province) carefully climbed down the steps to visit Ong Ho Cave. Upon reaching the spot, Mr. Hao quickly stroked the white tiger statue worshipped by the locals in front of the cave. Mr. Hao said: "I've heard of Ong Ho Cave for a long time, but only today have I been able to visit. The cave looks very smooth; perhaps tigers used to live here in the past."

Locals in the mountains also speculate that this cave is the most ideal location, so tigers once fought over it. Another legend says that a hermit once lived in seclusion here. According to researcher Nguyen Van Hau, at Thien Tue peak, Mr. Cu Da used it as a training ground for martial arts students to fight against the French. These mysterious stories about Thien Tue peak show that, in the subconscious of the people of Southern Vietnam, there is a strong folk belief in the ferocious tigers that once roamed Cam Mountain...

Currently, Thien Tue Peak is considered an attractive tourist destination for pilgrims from within and outside the province. Furthermore, the local authorities have uniquely named Thien Tue Hamlet on the summit of Mount Cam after Thien Tue Peak.

HOANG MY

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/len-vo-thien-tue-a423236.html