Ma Thien Lanh: Legend and Reality

A corner of Golden Stream in Ma Thien Lanh.

To date, there is no document that clearly explains why this area is called Ma Thien Lanh. According to some elderly people who have lived and worked in this land for many years, in ancient times, this place was wild, cold, dangerous and had many rumors about ghosts and giant snakes, few people dared to set foot there. Therefore, the ancients called this place Ma Thien Lanh (fairy land, with ghosts and cold air), due to the mispronunciation of Ma Thien Lanh.

There is also a hypothesis that the name Ma Thien Lanh originated from an ancient story, when General Tiet Nhan Quy obeyed the order of Emperor Duong Cao Tong of China to attack Goguryeo. During this expedition, the Tang army tasted bitterness when countless soldiers lost their lives at the dangerous mountain named Ma Thien Lanh. Some scholars believe that, from the fierce battle at Ma Thien Lanh in the past, later generations often used the name "Ma Thien Lanh" to refer to the dark and dangerous lands, where the mountains and forests were filled with miasma with many mysterious stories woven, many legends and myths covered by a layer of spiritual fog...

When introduced to Vietnam, the phrase "Ma Thien Lanh" is no longer simply the name of a place but has become a reference to a harsh place, a mysterious sacred land with many dangers and deaths (!). Perhaps from this understanding, the mountainous area located between the Ba Den mountain range is called Ma Thien Lanh.

Research on yellow minerals under Vang stream in Ma Thien Lanh.

Some people believe that the name Ma Thien Lanh originated during the resistance war against France and America. This mysterious valley was a dangerous base that caused enemy troops to be ambushed and defeated when they entered here.

It is unclear how well the explanations about this place name are based, but today, when coming to Ma Thien Lanh, you can still hear many thrilling stories about this land. Legend has it that in ancient times, in Ma Thien Lanh, a god passed by and left a footprint on the rock.

Years ago, we went on a field trip and came across a white rock with its surface peeled off, looking like a footprint. A gardener named Do said: “Before, the footprints were very large, with all the toes, but gradually the footprints became smaller and faded. Now there are no toes left, and the footprints have also shrunk to a tiny size...”.

Mr. Do added that this land belonged to a woman commonly known as Mrs. Sau “heart attack”, residing in Ninh Son ward, Tay Ninh city. Previously, Mrs. Sau built a small hut near the rock with footprints, placed an incense burner, burned incense and prayed every day. It is not clear how the rumors spread, but later many people came to worship.

The most "easy to hear" rumor is that there are many giant snakes here, their heads wrapped around one tree trunk, their tails wrapped around another, their bodies swinging like hammocks, making forest goers panic and run away when they see them.

Once, I asked a forest ranger of the Ba Mountain Cultural and Historical Forest Protection Team about the stories about snakes in Ma Thien Lanh. He said he had never seen any giant snakes in this area, but it was normal for there to be many snakes.

Since 1997, every year, the Tay Ninh Forest Protection Department has released wild animals (captured from illegal hunters, transporters, and traders) throughout the Ba Den mountain range, including many types of snakes such as mountain tigers, forest tigers, roof snakes, and long thua... Therefore, it is understandable that there are many snakes in the forests on the three mountains.

Tourists set up tents to sleep overnight in Ma Thien Lanh.

In Ba Den Mountain in general, Ma Thien Lanh Mountain in particular, from ancient times to the present, there is a legend about the Golden Stream. Legend has it that in the past, a herd of golden buffaloes from heaven often went down to the stream in Ba Den Mountain to swim, causing the water source here to overflow, causing constant flooding.

The Jade Emperor ordered the gods to carry rocks to fill the stream. The gods worked so quickly that they did not pay attention and filled in the herd of golden buffaloes that were below. After completion, this land became the three mountains of the Ba Den mountain range today. The herd of golden buffaloes trapped inside the mountain still struggled to escape. Therefore, water kept flowing through the cracks in the rocks, along with sparkling golden sand.

The sand is so yellow that a group of strangers thought there was a gold mine in Ma Thien Lanh, so they secretly came here to explore and dig. Specifically, in 2014, a man living in Tam Hiep ward, Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province, went to the People's Committee of Thanh Tan commune (Tay Ninh city) to report the "exploitation of a burial pit for rare objects" in Ma Thien Lanh.

He brought a number of workers to the local government to ask for temporary residence in this area to prepare for exploitation. Considering that this man's application for exploration and exploitation of the burial site of rare objects did not meet the requirements, the local government did not propose that the provincial People's Committee grant them a license to exploit.

Children enjoy soaking in the cool Golden stream in Ma Thien Lanh.

Besides the above legends, Ma Thien Lanh has another special attraction. Almost every morning in Ma Thien Lanh, there is mist flying. Along the mountain slopes are vast, deep green forests with many ancient trees and rare ironwood trees. Interspersed in those forests are mango, custard apple, coconut, and banana gardens laden with fruit.

In the low-lying areas, locals grow water celery, lettuce, pink lotus, white lotus, creating a “composite” vegetation that is both imbued with the character of the mountains and forests, and yet as familiar and close as a Southern village. The fauna here is equally diverse.

Along with the sound of the stream flowing under the rocks, there was the melodious chirping of birds in the bushes. A little further away, there was the call of gibbons calling their flocks, and the call of lapwings echoing through the mountains and forests. In the trees, ground squirrels and shaggy squirrels were swinging from branch to branch. Under the rocks, there was the "khen khet" sound of mountain lizards fighting for territory. On the ground, snails, mountain snails, and millipedes were crawling slowly along the path.

In the near future, the potential of Ma Thien Lanh will be awakened, this land will enrich tourism products, contributing to the economic development of the province.

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