A meandering stretch of the Betel River

The Betel River flows through the end of Tam My Tay commune to Tam My Dong.

On the way back to the sea, from the top of Hon Rom, the highest point of the Rang Cua mountain range, the Trau River has threaded its way through many steep and dangerous rapids, passed Tu My to Dong Co, curved down to create the beautiful Giang Thom waterfall, then continued to meander and zigzag, bringing cool water from the high mountains to the villages and hamlets. Creating alluvial banks along the river, rich in alluvium and irrigating the fields of Thanh My, Trung Luong, Trung Chanh, Trung Thanh (Tam My Tay).

Passing Dong An hamlet (Trung Thanh) down to Phu Quy (Tam My Dong), Xom Den (Tich Tay, Tam Nghia)... finally converging with Dinh river (Tich Tay) to create Ben Van river flowing slowly to Ky Ha estuary to the immense ocean.

Nguyen Phung Bridge crosses the Trau River connecting Tam My Dong commune with Tam Hiep commune.

The Trau River is not big or long, about fifteen kilometers, but each section it passes through is a miracle of nature bestowed upon mankind. The residents who once lived on both sides of the Trau River, in their memories are always filled with peaceful memories. The existence of the Trau River is a vivid proof of many changes in the homeland.

A corner of the old Ba Giay wharf.

In the past, the Trau River had abundant, clear, cool water. On both sides of the river were bamboo hedges, rice fields, cassava fields, and sweet potato fields with a deep green color that was always fresh. Under the river were wriggling fish, all representing a prosperous and happy life. Most of the villages on both sides of the river grew rice, except for a small hamlet of a few dozen houses in Phu Quy village that specialized in fishing on the river, called Luoi hamlet (in Tam My Dong commune). Now, Luoi hamlet has only a few houses living by casting nets on the Trau River.

In the past, the Trau River was an important waterway connecting and trading between fishermen of Ky Hoa (Tam Hai), Ky Ha (Tam Quang), Ky Xuan (Tam Giang) with people of Ky Sanh (now Tam My Dong and Tam My Tay).

In those days, along the Trau River, there were ferry piers such as Ben The (now Nguyen Phung Bridge), Cho Moi wharf (Tam My Dong), Ba Nan wharf, Ba Tien wharf (Ca Do market - Trung Thanh village, Tam My Tay)... every morning, motorboats from the sea brought shrimp and fish to the mountains and from the mountains carried agricultural products to the sea.

Occasionally, there were bamboo rafts and wooden rafts from the source going downstream to the estuary to serve the purpose of building ships, weaving boats, making baskets, building houses, etc. The river at that time was very busy and bustling with joyful and happy sounds.

Dong An hamlet where the Trau river passes through.

The villages that the Trau River passes through are all prosperous and peaceful, such as Go Thu hamlet, Bau hamlet (Trung Luong), Dong Mau, Ruong Vuon hamlet (Thanh My), Bau Dung (Trung Chanh), Dong An (Trung Thanh)… and create delicious and unique agricultural products for each region. Among them, the “top of the list” must be the Bau sticky rice of Bau Dung and Dong An hamlets.

Dong An hamlet, once famous for its beauty and wealth as a region of “white rice and clear water”, is the hometown of two writers, Nguyen Tam My and Nguyen Kim Huy. This small hamlet was the inspiration for writer Nguyen Kim Huy to create the short story collection “The River of Childhood”. Nguyen Tam My brought images of his days living in Dong An hamlet into the short story “Childhood in War”.

From Dong An hamlet (Tam My Tay) down to Ben Van, the Trau river stops at The wharf under Ba Giay bridge, now Nguyen Phung bridge (Tam My Dong), the birthplace of writer Mai Ba An - at this hometown river wharf, the writer had two short stories born, which are "Ben That Tinh" and "Hoa Mai Chua Co".

Rice fields and lotus fields by the Trau River.

Simple, peaceful, and rustic like that, but the wharves, ferry wharves, and the Trau River forever bathe in the consciousness of every person here with the image of a time to love, to remember the ferry trips up and down... Each person's life is like a river flowing, flowing, and then at some point returning to the old wharf with memories; or at least keeping in the heart many unforgettable memories.

Rivers are the endless flow of time, the sacred source, the belief in life, morality and behavior...

Every time I go up and down the Trau River, I think of an impressive river, ecological, and countryside tour . Early mornings or late afternoons in Dong An hamlet or standing by Luoi hamlet listening to the fish splashing in the Trau River, watching people standing on both sides of the river fishing, I feel a sense of peace and love for the countryside and the water even more.

The Betel River - a river that embraces the lands it passes through and has given birth to love, life to flourish and flourish. A traditional cultural stream imbued with the colors of the Vietnamese countryside always keeps a beautiful image in the minds of those who have loved this country.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/mien-man-mot-khuc-song-trau-3143752.html