Over the past ten years, the names of the villages...

I have been a regular contributor to the "Land and People of Quang Nam" column in the Quang Nam Weekend edition of Quang Nam Newspaper since 2016.

The Tam Ky River section flowing through Vuon Cua. Photo: Phuong Thao

Since then, nearly 100 articles introducing "ancient villages through ancient documents," signed with the pen name Phu Binh, have been compiled and distributed to readers by the editorial office - recording some traces of ancient villages in the southern Quang Nam region that are not widely known.

Picking up "gold" from field trips.

Along both banks of the Ben Van River in the southernmost part of the former Quang Nam province, I traveled through the villages of Binh An Trung, Van Trai, Tich An Tay, Tho Khuong, Diem Dien, and An Hoa. From there, I will highlight some notable historical sites and scenic spots such as Ao Vuong, An Hoa swamp, Nam Van station, the tomb of General Tran Dang Long, and especially the An Tan ferry landing near the Diem Dien river – the site of the sacrifice of a resistance fighter against the French in 1913 (Mr. Tran Xan – from Huong Tra hamlet, Tam Ky commune).

I traveled along both sides of the Tien Qua River – where the Ong Bo Bridge crosses – to study the 1807 land register of Sung My village on the southern bank; then to the northern bank to introduce the Diem Pho market (Cay Tram market). In this area, I also accessed many historical documents and discovered four poems carved on wooden walls bearing the handwriting of the poet Ha Dinh Nguyen Thuat – a talented poet from Quang Nam during the Nguyen dynasty.

South of the Bau Bau River, I explored the historical sites in Duc Bo village – home to a famous copper mine from the Nguyen dynasty. North of the river, I visited the tomb of Admiral Dong Cong Truong (from the Tay Son dynasty) in Thach Kieu village, searching for traces of the famous Cham stone bridge mentioned in the poem "Thach Kieu stone bridge still remains" by Mrs. Ta Quang Diem (mother of Professor Ta Quang Buu).

Then, upon arriving at the neighboring village of Bich Ngo, I discovered a beautiful poem on a tombstone about the history of the Tam Ky settlers who migrated from the North: "Since arriving in Quang Nam province…". I also learned that the name of Bich Ngo village is derived from "Cay Vong" and the name of Bong Mieu village comes from "Cay Bong," and that many legends related to gold mining in these two localities are recorded.

The Tam Ky River is a small stream that flows to the end of Huong Tra hamlet in Tam Ky village and Phu Binh hamlet in Phu Hung village, branching into two northern and southern branches to form the famous Tam Ky river junction. Along the southern bank are the tombs of four founding figures of the Nguyen, Tran, Le, and Do dynasties, all buried in areas known as Tra Be, Ba Lay, and Tra Phe, adjacent to Bau Du – a later famous archaeological site. Nearby is Tich An Dong village – a famous boat-building village during the Nguyen dynasty – which still preserves a rich collection of historical documents written in Chinese characters, spanning from the reign of Gia Long to almost the end of the Nguyen dynasty.

Tell the story of your homeland.

Following the two nearly parallel waterways, the Truong Giang and Ban Thach - Quang Phu rivers, I surveyed ancient relics in the villages of Phu Quy Ha, Hoa Thanh, Tinh Thuy, Phu Quy Thuong, Quang Phu, Kim Doi, Phu Thanh, etc. Through this, I discovered many noteworthy relics and documents written in Chinese characters – especially a text from the early 17th century recounting the first events when people from Thanh Hoa settled in the East Tam Ky region. Also in this coastal area, I discovered many documents about the naval officers of the Nguyen dynasty who contributed to protecting the coastline from Quang Binh to the An Hoa estuary in Quang Nam.

From the ancient Chiên Đàn swamp (now Bãi Sậy - Sông Đầm), I traveled north to the villages of An Hà, Bàn Thạch, Dưỡng An, Tam Kỳ, Mỹ Thạch, Phương Hòa, Chiên Đàn, Tú Tràng… Through relics and field documents, I learned that this area was the administrative center of the former Hà Đông district. I also discovered an important family tree of the Ung clan, recording the name of the clan's founder, Xá La Cây, who lived 21 or 22 generations before the current descendants of the Ung clan (early 21st century).

From the former administrative center of Ha Dong district, I traveled north to the villages of Phu Tra, Phu Xuan Trung, Khanh Tho, Duong Dan, Tan An… then followed the remains of a stone rampart built at the beginning of the Nguyen dynasty to the villages of Lam Mon, Lai Cach, Dai Dong, Cam Khe, Truong Thanh, An Trang and stopped at Tay Loc village - the birthplace of Phan Chau Trinh - before passing through the villages in the south of the former Le Duong district (now Thang Binh district).

In this region, I encountered many noteworthy relics and documents, such as a family genealogy recording the names of two Tây Sơn-era military generals, Lê Văn Thủ and Lê Văn Long; a stele with an inscription recounting the time when the wife of a military officer guarding the An Hòa seaport during the Tây Sơn period wandered to Quy Nhơn; and the rich accounts of descendants of the Phan family about the childhood of the patriot Phan Châu Trinh...

In the Thang Binh region, I visited villages such as Phu Hoa, Dich Thai, Tuan Duong, An Thai, Tra Long, Pho Thi, and Tra Son... to learn from existing documents about the legend of Mrs. Pho Thi, about the Tra Luong communal house (a mispronunciation of the name Tra Long), about the patriots who participated in the Can Vuong Uprising of 1885-1886, and about successful scholars, including Mr. Nguyen Ba Tue - the first person in southern Quang Nam to earn a doctorate.

Compared to the more than 400 communes, villages, and wards belonging to the two districts of Le Duong and Ha Dong in Thang Binh prefecture at the end of the 19th century, as recorded in the "Dong Khanh Geographical Gazetteer" of the Nguyen Dynasty's National History Institute, the villages and communes I visited were only about one-tenth; but within that one-tenth, I gathered so much new and previously unpublished knowledge about the land and people of the old southern Quang Nam region.

And from the field trips of an old man who loved his homeland, the documentation about the land and people of Quang Nam gradually accumulated, little by little...

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/muoi-nam-qua-nhung-ten-lang-3157156.html