According to Vietnamese tradition, a spring trip at the beginning of the year is more complete and meaningful with a journey "to the mountains and to the sea." Therefore, in the early days of the new year, cultural and spiritual tourist areas in the mountainous and coastal regions of Thanh Hoa province are always bustling with locals and tourists coming to offer incense and enjoy the scenery.
As previously arranged, at the beginning of the Lunar New Year of the Snake 2025, my family and some friends embarked on a journey "from the mountains to the sea." In the cold, drizzly weather, we traveled 60km west from Thanh Hoa City to the Cua Dat Historical and Scenic Site (Thuong Xuan). Carefully offering incense and gifts at the Cam Ba Thuoc Temple and the Temple of the Goddess of the Mountains, we prayed for good fortune and success in our work for our family and loved ones in the new year. Located high up, surrounded by mountain winds and clouds, this place is as beautiful as a picturesque landscape painting. From the site, one can gaze out over the lush green natural landscape of the Xuan Lien Nature Reserve and the mountains over 1,000m above sea level, perpetually shrouded in mist, such as Pu Rinh, Pu Gio, and Pu Ta Leo. Amidst the vast expanse of clouds and sky, Cua Dat Lake emerges as a delicate highlight that anyone visiting would want to capture in a photo.
After spending time offering incense and visiting the Cua Dat Temple, we descended to the Doc Cuoc Temple located on Co Giai Island, part of the Truong Le mountain range (Sam Son City). Amidst the swirling incense smoke, filled with reverence, people came here to pray for prosperity, peace, and happiness. From ancient times to the present day, the Doc Cuoc Temple has been quite famous for its beautiful natural scenery and the sacredness of the figure worshipped there. The legend tells of the god Doc Cuoc – a strong, muscular young man who split himself in two to protect the villagers from a pack of sea monsters. To commemorate his功績 (merit) in defeating the sea monsters and protecting the peace of the village, and to pray for his protection and blessings for a peaceful life, the people here have built a temple to worship the god Doc Cuoc. Every year, they hold the Blessing Festival (February 16th of the lunar calendar) to remember the contributions of the god Doc Cuoc and their ancestors. At the same time, we pray for national peace and prosperity, human well-being and abundant resources, bountiful catches of shrimp and fish, successful harvests, and thriving tourism.
During our trip to Doc Cuoc Temple, we visited Co Tien Temple and To Hien Thanh Temple to offer incense. These are all famous cultural and spiritual destinations in Sam Son City. At each location, we were quite impressed with the thoughtful welcome from the management boards of the historical sites, as well as the clean and beautiful scenery and environment. The offering of incense and prayers was done solemnly and respectfully by the people, without any crowding or pushing. In addition, Sam Son City has arranged parking areas and assigned functional forces to direct traffic and guide vehicles to park in the correct places, avoiding congestion, chaos, and maintaining the urban landscape.
Concluding our "mountain and sea" tour, although we didn't manage to visit all the spiritual destinations in Thanh Hoa province, the trip provided us with fascinating experiences thanks to the beautiful natural scenery, the value of the historical sites, and the sacredness of the figures worshipped. The journey to spiritual sites to pray for health, peace, and happiness for family and loved ones is not only a long-standing tradition but also an opportunity for each person to reflect on beautiful cultural and spiritual values.
Text and photos: Nguyen Dat
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nhon-nhip-tour-nbsp-len-rung-xuong-bien-239649.htm
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