Tu Thuc - the best cave in Thanh land

THANH HOA Tu Thuc Cave is considered one of the most beautiful caves in Thanh Hoa with majestic mountain scenery, magical sparkling stalactites associated with the legend of Tu Thuc marrying a fairy.

Tu Thuc Cave is located in the heart of a mountain in the majestic Tam Diep range in Nga Thien commune, Nga Son district, more than 40 km northeast of Thanh Hoa city. This relic is known as one of the beautiful caves in the coastal plain of Thanh Hoa.

Tu Thuc Cave is more than 200 meters long, thousands of square meters wide, and inside there are countless stalactites with strange shapes.

The cave is associated with the legend of Tu Thuc meeting a fairy.

According to historical records, Tu Thuc was a real historical figure who lived during the Tran Dynasty in the 14th century and was an official in Tien Du, Bac Ninh. He was famous for being intelligent, studious, and always compassionate towards the people. He often used his salary to buy rice to help the people during years of famine and crop failure.

According to legend, Tu Thuc loved to travel, enjoy the scenery and write poetry. During a flower viewing party, he met a beautiful young woman. While admiring the flowers, he accidentally broke a peony branch and was detained by the temple. With a chivalrous heart, he immediately took off his brocade shirt to help the young woman atone for her sins. After that, Tu Thuc resigned from office and returned to his hometown to enjoy the mountains and rivers.

One day, looking out to the Than Phu seaport, he saw a five-colored cloud forming the shape of a lotus flower. Tu Thuc rowed his boat towards the mountain and entered a cave. When he entered, he was captivated by the fairyland and knew that this was the place where the flower fairy lived. From then on, Tu Thuc was destined to be with the fairy Giang Huong.

In the past, the mountain range with Tu Thuc Cave was located deep under the sea, but due to the sea receding process, large limestone caves were revealed.

Under the colorful lights, the cave becomes more magical and shimmering.

Local people have imagined fairy tales such as gold mines, silver mountains, Buddha statues, lotus platforms attached to stalactites, making many tourists more fascinated and attracted.

This stalactite layer shimmers as if it were gilded with many layers marked by time.

Tu Thuc Cave was ranked as a national scenic relic in 1992. According to the People's Committee of Nga Son district, every year this place welcomes tens of thousands of visitors, mainly during the festival season and Tet.

In the past, many literati such as Le Thanh Tong and Le Quy Don came to enjoy and left many poems engraved on the walls of Tu Thuc cave.

In front of Tu Thuc cave, there is an old gắm tree, the vine wrapped around the ancient star fruit tree, across the path creating hammocks swaying in the wind. According to legend, this is where fairies descend to earth to play every afternoon.

Gam is a climbing plant that often grows in tropical forests. This plant has a resilient vitality despite harsh weather or poor soil.

According to locals, the gắm tree at the entrance of Tu Thuc cave has grown and developed here for many generations, possibly up to hundreds of years. The largest section of the gắm tree trunk is about 20 cm in diameter.

Mr. Mai The Hai, tour guide of the Tu Thuc Cave Scenic Area Management Board, said that the story of "man meeting fairy" and the gam tree have created a brand for this place, contributing to attracting tourists from all over.

In recent years, Nga Son district has invested in many projects to upgrade the transportation system, renovate the area around Tu Thuc cave and neighboring relics to exploit tourism potential.