VietNamNet Bridge – The Ho Cong cave, located on the peak of Xuan Dai Mountain in Vinh Ninh commune, Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province, in central Vietnam, is the home to ancient poems carved on the cliff by many kings and authors in the past.


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About halfway up to the cave, there is a large rock carved with four Chinese characters, meaning “exotic and adorable.”


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The cave’s name is associated with the legend of fairies, which said that two fairies, Ho Cong and Dong Tu, practiced here.



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The cave is 45 m long, 23 m wide, with many stalactites with very fancy shapes. The ancient people praised the cave as one of the country's 36 beautiful caves.


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Many kings and poets visited the cave and carved their poems on the cliff, among them were King Le Thanh Tong, King Le Hien Tong and Lord Trinh Sam.


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The earliest Chinese poem was carved in the cave by Kinh Le Thanh Tong in the spring of 1463, when he visited his hometown in Lam Kinh, Thanh Hoa.


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The father of the great poet Nguyen Du, Nguyen Nghiem visited the cave and caved four characters on the cliff outside the cave.



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Many poems were very elaborately carved.


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However, there are poems simply engraved on the smooth surface of the wall.



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The chessboard which was used by the kings and poets.


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At the foot of the mountain is an ancient temple named Du Anh. The temple’s master, monk Thich Dam Hai, said the Ho Cong cave was also the home to the production and storage of firearms, weapons, medical supplies of the army during the war of resistance against France.


Compiled by Nam Nguyen