Vietnam travel destination 22: Ha Tien

Ha Tien is a small town in Kien Giang Province, the Southern East of Vietnam. The town borders Cambodia to the west. It is around 270km from Ho Chi Minh to the South East. The roads were widened and more convenience that made easy to go to Ha Tien from Ho Chi Minh City or from Mekong Delta Provinces.
Hà Tiên was established by a small group of Chinese people mostly men who supported the Ming Dynasty and were opposed to the Qing Dynasty, led by Mo Jiu (Mạc Cửu). When they arrived in Đàng Trong (as southern Vietnam was called while under the rule of the Nguyễn Lords), the Nguyễn Lords ordered the king of the Khmer (then a vassal state of Đàng Trong) to grant land to these Chinese people. These people built markets in this place and turned it into a busy business town. Vietnamese people gradually arrived here. This town later was merged into Vietnamese territory when Mo Jiu delivered its sovereignty to the Nguyễn Lords. Mo Jiu was then conferred the position of ruler of this town.

Hà Tiên is a popular tourist site of the region thanks to its beautiful beaches and landscapes.
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For the Mekong Delta trip, tourist often takes a trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho then Chau Doc then Ha Tien by the road along the border to Cambodia. For whatever road, people have to pass Rach Gia province for Ha Tien.
Buses connect Hà Tiên to the provincial capital Rach Gia and Chau Doc.
A border crossing between Hà Tiên and Cambodia was opened in 2007. The border is 7 km west of Hà Tiên it named Xa Xia border gate.
From Ha Tien, twice daily fast ferry hydrofoils are available to Phú Quốc Island.
Places for visiting as Mac Cuu Temple , Phu Dung pagoda, Thach Dong , Mui Nai Beach ...

  Mac Cuu Temple
Mac Cuu ( Mo Jju) was the person who was exploited Ha Tien nowadays. Mac Temple or Mac Cuu Temple is the graveyard of Mac family which located on the middle stage of Binh San mountain. This is a beautiful landscape and also is a historical site of Ha Tien, Kien Giang Province.

In front of the temple, there is two ponds with full of lotus trees. Legend has those were the lakes which supplied the water for local people there.
Besides the historical value, the temple is a high value in art by its design and carving. It’s surrounded by a thick stones wall which covered all with moss.
There are around 40 graves of Mac’s family. Among them, standing out is some old tombs such as Mac Cuu tomb , Mac Thien Tu tomb v.v…were built with Chinese style .

  Phu Dung Pagoda

This is a pilgrimage destination and also attracted a lot of tourists by its natural scene, specially by its source.

According to “ Ha Tien researched book”, Phu “ is from the sound of the word “ Pu” that means the mountain (Xiem language) and “ Dung” is from the sound of the word “ Youn” that means Vietnamese ( that’s what the Khmer, Laos and Cham call Vietnamese people). So Phu Dung means the Vietnamese mountainous.

All of mountain in Ha Tien at that time was called by one name “ Phu Dung van son” until the Mac Thien Tu period , they were named by different names as Binh San, To Chau , Phuong Thanh , Thach Dong….
Due to the legend, Phu Dung Pagoda was built by Mac Thien Tu ( 1706-1780) for one of his wives who called Phu Cu. She was a daughter of a mandarin under his management time.
There was a legend about Phu Cu ( her real name was Nguyen Thi Xuan) that she was a very beautiful girl and very good in poems and literature so Mac Thien Tich was loved and respected her more than his main wife that made this women felt jealous. Once day, when Mac Thien Tich went out for a business, his main wife ( Nguyen Hieu Tuc) was prison Nguyen thi Xuan in a big upside down pot in the yard. Nguyen Thi Xuan was almost died. Fortunately, Mac Thien Tu came back home on time and saved her life. After that bad experience, Nguyen thi Xuan felt upset to life and wanted to become a nun. Mac Thien Tich also felt difficult with that situation but had to please her so that pagoda was built.

Mui Nai beach

Mui Nai is a nice beach which situated on the shore of Thai Lan Bay. That is not a large beach, the sand is not white but waves are calm. The sand at Mui Nai is dark brown. According to the local people, that because of there are mud in the sand and it is very good for the skin.
Come to Mui Nai, do not forget to try the Thot Not juice. That looks like a coconut but they were grown just along the border of Cambodia.

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