National garden Xuân Sơn

The garden lies in Thanh Sơn district, Phú Thọ province, about 80km Việt Trì city and 120km from Hà Nội capital, in the eco-system of North Việt Nam. It’s over 15,000 ha large and rich in ecological species. There are 32 flora species listed in Việt Nam and the world red-book, with many precious and rare wood like sến mật, lát, chò chỉ, nghiến, củ dòm, rau sắng, dây ngót rừng…  

 There are 46 animal species in Việt Nam red-book and 18 in the world red-book. Trees of all ages, all species lie in boundless greenery.

           

The first leg for tourists is Sơn Tinh cave. The way downwards to the cave is small enoungh for each person to get through but the cave can hold hundred people. Inside, there are stalacmites and stalagtites and some of them give out fine sounds when we strike. In ten mountain ranges, there are dozen of  caves and grottoes. On a height of 400m about the sea-level, Lạng grotto is the headsource of Lạng stream running to Lấp hamlet, to Cỏi hamlet then to a large lake (about 4 or 5ha), the habitat to many fish species (trê, chép…) especially, măng xanh fish is a specialty due to its good flavour, some weigh even 7kgs.

           

Lạng cave runs deep into the mountain, its door overlooks rice-field Mường Lạng and the cave is the longest and largest of all caves and grottoes in Xuân Sơn. The highest in the cave is even 15-20m, the cave stalacmites and stalagtites reflect sunshine and mae a good scene. The cave is also well-known for its mystery and the villagers worship the God of the cave. It’ said that the God, being a snake turned into young, handsome boy that usually helped the village-chief in household work, sometimes he helped the chief’s  daughter in planting rice paddies and he did well. Gradually, the girl loved him. One day, after hard work, he drank too much and slept like a log and when he moved on, he showed himselp as a white snake. The village-chief drove him away and told his daughter to keep away from the snacke. And also one day, when she was weaving, a roll of fabric dropped and rolled away to a deep pond. She went to pick it out, then she fell ill and died. The village chief knew that his daughter was fascinated by the snake. Her dead body was buried on a high mountain. But the snake found it and brought to the cave with him. Since then the villagers have to worship the couple, in order to have good weather and good crops. The cave was at last protected as home to the God, after that Lạng temple was built for worshipping and every year, on big holidays, the God is brought from temple to the communal house for prayers, offerings are normally rice and eggs and this also depicts the traditions of ancient Việts in worships and in wet rice cultivation.

           

                                          THANH HIỀN

source : http://www.vtr.org.vn/vtr.php?ml=923&pid=1133