Father-and-Son rocks

The Hon Phu Tu (Father-and-Son rocks), an interesting rock structure near the Chong Tourism Island in Kien Giang province abruptly collapsed in the middle of the night Wednesday.

No one was injured in the incident as the mammoth rock formation broke apart about 100km offshore in waters near Ha Tien in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, 300km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City.

The collapse reportedly took place around 4am Wednesday, with the rock structure splitting in two and crashing into the sea, said Nguyen Van Thuan, captain of a local tourism vessel.

The two collapsed fragments weighed approximately 1000 tons, Thuan added.

Relevant authorities immediately rushed to the scene to find the cause of collapse.

Experts initially attributed heavy rains and strong winds, coupled with tidal wave during the recent days to the collapse of the rocks.

Work is still underway to find other causes of this unprecedented accident, local officials said.

The provincial administration also petitioned to the Vietnam Ministry of Culture and Information in request for instructions aimed at saving the collapsed national site.

At present, they asked for dispatches of experienced experts to help retrieve the two separate fragments that had fallen down to the sea.

Rocky legend

From the stuff of legends, long ago, local fishermen were said to be attacked by a flesh-eating sea monster in the waters near Ha Tien.

A fisherman decided to save the life of others by rubbing poison on his body and sacrificing himself to the monster, hoping it would perish.

The fisherman’s plan worked, the monster was later found dead.

When the son of the fisherman saw the body of his father, he embraced his pitiful father and burst into tears, dying from exposure to the poison.

After the father and the son died, the two rocks appeared right in the place they had met their fate, giving rise to the name – Father-and-Son rocks.

Ba Om Pond

Ao Ba Om (Madam Om Pond), a scenic spot in Tra Vinh Province about 7 km from Tra Vinh Town, was built by women according to legend. 

The big pond is 500 meters length and 300 meters wide.

It is surrounded by trees that are hundreds of years old.

Ba Om Pond has long been known for its poetic beauty.

It was recognized as a national relic in 1994 by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The waterway is connected with two Khmer legends.

Once upon the time, Khmer girls could only get husbands if they had money.

A woman, called Om, decided this was unjust and thought of a competition between men and women to see who could dig the biggest pond in 24 hours.

If the women won, the custom would change.

The pond would store fresh water for the dry season.

The day of the competition came and the men’s side played around a lot instead of working because they believed in their strength.

The women’s side, led by Om, used tricks to delay the men’s work.

For instance when the work was almost finished, the women erected a long pole with a lantern in the east.

The men thought the Morning Star had risen, so they went to bed early and lost.

Ever since men have had to marry girls regardless of how much money they have and the pond was named after Om.

In the second legend, every year in the rainy season ngo om (a species of spicy herb) grew around the pond.

Cow herds in the Luong Hoa and Nguyet Hoa fields ate this plant, so their meat was delicious.

The pond was called Ao Ngo Om (Ngo Om Pond).

In the course of time, the name was mispronounced Ao Ba Om.

Every year, in the middle of the 10th lunar month – around the middle of December, the Khmer people celebrate the Ok Om Bok Festival by Ba Om Pond to express thanks to the Moon Goddess for bumper crops.

Activities in this event include boat racing, dancing, and releasing wind lanterns.