Memories of the past's prosperous sand region
Place names following that folk song till deeply engraved in the memories of the people here through knowledge passed down from generation to generationl. Cau market (Chợ Cầu) was located next to the river in the old Ha Loc village (now Dien Duong ward, Dien Ban town). Continuing that historical line, the Dien Ban sand region (now Dien Ngoc, Dien Nam Bac, Dien Nam Trung, Dien Nam Dong and Dien Duong) was the place where the footprints, horse hooves,... of many ancestors from the North came to reclaim land to establish villages and communes: Ha Sau, Lo Gach, Ha My, Ha Loc, Ha Quang, Gia Loc, Kim Sa/Cam Sa... Pham Cam Sa Clan Temple is engraved with the inscription "Da Ton village, Chi Linh mountain, from the North our ancestors founded their career/ Cam Sa land, Lo Canh river, from the South their descendants built the career"
There were many historical books recorded the foundation that the ancestors built, that is the prosperous area of Dien Ban, the ancient Dang Trong region. When the Jesuit Missionary Christoforo Borri (1622) came here, he recognized the important role of the Co Co River in connecting Hoi An and Da Nang: "Hoi An and Da Nang are two different seaports but are close to each other and have easy communication with each other, so Europeans consider them a single seaport with two entrances and call them Quang Nam seaport". That created the prosperity along the river, which later in "Biên niên sử hải ngoại" written during a visit to Dang Trong (1695) at the invitation of Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu, monk Thich Dai San. They described Co Co as a vast river, with close-knit and prosperous villages on both banks.
Historically, along the western route of the Co Co River, if counting from present-day Da Nang, passing through the hamlets of Ngan Ha, Cam Sa, Binh Minh, Quang Hau..., was the main road for North-South traffic to reach Quang Nam citadel. In "Phu bien tap luc", Le Quy Don had clearly stated the route during the Nguyen Dynasty: "The road from Thuan Hoa town to Quang Nam, the walking itinerary from Lon Voi to Quan Tra was for half a day; then from Tra Quan to Tuan Ai in the evening. From Tuan Ai to Quan Sang for half a day, from Quan Sang to Thanh Khe in the evening. From Thanh Khe to Cam Sa for half a day; from Cam Sa to Quang Nam citadel in the evening...". It was also at that important location that the fierce battle between Trinh army and Tay Son army had took place on April 24, 1777, which Phan Khoang's "History of Dang Trong" described: "Tay Son army had been either killed or trampled by elephants so there had been countless deaths and then the battle had been broken... Trinh army had captured many soldiers, military supplies and weapons, chased them to Thanh Ha and then they had occupied Quang Nam citadel".
In the end of King Tu Duc's reign (1848 - 1883), trade between Da Nang and Hoi An had been still conducted via the Co Co River. Until the day, France had took Da Nang as a colony (1888), Hoi An had been an important commercial center. The most convenient transportation route between Da Nang and Hoi An was still the Co Co River. Over the years, the river silted up (late 19th century), ending the once-leading trade route.
Then wars followed one another, the most fierce of which was in the 60s of the last century, the entire Dien Ban sand area with many bamboo banks and gardens were almost plowed by bombs. Blood soaked the sand. The fire of war burned down every local people's roof. The countryside was been bleeding…. So many people crossed the bombs, shouldered each other to evacuate and take refuge everywhere, from Da Nang along region A's communes to Vinh Dien, down to Hoi An. Many families left their homeland. Gradually, during the war, the old sand streets had been forgotten. Only in the memory of the burning sand area remained!
Sand town is regenerating
After 1975, the old sand area (or known as Area C) was the place of greatest sacrifice and loss in Dien Ban, with many martyrs and Vietnamese Heroic Mothers. The whole this area was empty, with flying sand, no roof, no home, no shade of trees and densely covered with thorns. If you stand on Ong Trang hill (Cam Sa) and look far away, you can see all the way to Hoi An and Da Nang. In the middle of the vast white sand, people from all over the place packed up and helped each other return to their hometowns. They built house by covering with straw, canvas, corrugated iron, thatched roofs... under the willow trees, bushes, bomb craters... to start a new life. The incense burners for ancestors and martyrs were placed in bamboo tubes filled with sand.
Local people's lives were both painful and deadly due to remaining bombs and mines until the 80s. They also suffered from hardship and hunger all year round. During those years, people from Dien Thang, Dien An and people from the rich soil rented and borrowed sandy land area to grow tobacco. The entire sandy area then became a sweet potato and tobacco area. During the scorching hot season, from 3 to 4 a.m., people carried medicinal plants, hoes, shovels, watering buckets, bamboo, pots... through the ferry terminals of Cam Sa, Quang Hau... grew tobacco and harvested sweet potatoes. My hometown meal with almost sweet potatoes with alittle rice. There were families, their parents sacrificed and died in the war, brothers and sisters take care of each other, cook a pot of sweet potatoes to eat with salted gourd soup. In our generation, many of us grew up from the sweet potatoes with buds and the remaining rice ears in the fields... The poor hometown was entered the folklore “Quê em đất cát phì nhiều/ Sáng ra gà mang dép đến chiều còn mang” or “Khoai lang đất cát khoai lang sùng/ Lấy chồng vùng cát lấy thằng khùng sướng hơn”…
From white sand, the one-time aspiration to green up by building Cam Sa Pumping Station fueled the will to rise up and revival hope.
Life just kept drifting away with the wind and sand. In the 90s and after, especially since the separation of the province (1997), Quang Nam entered a new period. From the district with purely agricultural rice, Dien Ban began to transform into industrialization and urban development. Industrial parks, Dien Nam - Dien Ngoc urban areas, An Luu industrial parks... were formed and became the industrial economic driving force of the province. Bridges connecting the sandy areas with the rich soil areas have been and are being formed, such as: Quang Hau bridge, Phong Ho bridge, Tu Cau bridge... The entire sandy area of Dien Ban has become a connecting area between Da Nang city and Hoi An urban area by wide roads. The old villages have become city blocks. People from all districts, other provinces and foreigners have gathered to settle down and make a living.
That opportunity opens up a leap in direction by the adjustment of the planning of the Eastern area of Dien Ban town, phase 2030 and 2045, developing the economy - tourism - services - marine ecology with a focus on bustling urban areas along the banks of the Co Co river; in the West, developing light industrial zones and economic - financial - service ecological urban areas. Both Da Nang city and Quang Nam province are strongly involved, with many aspirations and expectations to restore and develop Lo Canh Giang - Co Co into one of the most beautiful rivers in Vietnam with current of green water between the banks of the cultural, historical, ecological urban areas...
50 years of unification have created a solid foundation, nurturing the future. Our generation emerged from war, grew up from village school. New generations were born, matured and continued their ancestor’s aspirations. That dynamic development, transformation, together with the preparation of human resources, enthusiasm and new opportunities... allowed to shorten the time to realize the historical aspirations, as the old saying goes “Văn võ bao đời thừa kế nghiệp"...
That dream is so near. The sand town is reviving.