The secret basement and the ruins of the ancient communal house under the forest change color in autumn

(Dan Tri) - In the primeval forest on the edge of Tam Giang lagoon in Hue city, there used to be an ancient village communal house and a secret basement underneath, but now it has completely collapsed.

Ru Cha is the only primeval mangrove forest located along Tam Giang lagoon, with an area of ​​about 5 hectares, now belonging to Thuan Hoa village, Hoa Chau ward, Hue city.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dap (80 years old) is a resident of this forest. According to him, Ru Cha is the name given by the people of Thuan Hoa since the village was founded.

Ru Cha mangrove forest is preparing to enter the flowering and color changing season (Photo: Vi Thao).

For local people, this mangrove forest is like a shield protecting the community from natural disasters and storms, so it has been protected and preserved by local people through generations.

What is special is that every autumn, the tea trees will bloom, the whole forest turns into a multi-colored landscape, making the natural scenery here more charming, attracting many tourists.

Besides its wild beauty, Ru Cha also attracts tourists by the mysteries lying beneath the forest canopy, including the foundation of the ancient communal house, the sacred Mother Goddess temple or the tombs that have existed for hundreds of years, making many people curious and wanting to explore .

According to Mr. Dap, the old ruins under the tea tree are the foundation of the old Thuan Hoa communal house, where local people worship the village guardian spirit according to folk beliefs.

There is also a secret bunker here, used by revolutionary soldiers during the resistance war against France and the US imperialists. As a teenager, Mr. Dap often went down to the bunker to play, so he knew very well that the bunker was quite large, reinforced with many bamboo and wooden poles.

The foundation of the old Thuan Hoa communal house inside the Ru Cha mangrove forest (Photo: Vi Thao).

However, since the Ngo Dinh Diem era, the enemy has tried to destroy the temple, and forced the villagers to move it deep into Thuan Hoa village. Since then, both structures have gradually deteriorated and collapsed completely.

Located right next to the old communal house foundation is an ancient temple worshiping the Holy Mother with many mysterious stories. In 2024, the building was restored and embellished, so it looks quite spacious.

Mr. Dap said that the people of Thuan Hoa village still tell each other the story that the incense bowl of the Holy Mother at Hon Chen temple was washed here during a great flood in the past. Seeing that, the people built a temple to worship her.

Since then, villagers still hold ceremonies to worship the Holy Mother at the temple on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month every year.

In addition, the forest also has nearly 130 graves, many of which are hundreds of years old. According to Mr. Dap, all of these graves belong to people in Thuan Hoa village and are still cared for by relatives and regularly burned incense.

According to the Hue City Forest Protection Department, the Ru Cha primeval forest plays a very important role and value for the wetland ecosystem. This forest is also a "green wall" that helps minimize damage caused by natural disasters, protect dykes and increase the ability to respond to climate change.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Dap has spent more than half of his life attached to the primeval forest on Tam Giang lagoon (Photo: Van Nghia).

Over the past years, from programs and projects, more than 20 hectares of flooded forest in the Ru Cha area have been newly planted, mainly with mangrove and nipa palm trees. Hue City aims to develop a forest area of ​​more than 200 hectares, forming the largest concentrated flooded forest ecosystem in the Central region.

According to Dan Tri reporters, in addition to protecting and expanding the Ru Cha mangrove forest, the local government has invested in renovating roads, building administrative buildings, welcome gates, parking lots, lighting, water supply systems, electricity, etc. to serve the development of ecotourism .

Recently, the People's Committee of Hoa Chau Ward worked with a business on investment cooperation orientation, exploiting the Ru Cha eco-tourism site, associated with community benefits, creating more livelihoods for people and preserving a sustainable ecological environment.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/can-ham-bi-mat-va-tan-tich-dinh-lang-co-duoi-khu-rung-den-thu-la-doi-mau-20250911090820517.htm