September 2022

SEPTEMBER 2022

CONTENT

Tam Coc Garden - a Tonkinese oasis
Tonle Sap - in the land born of water

TAM COC GARDEN

A TONKINESE OASIS

The so-called “terrestrial Ha Long Bay” is one of the old cultural centers of the Annamite people. It is located in northern Vietnam at the mouth of the Red River in the province of Ninh Binh, in an area bordering Hoa Binh to the north, Nam Dinh to the east, and Thanh Hoa to the south.

This area, imbued with ancient mystery, is where evangelization was introduced into the North of Vietnam in the 17th century. It is the patient work of the Red River and its defluents, divided into several arms and connected by an entire network of natural channels, the most notable being the Rapids, Nam Dinh, and Bamboos channels. At the level of the city of Ninh Binh, the old administrative center created in 1802 by Gia-long, flow the Song Dây, a natural spillway of the overflow of the Red River, and the song Van-sàng, whose bed zigzags until Thanh Hoa.

To the west, the area is overlooked by the foothills of the Cuc Phuong Mountains and the Tam Diep, which constitutes the southernmost part of the Tay Bac Bo region. This is a vast karst area that stretches over 400 km long and 30-60 km wide in northwestern Vietnam. It represents the northern part of the Truong Son ranges, the backbone that serves as the natural border between Laos and Vietnam. In the north, the limestone mountains called the 99 hills limit the horizon towards Phu Ly (Phu Ly-nhâm), while near Ninh Binh, the Nga-ba-non – also known as “Heights of the Three Reefs,” masses of Triassic limestone that have inspired many Annamite poets – emerge from the plain.

The province of Ninh Binh was a dependency of the quân (kingdom) of Giao-chi under the Han, of the châu (district) of Tru'o'ng-an at the end of the Leang, and of Tru'o'ng under the T'ang. The Dinh dynasty, originally from this region, established its capital at Hoa-lu' (968) which remained the royal residence of the previous Le, an enclosure particularly difficult to attack because it was protected by a belt of almost impenetrable cliffs. In 1806, it became the đạo (district) of Thanh-binh, and in 1822 its name was changed to Ninh Binh, which remains to this day.

In late May 1951, this area was the scene of the Battle of Day, General Võ Nguyên Giáp's first real conventional military campaign conducted during the Indochina War, which aimed to overthrow the resistance of the French Union forces established in this predominantly Catholic region. This great surprise offensive of three Viet Minh divisions ended with the retreat of the North Vietnamese forces between June 10 and 18. One thousand prisoners were left to the French, and 9,000 killed or wounded; on the French Union side, 492 soldiers were killed, 400 wounded, and 40 reported missing, including Bernard de Lattre de Tassigny, the general’s only son. It was a loss that would torment the general until his death seven months later in Paris.

The geography of this historic countryside is fascinatingly varied, with rocky bases, domes, mounds surmounted by pagodas, and scattered alluvial deposits accumulated on the banks and reinforced by dikes built by the Annamites over the centuries to prevent floods and ensure the cultivation of the rice fields that now extend as far as the eye can see. The Tam Coc Garden peeks out of this vast green land, in perfect harmony with its environs. This charming establishment of 25 rooms and villas inspired by Tonkinese villages lies delicately in its green setting, a veil of karst lace on the horizon with metallic foliage bordered by languid streams and lotus ponds. Subtly integrated into peasant life, this romantic Eden emphasizes hospitality and gastronomy while inviting you to relax in its multi-sensory garden with its hundreds of species and admire the local plants, including banana trees (Heliconia rostrata), giant elephant ears (Alocasia Odora), false philodendrons (Monstera deliciosa), edible pandanus (Pandanus amaryllifolius), longan trees (Dimocarpus longan), the bright hue of spider lilies (Crinum asiaticum), bougainvillea (Bougainvillea), lobster claw (Heliconia rostrata), or Indian reed (Cordyline fruticose).

This Tonkinese oasis is an ideal base for experiencing the arts and crafts of the region, including embroidery, a craft established in 16th century by a mandarin who revealed its secrets to the craftsmen of the Red River Delta; the manufacture of rush mats, which Phàt-diêm has made its specialty; the site of the imposing “stone cathedral” of Sino-Annamite architecture, remarkable for its vast dimensions and the materials used in its construction; and water hyacinth basketry. With no light pollution, Tam Coc Garden is an ideal site for observing the night sky after a delightful bicycle trip in the golden autumn sun or after a day relaxing in one of the two new Full Moon Villas

© Illustration credit: Nguyen Duc Nung

TONLE SAP

IN THE LAND BORN OF WATER

On the occasion of the monsoon and high-water season, Secret Indochina returns to the legendary Cambodian lake Tonle Sap.

Tonle Sap, literally “the great river” or “great lake,” is a freshwater lake with annual flooding. It is connected to the Mekong River by the Tonle Sap River, which is 120 km long. The lake, its tributaries and spillway form a complex hydrological system 12,876 km2 in size. The formation of the central basin is the result of millions of years of deposits and discharge of Mekong alluvium, sand, and gravel carried from the Himalayas.

In monsoon season, the annual fluctuation of the Mekong River’s water volume causes a unique reversal in the flow of the Tonle Sap River. The lake water flows to the Mekong via the Tonle Sap River, and as a result of the spillway, river water pours into the lake, causing it to flood over 60 km into the plains, the sacred waves fertilizing the chamcar in the process. The volume of water in the lake varies considerably over the course of a year, from an area of about 2,500 km2 to up to 16,000 at the end of the monsoon season, which runs from September to early November.

Most of the Tonle Sap forest is dominated by a large dense shrub cover of 2-3m. It consists of small trees, shrubs and vines that are submerged by floods. Two hundred species of plants are catalogued. In 1997, UNESCO designated Tonle Sap as a major ecological site. In 2001, by royal decree, the lake and the surrounding provinces became the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. Nine provinces are part of the reserve: Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Pursat, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, and Pailin.

Around 150 species inhabit the lake and its flooded forests. Eleven of these species are considered globally threatened and six near threatened. These endangered species include the Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis), the spotted pelican (Pelecanus phillippensis or grey pelican), the argala marabou (Leptoptilos dubius or great adjutant), the Bengal bustard (Houbaropsis bengalensis), the grey-headed eagle (Haliaeetus ichthyaetus), and the Manx warbler (Acrocehalus tangorum). Dozens of fish species live in the lake, including the Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), which has become a symbol of Tonle Sap. One of the largest freshwater fish in the world, the Mekong giant catfish can reach 3 m long and weigh up to 230 kg. Many reptiles breed in the murky waters of the lake, including the cobra (Naja naja), the python molure (Python molurus), and the long-headed water snake (Enhydris longicauda). Thirteen species of turtle have been recorded in and around the lake.

Tonle Sap is known for its fisheries. Fishing in the lake is closely linked to the regular flooding of the Mekong River and its tributaries. The high water enables fish to disperse across the flooded land and deposit their eggs, a spawning period that replenishes reserves exhausted by the fishing season. This is also the main time for commercial transactions. The fishing villages are both temporary and permanent. In the southeast part of the lake, there are small floating villages, such as Chnnock Tru, with houses that float on cans or are raised on 15 m stilts, thus protecting them from the strongest floods. These fishing villages have markets and stores, sometimes mobile, as well as pagodas, schools, and police stations, among others.

Until recently, about 300,000 people lived on the lake and its banks, mainly Cambodians, Chinese, and Vietnamese from southern Mekong. During the fishing season, Vietnamese form the majority of the population in the lake area. Their dwellings are floating, with corrugated iron roofs and nearby drying rooms, nets, and bamboo racks for drying or salting fish. Small temples shelter protective deities of the fisheries, and residents frequently burn incense and make ritual offerings to them.

Various fishing techniques are used, including fishing with sparrowhawks, fishing with one or more hooks (either fixed or trolling), fishing with nets of different sizes fixed on stakes installed perpendicular to the shore to capture small and large species, shrimp fishing with special nets installed on the banks whose handles can be rotated by resting on two stakes fixed to the ground, and dam fishing, either with multi-compartment bamboo traps or traps installed in the structure of small dams. The most industrial technique is the “oun” – large nets reaching 1 km in length and 1.8m in height that allow large quantities of fish to be caught (Lebas, J. Les pêcheries du lac Tonlé-Sap. Annales de Géographie, t. 34, n°187, 1925).

Ten years ago, fascinated by unique characteristics of Tonle Sap and its residents, Secret Indochina created an immersion project at the lake. The project is located in Phat Sanday village, in the southeast part of the lake at the mouth of the Stung Sen River. It consists of two floating houses that make ideal bases to discover this fascinating aquatic universe and touch Cambodia’s soul

© Photo credit: Rebecca Jaggers

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