Thanh Hoa is a large province
of Central Vietnam. Thanh Hoa is composed of three categories of mountain, plain and
mid-land terrains. Its coastline is 102 km in length. Being the dwelling place of the
ancient Viets, Thanh Hoa is proud of the glorious Dong Son culture (see also Cac Nen Van
Hoa o Viet Nam). Only 16 km from Thanh Hoa City, Sam Son Beach is very good for bathing.
Beside sandy beaches, Sam Son also has some scenic spots such as Trong Mai Island, Doc
Cuoc Temple and Co Tien Mount. Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (Thanh Nha Ho) was built in 1397.
It was not only the location for the central government, but also a quite military
project. All the ancient citadels in Vietnam such as the citadels of Hoa Lu and Co Loa
were made of earth, the only exception being the Ho Dynasty Citadel, which was wholly
built in block granite, depicting the power of creativeness and industriousness of the
labouring people more than six centuries ago. The Ho Citadel Dynasty only existed for 10
years (1397-1407), but its vestiges are still surprising because many of its technical
questions remain the unknowns. Ba Trieu (Lady Trieu) Temple is located at the foot of the
Tung mountain (Trieu Loc commune, Thanh Hoa province) . This mountain was the centre of
the insurrection led by her. Ba Trieu whose
full name was Trieu Thi Trinh was a beloved national heroine. She led the nation in an
uprising against the northern invasion in the 3rd century. Ritual ceremonies are held
yearly at the temple on the 21st day of the lunar second month. People on pilgrimage to
the temple often recall Ba Trieu's outright declaration : " I want to drive over
strong wind, sail over strong waves and chase the foreign invaders out of the country, and I will not give up myself
to be their servant-concubine". M·
River is the largest one in Thanh Hoa. Nearing the coast, the river meets a high mountain
which resembles a dragon's head, from which
the bridge spanning that part of river derives its name. In the early 20th century, French
engineers tried in vain to built an iron bridge over M· River. In 1905, they completed a
suspension bridge only to see it destroyed in the anti-French war. When peace returned in
1954, Vietnamese engineers applied new engineering techniques and built an iron bridge.
The new Ham Rong bridge was completed on May 19, 1964. The bridge gained fame because it
became the main target of US air forces in the efforts to break the North-South supply
lines. Five units of Vietnamese armed forces were stationed around the bridge. They were
honoured with the title of "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" for shooting down
a total of 106 US airplanes in defence of the bridge.
