Hon Lan cavern and a legend behind its name

Afar from Ke Ga cape about 2 kilometers, Hon Lan which is located on the the Southwest coast is a high sandy cavern with a cap towards the sea. The cape is formed by beehive-shaped blocks of dark grey marbles. Hon Lan cape offers a home port and shelter for small-size ships and coracles of the fishers in Ke Ga and Cay Gang at the time of northeast wind and rough sea. Besides the heaving black blocks of rocks, a smooth sand-bank is underneath the cave with a few of scattered and lonely rocks that look like a flock of seagulls sunbathing on the beach.

Legend has it that there were a girl whose name is Lan was the most beautiful and industrious girl in the village. She often went to the rice fields to catch shells and crabs in support of her family’s daily life. One day while she was catching fishes at a freshwater lake next to Tu Bi cave as usual, she saw a great number of anabas fishes under the water. However, she didn’t take any baskets to keep the fishes, so she decided to keep a big anabas in her mouth while catching another by hands. Unfortunately, this big anabas sneaked into her throat and caused her death by obstructing her airways. The heart-breaking death of a beautiful girl has no longer fallen into oblivion since a number of miraculous affairs happened after her death. Until now, before starting every fishing journey, local fishermen have never forgot to offer an incense stick to the high cave where she died to pray for a safe and sound trip. The place where people placed the incense sticks overlapped together day by day and became an anonymous mysterious grave that is known as “Hon Lan” or a grave of a young lady named Lan in the heart of the local residents. Next to Hon Lan is a lake which provides a year-round freshwater supply for fishermen, position under the foot of Tu Bi cave.

In conjunction with Hon Lan is Cay Gang village’s beach where is surrounded by attractive rows of green poplar trees. Apart from a few tens of meters of sea water, there is an emerged big stone which looks like an ascetic monk who suffers from all fierce waves in protection for the poor fishing village. This is the most beautiful and ecofriendly beach section in the locality with dozens of large-scale resorts and travel accommodations located along more then 3-km-coastline.

My Thien (Source: Binh Thuan Newspaper)