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Elephant Mountain is 20 km south-west of the centre of Haiphong, by
the side of the Lay Trach River, is in site of a widely diverse
natural landscape. It is the highest peak to the north of Kien An.
At the foot of the mountain is Long Tien (Water Fairy Cave) where
the local people worship Le Chan, a female general in the army of
the two Trung sisters.
It was Le Chan who established An Bien Village, which is now
Haiphong. In Elephant Mountain, there are many "fairy caves", such
as Hong Voi, Chieng, Ca Chep, and Be. To the south of Elephant
Mountain is the Nam Tao Cave. According to Chinese myth, Nam Tao and
Bac Dau are two gods who care for life and death.
In the cave, there are many stalactites of various shapes,
looking like kneeling dragons, tigers, and the head of an elephant.
On the top of the mountain, there is an even, flat area, which is
called the "Fairy Chess Board". there are also ruins of pagodas and
citadels from the 6th century Mac Dynasty on the mountain. Of
particular note are the remains of the ancient Viet civilization,
such as stone axes and chisels, which date back to over 3,000 years. |
