In May 1694, the Vietnamese feudal leader, Trinh Can, had to pass through Dai Hung gate (near the present South gate) at Thang Long citadel. His carriage was going past the gate when a woman with a letter kneeled and blocked the way. The soldiers chased her away, but she refused to go. Trinh Can ordered them to stop the carriage and asked the woman what had happened. He found out that her husband was killed by bandits. The complete story is as follows:
She and her husband were working far away from home. On the last day of the year, they decided to visit their hometown in the citadel. The two traveled long distances, stopping at Da Gia Thuong village (located on the border of Ha Nam and Ninh Binh) to take a rest. As they entered a restaurant, the owner happily welcomed:
- You two arrived right on time! Wine and delicious food are available!
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The relic's overview |
It was winter at the time, so the couple felt cold after finishing the meal. The restaurant staff made a bed for them to rest. When the couple was preparing to sleep, a passer-by asked:
- Will the restaurant have any cows tomorrow? If so, let us borrow!
- Yes.
- The fat one or skinny one?
- Fat one!
In reality, there were no passers-by or staff here. They were all robbers. Those words were a code for them to communicate with each other without causing attention or suspicion.
That night, some muscular men sneaked into the shop. The husband was faint. Those cups of wine mixed with anesthetics had put him in a coma. But the wife was still awake. The bandits rushed to press the rag against the mouth of the husband and dragged him off. The wife was about to scream when the second one raised a blade to her neck. Seeing that she was about to be harmed, she knelt and mumbled: "I am begging you, please forgive him.” The wife was a beautiful woman, so the bandit felt moved. "Then go." - he urged. “But keep your mouth shut. If you don't, I will kill you!” Then, while he was walking away, the bandit came up with a way to live with that woman with beautiful eyes. He just had to bring the earrings for everyone to see.
From then on, the bandit often visited the woman whom he considered his wife. Sometimes he would give her silk. She did not have to worry about clothes, as they had a servant to look after them. But she must not go outside. The door was closed all the time. The woman had to obey, but she gradually understood the crime of bandits.
However, after a while that the bandit hiding her here was revealed. A few days ago, the commune chief told him: "If you fail to do your job, you will be in the cave with that woman." Everyone in the village must follow its laws so he could not break them. That night, after he had finished eating, he took the woman to the mountain. More than the last time, she begged him more earnestly, but now he was no longer moved and said:
- I bless you to go down the Styx with your husband!
When they were about to reach the cave, the woman ran away. But the bandit followed and caught her immediately. As he pushed her into the cave, she unexpectedly clung to his shirt. Both of them fell into the cave. Luckily she quickly let go of him and grabbed onto a branch. Then the woman managed to get up from the mouth of the cave. And she kept going north.
After listening to her story, the lord immediately sent General Le Thi Hai to bring 2,000 troops straight to Gia Vien, secretly surrounding Da Gia Thuong village.
The husband was not the only victim in the case. This mass murder had lasted for 20 years, making it a serious murder case not only during that era but also throughout the history of Vietnam.
According to documents left over from that time, the entire village had a total of 290 bandits, all pretending to be honest businessmen. They would set up a restaurant and an inn on the bank of Day river for long-distance travelers to stay overnight.
When the travelers were asleep at night, the bandits secretly murdered them and threw the bodies into a cave after taking all money and possessions. Everything went on like this for 20 years and the total number of casualties was 318.
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Skulls taken from the cave |
That afternoon, a healer stopped by Da Gia Thuong village. After eating, he slept. At midnight, the bandits broke in. They tied the healer, put a rag in his mouth, and took him to the mountain cave. But, the bandits could not take action, as there were roars in the night shaking the mountains and forests. The chants of 2,000 soldiers arose, encircling the entire village of Da Gia Thuong. Nearly 300 criminals were arrested. Among the 52 identified leaders, they were all given the death penalty. Da Gia Thuong Village had been destroyed and removed from the map. People took a ladder to climb down the cave and found hundreds of skeletons. They were unable to cremate them all, so a considerable number of bones are still there today.
The cave containing
hundreds of skeletons is called Kem Trong and is still there today. Currently,
the entire area is a national scenic relic. Nearby is Dich Long pagoda, which
attracts many visitors each year. However, the aftereffects of the massacre
still make the area a little bit ghostly.
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The entrance of the cave as it is today |