The An Thai village belonging to Nhon Phuc commune in An Nhon district owns many distinctive historical and cultural features. Being the village of martial arts, the village of traditional crafts, and the village of different cultures, An Thai is also the home of those whose uprightness makes any visitors feel hesitant to leave or stay here.
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The Lam family’s ancestral temple still remains intact. Photo H.T
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When being asked about the village’s traditional cultural features which has been preserved, 78-year-old Lam Muoi, who knows well about An Thai, asked me to take a wander round the village instead of answering my question.
Walking through the village’s paths shadowed by rows of trees, we enjoyed old houses, particularly ancient pagodas. Muoi helped me know more about the main one, such as Ba, Ong, Ba Hoa, Hoi Quan, Pho Tinh, and Buu Quang.
“The villagers are proud to preserve many ancient pagodas existing for hundreds of years,” he said. “Each of them is an architectural relic showing a harmonious blend of various cultural features.”
Some pagodas now need upgrading, but only Hoi Quan pagoda is under restoration, using the fund raised from the community.
An Thai used to be the busiest place in Binh Dinh. At present, many ancient houses with imposing designs are the proof of its golden age in the past.
The most ancient house which still remains intact is the Lam family’s ancestral temple. It was redecorated outside but many ancient patterns have still remained intact inside the house.
“According to the clan’s records, the ancestral temple was built in 1862 and the main chamber has still existed so far,” said Lam Ky Ngoan, head of the Lam clan.
An Thai sees many traditional crafts sinking into oblivion. Some existing traditional crafts, such as the making of rice vermicelli or girdle cake, have strongly developed. The Song Than rice vermicelli is, for example, well known nationwide.
Some of its villages were recognized as traditional craft villages in 2009 and a traditional craft village complex is under construction for further development.
An Thai is also the cradle of many martial arts talents. However, practising martial arts in An Thai is not as popular as in Thuan Truyen, a neighboring village.
After the martial arts master Lam Ngoc Phu had passed away, An Thai has no martial arts instructors now. When martial arts master Diep Le Bich, head of Binh Thai Dao martial arts school, started to teach martial arts at Hoi Quan pagoda last year, many An Thai villagers practised martial arts again.
Unfortunately, this activity has stopped for several months. It seems that the name “An Thai martial arts village” only belongs to the past.
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