Truong Trau Wharf is a historical site where people traded betel leaves in under the Tay Son dynasty. It is located on the bank of Kon River – one of the biggest rivers in Binh Dinh, next to the Kien My market and runs through Phu Phong town, Tay Son district.
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The new Kien My Bridge in an anniversary of Ngoc Hoi – Dong Da Victory over the Chinese Qing invaders. Photo: Dao Tien Dat
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The wharf had existed for a long time till the early 19th century with Vietnamese tradition of chewing the mixture of areca nut and betel leaves. Like other historical sites, it suffered serious devastation in the two wars against French colonialism and American imperialism in Vietnam. Time also leaves its destructive mark on the historical site.
The two banks of the river kept collapsing much while waterways did no longer play the key role in transportation. The wharf, therefore, became useless. Yet, it still leaves its mark on the national history because it is closely related to the Tay Son Uprising under the leadership of the three Tay Son Brothers, including Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Lu, in the second half of the 18th century.
Truong Trau Wharf was ranked as the historical relic of national magnitude in 1986.
In the 18th century, Kien My village (present-day an administrative unit of Phu Phong town) was the transitional area between Tay Son lowland and Tay Son highland. From Kien My market, there were 2 transportation systems connecting the plain and the mountainous region.
The first was the road through Mang (An Khe) Pass which wasn’t the complete same to the modern-day National Highway No.19. The second was the waterway along Kon River which led upstream to mountainous villages of the ethnic minorities or downstream to An Thai market, Cua Gia, and Dap Da.
The Kon River, hence, played the main role in the transportation between the two regions. The section of the river flowing through Kien My village was an ideal place for traders to exchange products from both the lowland and the highland. Betel leaves were the most popular type of products there. Kien My market thrived on the product. The wharf, thus, was called Truong Trau (Betel).
Father of the three Tay Son Brothers -Ho Phi Phuc-got married to Nguyen Thi Dong, who gave birth to the three heroes while he was travelling up and down the river, trading in betel. The river closely associated with the childhood of the three Tay Son Brothers. Nguyen Nhac, the eldest son, succeeded his father as a betel tradesman. Through his work along the river, Nguyen Nhac met other betel tradesmen far and near and heard from them about peasant uprisings everywhere in the 18th century – the period of peasant movement. He started to think of rising in arms at Tay Son against the oppressive ruling dynasty.
Under the leadership of the three Tay Son Brothers, the uprising won resounding victories and Tay Son Dynasty was established. People dare say that the Tay Son Uprising originated at the very first place of Truong Trau Wharf. Patriotic feudal intellectuals at that time gathered together at a small inn which located 30m north of the wharf to share news during the pre-Uprising period. The inn was built by local people to serve the betel tradesmen.
After the death of the Three Tay Son Brothers, the local people re-established a shrine – Vinh Tho shrine (present-day Ngoc Binh Buddhist Temple) - on that very same plot to worship the three heroes.
Although trading activities at Truong Trau Wharf interrupted a long time ago, the wharf still evokes a sense of pride, nationalism and patriotism as the anniversary of Dong Da Victory is celebrated at the Quang Trung Museum every spring to revive a period of the national history. The Kon River at the very moment becomes blue and gentle after rain-triggered floods.
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