Dong Thech ancient tomb is located in Vinh Dong commune, Kim Boi district, Hoa Binh province. Once an impregnable holy place for the people of Muong Dong, the ancient tomb of Dong Thech with rumors and ghost stories has become the fear of the people. For many years now, hundreds of dolmens lying dormant among the Northwest mountains are a great mystery to anyone who has ever set foot here.
Dong Thech ancient tomb area after 400 years with time
The ancient tomb of Dong Thech consists of nearly 400-year-old stone columns, standing tall in the sky. That is the unique point of the ancient tomb of Dong Thech, and is also considered a “treasure” imbued with the cultural identity of Muong Dong.
Dong Thech ancient tomb area was classified as an archaeological relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1996
Based on historical records, Muong Dong was once one of the four ancient Muong regions. During the feudal period, there existed a Lang Dao institution ruled by noble families such as Dinh, Quach, Bach, and Ha. The ruler of Muong Dong is the Dinh family, whose head is Dinh Nhu Lenh. For hundreds of years, the Dinh family from generation to generation held the position of Tho Prisoner to govern Muong Dong.
Inscriptions and objects are engraved on the tombstone
Until the 8th generation, thanks to many great achievements, Dinh Cong Ky (born in 1582) was ordained by King Le to be “admiral admiral and marquis”, forever succeeding as the god of war in 7 communes. The last name Dinh was also changed to Dinh Cong. However, with authority in hand, the Dinh Cong family increasingly revealed its barbarism and brutality. For the people of Muong Dong at that time, everything belonging to the Lang family was tinged with a terrifying mystery.
The house managing the ancient tomb was demolished by the people here
Even the name Dong Thech makes you feel its mystery. The “heaps” are places of graves, desolate places where few people pass by. “Thech” is a place that has existed for a long time, a place unique to the Muong people. Dong Thech is a small, tall, flat valley, which undulates hundreds of tombstones. To the north, Dong Thech borders the old Chua mountain, to the west is Ong Noi hill, to the south is Na Thech and Thech stream, to the east is the field of Pang Dong.
A misty morning makes the ancient tomb of Dong Thech more mysterious
It is known that the ancient tombs here bury the bodies of people of the Dinh family, but besides that, there are many rumors that the ancient tomb also buried the bodies of the servants of the mandarins. Each tomb has many stone slabs carved in Chinese characters, recording the names, ages, and dignitaries of the people in the grave, recording the date of the tomb’s erection and also engraving images of animals.
The green scene of Dong Thech ancient tomb in spring
The large stones protrude from the ground nearly 3m and weigh up to tons, while the small stones protrude only about 0.5m. The size of the rocks allude to specific meanings. It is the place to seal the power of the Dinh family. Now the stone slabs have been covered with a layer of green moss, the shapes of the animals and the inscriptions on them have faded because of time. Each tomb has three high stones buried in front, three smaller stones at the bottom and two sides of the tomb are buried unevenly high and low stones, the number of which is not the same. There are hundreds of tombs with hundreds of stone slabs in Dong Thech tomb area.
Today, at the ancient tomb of Dong Thech, people use it as land to grow agricultural crops
The area of the whole grave area is about several thousand square meters, interspersed with stone slabs are luxuriant and dense trees, surrounded by forests and mountains. Therefore, the land has less light and becomes more and more desolate, with few people passing by. This place is divided into two different tombs that co-exist at the same time. The central group of graves has no traces of coffins, and zone B shows the owners of the tombs. That shows, in the funeral ceremony of the Muong, there are two times. One is the real burial and the other is fake.
The gate was later built by people at the ancient tomb of Dong Thech
The villagers spread among themselves about the mysterious legends surrounding the ancient tomb. The village elders said that the third wife of King Hung was angry with her husband for leaving to reclaim land, living here with two children. Later this area became a rich and densely populated land. When they died, their parents turned into three mountains with the shape of a “dragon adoring” and headed towards the capital. The land has topography, the shape of a dragon’s mouth – a beautiful land according to the concept of feng shui in the past, so for a long time, the Muong Dong mandarin family has monopolized the cemetery, the last resting place of their family.
Two of the tallest rocks at the ancient tomb of Dong Thech
The mystery of Dong Thech has not been fully discovered yet, it is still a mystery. Therefore, it is also attractive to those interested in archeology. If you are curious and want to discover the mystery here, come to Hoa Binh once to admire all the mystery of Dong The Tomb.
Source: Collected internet.