Stone cultural heritage in Dong Nai

​Nguyen Gia Trang Stone farm (Dinh Quan District) viewed from the entrance

* Many natural stone heritage

Currently, in Dong Nai, 2 sets of stone instruments dating back over 3 thousand years have been collected on display at the Provincial Museum, including one in Binh Da (Bien Hoa city) and one in Gia Canh commune (Dinh Quan District).

The story of the most widespread stone cultural heritage lies in the red soil areca zone of Long Khanh City. That is the Hang Gon megalithic tomb. To this day, this monument is still a mystery. According to Dr. Nguyen Hong An, Rector of Dong Nai College of Culture and Arts, the discovery, excavation and research of the tomb has solved many important issues such as finding the age of the tomb through which people decode historical culture from stone slabs, pieces of wood.

 “Many questions are still being asked of scientists and until now there are still many unexplained mysteries. Those are the marble weaving panels built in the tomb room which are available in nature and are only abundant in two areas, namely, Da Lat Plateau and Southern Central Provinces. However, how can ancient Vietnamese residents transport and place giant rocks weight over 10 tons to Long Khanh City where the terrain is difficult, dangerous and there is no waterway? " - Dr. Nguyen Hong An shared.

 Dong Nai also has many natural stone heritages that are famous scenic relics. One of the ranked natural stone heritages is Dinh Quan's husband stone. This relic not only has an important geographical position and is attractive by its majestic beauty, including 3 stacked stones. In this stacking position, they "seem" unstable, but Dinh Quan's stacking stone has existed since the volcanic period until today. This is a scenic relic of great value in the natural landscape, with historical and cultural value of the land. Currently, the monument is one of the destinations in the tourist route of Dinh Quan district.

* Stone passions

Dong Nai stone cultural heritage is reflected in the ceaseless creativity of the community of residents who have lived in the land for more than 320 years of establishment and development. They are cultural subjects in the creation of stone cultural heritages with many diverse and rich forms and their own cultural nuances. Along the national highway, passing Dinh Quan district, people and tourists encounter stone fences, large rocks with many different shapes arranged beautifully. This place is called Nguyen Gia Trang stone farm.

 The owner of the stone farm is Mr. Nguyen Binh Khiem, a native of Dong Thap. Because of his love for stone, he spent a lot of effort and time going around collecting stone to build his own stone farm. Many times in contact with Mr. Khiem, writer Nguyen Thai Hai said: "Playing rocks", the owner Nguyen Gia Trang had no thought of doing more tourist services to make money. Therefore, his farm gate is not always open to visitors, nor is it always possible for guests to meet him. A few times, he lent his beautiful stone to the organizers of a certain exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City for display exhibitions, the condition is to bring it by himself and must return it to the right place!”.

 Similarly, in Xuan Tam commune (Xuan Loc District), there was Mr. Nguyen Quang Lu playing and selling ornamental stones. Many rudimentary stones, after being machined by him, become beautiful ornamental stone products serving the needs of people and tourists from near and far. Under the human influence, natural rocks have become useful and soulful. Stone is not only materials for construction works but also for displaying and enjoying art. Therefore, rocks are closely attached to the community's life.

Thanh Thanh