04:03, 25/03/2020

Delineating Am Chua monument

Am Chua (Khanh Hoa Province) was recognized as a national historical and cultural monument; however, this monument and its surrounding areas have not yet been delineated. Therefore, the locality cannot renovate the monument as well as promote its values.
 

Am Chua (Khanh Hoa Province) was recognized as a national historical and cultural monument; however, this monument and its surrounding areas have not yet been delineated. Therefore, the locality cannot renovate the monument as well as promote its values.
 
Am Chua monument is located halfway up Dai An Mountain, Dien Dien Commune, Dien Khanh District. The monument is a religious place where locals worship Thien Y A Na Holy Mother. On the occasions of big festivals and anniversaries, Am Chua monument often receives a large number of visitors and pilgrims. More than 200 groups of pilgrims from many provinces and cities across the country and over 10,000 tourists visited the monument during Am Chua Festival 2019.
 
 
A corner of Am Chua monument
A corner of Am Chua monument
 
Reportedly, each time of Am Chua Festival, the organization committee has to set up hundreds of temporary shelters for pilgrim staying overnight. The area below the monument is cramped; the parking lot is not large enough to accommodate all vehicles during festivals and anniversaries. It is also very difficult to expand the monument’s campus area due to the steep mountainous terrain. The old facilities of the monument are also one of the difficulties affecting the organization of festivals and anniversaries.
 
In order to solve these problems, Dien Khanh District Peoples’ Committee has recently issued a document requesting for opinions from the provincial People's Committee, provincial Department of Construction, and provincial Department of Culture and Sports about the delineation of Am Chua monument at national level. As stated by the Dien Khanh District Peoples’ Committee, at present, a lot of people in the district and surrounding localities have need for spiritual activities. The district wants to delineate the monument in order to manage the monument more effectively; embellish, renovate, and promote the values of this monument. The delineation area is approximately 10 hectares, not including the monument; borders on mountain in the west, Lane 5 in the east, and fields in the south and north.
 
The delineated monument area is planed to include some new facilities, for example rest area for visitors and pilgrims during festivals, parking lot, garbage collection area, restroom, and bathroom, etc. Besides, Lane 5 is also planed to be expanded so that travel on occasions of festivals and anniversaries will be more convenient.
 
Minh Thiet
Translated by H.N