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The
Trinh Nữ Grotto or Virgin Grotto is
situated on the island range of
Bồ Hòn in the system
comprising the
Sửng Sôt Grotto, Ðộng Tiên
Lake and
Luồn Grotto. It is 15 km
south of
Bãi Cháy Beach. For
fishermen, the Virgin Grotto is their
house, but for young lovers, it is
considered as the symbol of truly love,
and is the romantic place for taking
oath of love.
Entering
Trinh Nữ Grotto, one finds in the middle
of the grotto a stone statue of a
lying-girl with her long hair hanging
down who is looking to the sea in a vain
hope.
Situated
opposite to Trinh Nữ Grotto, Trống (or
Male) Grotto has a stone statue of a boy
who turns his face to Trinh Nữ Grotto.
One still hears his vain scream in tune
with the wind blowing into the cliff
somewhere.
Legend
has it, there once was a beautiful
fisherman's daughter, whose family was
so poor that it was in the service of
the rich administrator of the fishing
zone. He forced the family to give him
the girl as a concubine. She already had
a lover who at that time was on the high
seas catching fish to prepare for their
wedding. The administrator, angered by
her refusal, exiled her to a wild island
where she suffered from hunger and
exhaustion. On one frightening night,
amidst terrible rain and winds, she
turned to stone.
It
was also the night that her lover knew
of her danger, and he rowed his boat in
search of her. On the terrible night,
the tempest destroyed his boat and he
floated to one of the islands. In a
lighting flash he saw his mate in the
distance, but his calls were driven away
by the wind. He used a stone block to
hammer down on the mountain cliffs to
announce to her he was nearby. He struck
until blood flowed from his hands, and
in his final exhaustion, turned to stone
(today’s Trống Grotto).
Tourists
also find Trinh Nữ Grotto attractive
partly because of its association with a
fanciful love legend: “Once upon a time,
there lived a boy and a girl who deeply
loved each other. However, they were so
poor that they could not be able to get
married. The boy decided to go offshore
fishing with a hope that he could get
enough money for his marriage. And the
girl painfully waited in vain for her
fiancé. She finally took a small boat
and rowed to the sea to look for him. So
immense is the sea, and so many are the
islands, the boy, therefore could not
hear her doleful call, though he was
just several canals away. Exhausted, the
girl lied in a grotto, looking to the
sea and got petrified after the last
call. The boy got lost in a grotto
nearby, shouting to call the girl in
vain. The echo of their call through the
cliff was so moving. At last, the boy
became exhausted and petrified in the
grotto - present-day Trống Grotto.”
Today,
whenever passing this place, tourists
can still hear his faint call.
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