Legend has it that there was a poor farming couple living in the village. One day, the wife accidentally touched a strange egg. She took the egg home and it hatched a snake. The husband took the strange snake to the stream and released it. But the snake returned to their house that night. The couple eventually decided to care for the snake. After that, the weather became very nice and the crops multiplied. The lives of the villagers became prosperous and happy.
 The streamof sacred fish located in Thanh Hoa attracts a lot number of curious visitors. Photo: Tat Son |
After one rainy night with strong winds and thunder, local people discovered the body of the snake at the base of Truong Sinh mountain. They buried the snake there and built a temple on the stream bank to worship it. Thousands of strange fish then appeared in the stream. Local people believe that the fish will bring prosperity to the village, hence the name sacred fish.
The fish swim out of the cave in the stream in the daytime and hide in the cave at night. Surprisingly, the fish swim around in only a 100-meter long section of the stream. During the dry season, the stream bed is about 20-40 cm with crystal water so visitors can touch the fish. Although numerous fish live in a narrow stream, the water in the stream is still clear and not dirty. Scientists have been conducting research for years about this strange phenomenon.
There are different ways to get to the stream. From Thanh Hoa, people can drive on the National Highway to reach Cam Thuy district and then drive on Highway 217 for 12km to Ngoc village, which is home to the sacred fish. For more adventurous travelers, they can catch a boat at the Ham Rong bridge and sail along the Ma river to get to the village.
