Nestled at the foot of the Hai Van Pass, Nam O Village in Hoa Hiep Bac Ward, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang, is a land of legendary stories, showing off its unique spiritual and cultural values.

The worship place dedicated to the souls of the fallen Vietnamese soldiers in their struggle against the French forces in the years of 1858,1859 and 1862

The coastal village is home to many relic sites boasting historical and cultural values.

Notable amongst these relic sites is the remnants of the Ba Temple, located on Hac Islet.

Mr Dang Dung, who is dubbed by the villagers as ‘the Nam O historian’, believed that this sacred place might be dedicated to princess Huyen Tran (1287-1340) who has been honoured as the founder of the land by local residents.

The princess was given in marriage to King Jaya Sinhavarman III of the Kingdom of Champa in 1306 following a promise by the Vietnamese King Tran Nhan Tong.

The Champa king in return offered the provinces of O and Ly to the Vietnamese kingdom of Dai Viet. The land of the two provinces was bordered by the Hieu and Thu Bon rivers.

Today, these provinces are known as the provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam.

A local seasoned fisherman besides the remnants of the Ba Temple, located on Hac Islet.

The legend has it that the princess once stayed in the Nam O forest area on her way back to her hometown, the kingdom of Dai Viet.

Although it remains a question of whether nor not the sacred temple is actually the worship place dedicated to princess Huyen Tran, this venue, indeed, plays an important role in the spiritual life of local residents.

All the villagers have kept in their minds that there is a goddess who serves as the ‘guardian angel’ for their lives.

Over the past 7 centuries, Nam O villagers annuallly organise a ceremony to make offerings to an unknown soldier who was under the control of general named Tran Khac Chung. This general was order by King Tran Anh Tong to rescue Huyen Tran from being cremated with her dead husband Jaya Sinhavarman III in 1307 according to Cham tradition, and to take her to Dai Viet Capital.

Besides the mysterious Ba Temple, there is a worship place dedicated to the souls of Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives in their struggle against the French forces in the years of 1858,1859 and 1862.

Another scene of the worship place dedicated to the souls of the fallen Vietnamese soldiers.

Last, but not least, the time-honoured village is home to mysterious square wells.

The old square wells are unique because of their shapes and mysterious tales told by locals.

Four of the original 6 wells are scattered throughout Nam O Village at distances ranging from 200m to 300m. The other two were victims of the National Highway 1A extension.

The wells are lined with rectangular stone slabs 1m x 0.6m and 10cm thick laid symmetrically. They always have particularly fresh and sweet water even in the dry season.

Since 1997, the Lien Chieu District Culture and Information Office has cooperated with the Da Nang Museum and the Ho Chi Minh City-based Archaeological Institute to study the wells. As yet, they have not identified exactly who built them. However, initial research shows that they may have been built by the Cham. Most of the village elders believe this is so.

Many elderly citizens always ponder on how to preserve and honour the great values of the historical and cultural sites in the current context of local rapid urbanisation