An bang Village

Brief History of An Bang

The history of the An Bang people began when a relationship formed with the Governor-General/Lord Nguyen Hoang when he came to the South (Thuan Hoa) to meet King Le in Thanh Hoa (1593), and to help the King pacify society after defeating Emperor Mac. Although he was praised for his contributions to pacifying society, Lord Nguyen Hoang realized that the Trinh family restrained him in fear of his growing prestige in the South. On the occasion of sailing to trade in Thanh Hoa, merchants in Phu Tan Binh met Doan Quan Quan Lord Nguyen Hoang. He asked about their land of Quang Binh, and made an appointment for the following year to welcome the merchants into Thanh Hoa. In the winter of 1600, merchants in An Ba Village, Cu Ha Commune, Khang Loc District, Phu Tan Binh (now Quang Binh), were present at Dai An, a sea mount in Nam Dinh, that brought the Village of General Tran. Lord Nguyen Hoang returned to Ai Tu Palace and continued his journey to observe the two regions of Thuan Hoa and Quang Nam.

When riding with the fleet of General Tran, Lord Nguyen Hoang stopped at the sea mouth in the land of An Bang village. Merchants soon realized that this was an ideal land, with rivers, sea mouths, forests and fields that were all favorable for farming, trading and fishing. They directly contacted Lord Nguyen Hoang asking if they could establish a village there, and were soon approved. By 1669, the An Bang village was established.

First and Second Settlers' Surnames

Disclaimer: (most are made-up names, because there is no record of their real names)

First Settlers:

Nguyen Quy Cong, first name Linh (has a grave and descendants in the Village)
Tran Quy Cong, (Unknown name, no grave and descendants in the village)
Hoang Quy Cong, (Unknown name, no grave and descendants in the village)
Truong Dai Lang, (Ordained in the 7th Duy Tan year (1913))

Second Settlers:

Le Van Tan Dai Lang
Van Mo Dai Lang
Dao Van Chat Dai Lang

Changes and Merges

As more people settled, other clans followed, totaling 45 clans. At the time, the village was ruled under Lord Nguyen Phuc Thai (1650-1691). Because the Lord's Mother's name was Tong Thi Doi, An Doi Ward was changed to An Bang Ward, then belonging to Diem Truong canton, Phu Vang District. In the 10th year of King Gia Long's reign (1811), it was changed to An Bang Village. And in 1814, during the reshaping of the locality of the village, he divided the boundaries, made documents, set up landmarks, and determined the boundaries with the neighboring villages. At the same time, he measured the land and the total number of boats for fishing tax, and incentives would be exempted and abolished. In 1963, An Bang village was split into An Bang commune and Ha Uc hamlet into Ha Uc commune. After 1975, An Bang Commune changed to An Bang Village, which merged with Ha Uc to become Vinh An Commune, Phu Vang District, Thua Thien - Hue Province.

Wars' Time

Like many in Vietnam during this time, An Bang village has experienced massive amounts of grief and suffering in and between wars, such as the Vietnam-France war dating back to 1946. They were devastated and harshly ruled by the French and once had the whole village razed by air strike in 1968. During the North-South Civil War from 1954 to 1975, the villagers experienced dire plight where they were mourning and dying under bombs.

After 1975, when the North Vietnamese army took over South Vietnam, reuniting the country, and ending the civil war, the people of An Bang faced the same fate as many Vietnamese people, especially those of the South. They disputed boundary line 17 and onward, which was subject to institutional change. Those who had connections with the government of the Republic of Vietnam (South) were exiled to prison, re-educated, or sent to live in the new economic zone. People's freedom was strictly controlled, and life became infinitely more difficult. People in the South began to find ways to escape abroad by sea or by road. In which case, 7 young people from the An Bang village took a trip in a small boat across the sea in July 1987.

Those 7 would soon set off a new wave, influencing others to cross the sea. In the previous years 1979, 1980, and 1981, some descendants of the Nguyen Van clan tried to cross the sea in hopes of freedom. In 1979, brothers Nguyen Hoang Thanh and Nguyen Khanh. In 1980, sister and brother Nguyen Thi Gieng (who unfortunately lost her life on the way) and Nguyen Thanh Trung. In 1981, brothers and sisters Nguyen San, Nguyen Thi Thoa, Nguyen Khuong, Nguyen Duong, Nguyen Thi Hanh, Nguyen Su, Nguyen Xu, and Nguyen Nguu's family, etc. The villagers continued to cross the sea up until 1990, two years after the Hong Kong refugee camp closed.

PRESENT HERITAGE

In the past, fishing was the main trade in which fishermen would net in shallow water. Their tasks changed depending on weather conditions and economic needs: In the clear water season, they went to sea to put buoys; in the turbid season, they raked and pounded the shrimp near the shore. There was little cultivation because it attracted little interest from the locals.

Nowadays, the villagers can no longer fish or trade, thanks to their relatives living abroad.

Cultural Heritage

village communal house
12 family churches
Bau Dinh
Buddhist temple
Church (Christian)
Mausoleum

Education Institutions

3 elementary schools
1 Junior High School

Dialect

Originating from Quang Binh, the pronunciation is similar to that of Quang Binh. Due to the time and exposure to the voices of other native speakers, the syllables have changed quite a bit. So now, An Bang people have a strange but special pronunciation.

Village's Clans

The Village has 45 Clans

Nguyen Family: 15 Clans; Le Family: 4 clans; Van Family: 5 clans; Ho Family: 3 clans; Truong Family: 4 clans; Pham Family: 4 Clans; Huynh Family: 1 clan; Hoang Family: 1 clan; Tran family: 2 clans; Dao Family: 1 Clan; Dang family: 1 clan; Phan Family: 2 clans; Lai Family: 1 clan; Duong Family: 1 clan.

?confused?: ex: Nguyen (Family) to Nguyen Van (Clan) and Nguyen Tran (Clan)

Fun Facts

The villagers have deep respect for their dead relatives, which is proved by the local cemetery, the largest and one of the most expensive. Most are paid for by their relatives living abroad.
The village was named by tourists and news as the "City of Ghosts" due to its cemetery.

References

Briefly about the origin of An Bang Village, HNAB. Cultural Division
Ancient Village Tich Old. VĂN ĐÌNH XUÂN. 2004. Friendship Group Publication.
The address book of An Bang village was established in 1669.
various source from Internet

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