A trip in the mysterious land of An Giang, you can go to any place without thinking and thinking. But no matter where you go, do not forget to visit Chau Giang Cham village, an indispensable place in the itinerary to discover the cultural beauty of An Giang. The life of the Cham ethnic community in An Giang has always had a strange attraction and this is also the inspiration of many musicians, writers and poets.
How to move to Cham Chau Giang village?
Chau Giang Cham Village is a hamlet with a large number of Cham ethnic groups living, just one river from Chau Doc. With a distance of 5km by road (it takes more than 20 minutes to travel) and 3.5km by river (it takes more than 15 minutes to travel) if starting from Chau Doc city center. Moving to Cham Chau Giang village will choose one of these two methods. Specifically:
If traveling by road, you can use a car or motorbike to get to Chau Giang ferry, about 3km from the center of Chau Doc city. Here, you will wait for the ferry to cross the territory of Chau Phong commune of Tan Chau district. Through the ferry, you go more than 1km to Chau Giang Cham village.
By river, you will come to Chau Doc junction (about 500m from Victoria hotel) or at Chau Giang wharf located across Chau Doc city to rent a boat. Boat rental prices at each point will have many different levels, depending on where your trip is and how many people you go. However, one thing that you can be assured of is that the price is relatively cheap and very reasonable. This is the most popular and preferred form of tourists.
Visiting Chau Giang Cham Village
Among the Cham villages in An Giang, it can be said that Chau Giang Cham village still preserves many unique cultural features in material and spiritual life. Prominent among them can be mentioned traditional brocade weaving, living custom on stilts and Islamic beliefs in the shadow of the mosque. It is from this that Chau Giang Cham village is often sought by writers, poets and musicians for inspiration to compose many literary and artistic works.
Mobile vending cart in Cham Village
Entering the Cham village, you are lost in another world. Coming here, in the quiet rural space of the Western river, you will feel the friendliness and hospitality of the locals. With a large Muslim community of Cham people, An Giang has many mosques and minor churches; The most prominent among them is the Mubarak mosque which is recognized as a national heritage. From Chau Giang ferry, you turn left to admire the beauty of this construction. Splendid Mubarak Cathedral – a sanctuary in beliefs, cultural activities of the Cham people according to Islam. The cathedral has a unique architecture, a round tower, an arc-shaped main gate, very unique. The roof of the mosque has a large two-storey oval tower, the base of the tower has the shape of a crescent moon and a star, symbolizing Islam. This is one of the works of high value, and is an attractive attraction in Chau Giang Cham village.
Mubarak Church
Every year they have three great festivals: Roja on December 10 of the lunar calendar; The Ramadam festival (also known as the fasting ceremony) lasts from September 1 to the end of September 30 of the lunar calendar; The birthday of Patriarch Muhammed is on the 12th day of the 3rd lunar month. Every day, devotees come to the mosque 5 times to pray, about 15 minutes each time. On Fridays alone, the devotees come almost fully at 12 noon and focus on listening to the teacher recite the scriptures for an hour.
Regarding the origin of the Cham people here, there are opinions shared: “The Cham people in Chau Giang do not come from the same origin. Our community consists of many ethnic groups: Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.” “We speak Malay, the other group speaks Cambodian. If we don’t understand each other, we can use Vietnamese as a common language for communication.” (according to Mr. Mouhamach, Church of Mubarak in Chau Giang hamlet).
Another opinion, according to ancient books, the Cham people of An Giang originated from the kingdom of Champa – Ninh Thuan. When the war broke out, they migrated to Cambodia’s Kampong Cham. Later from there, he migrated to Vietnam and settled in An Giang today. There is still a part of Cham people in Cambodia who are villages around Bien Ho.
Another person said that, with the title of “victory Cham” the Cham people from the central coast, (Ta Kieu – My Son) have been here since the war with the army of Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu in 1699.
Because of Islam (Islamism), the Cham’s customs here are also associated with the rules in Islam. Men wear sarongs – called blankets. Women wear sarongs called skirts. Men wear hats, old people have white hats, young people have black hats. Women wear Mat’ra scarves. Men here don’t drink. Cham Muslim women here are often not allowed to go out but just hang around the house doing housework and weaving. They don’t eat pork; not wear gold.
Cham Women
Also here, you will be able to visit and learn about traditional brocade weaving that has existed for hundreds of years. Although the brocade here is not much different from the brocade of the Cham people in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. But because of the acculturation, different religious beliefs, each pattern shown on each product has created a distinct impression.
Nơi đây nổi tiếng với nghề dệt thổ cẩm truyền thống
Xen lẫn với những món hàng thổ cẩm được dệt hoàn toàn bằng thủ công, tại cơ sở được xem như là điểm tham quan còn có những mặt hàng trang sức như vòng, dây chuyền, hoa tai, bông tai, … cũng được đồng bào Chăm nơi đây làm hết sức công phu và bắt mắt. Nếu muốn mua để sử dụng hoặc để làm quà cho người thân và bạn bè thì những món đồ này là một sự lựa chọn hợp lý.
This place is famous for traditional brocade weaving
Mixed with brocade products that are woven entirely by hand, at the establishment which is considered as a tourist attraction, there are also jewelry items such as rings, necklaces, earrings, earrings, … also by the people. Care here is very elaborate and eye-catching. If you want to buy for use or as a gift for relatives and friends, these items are a reasonable choice.
Through observation and study, it is known that the stilt house of the Cham people in Chau Giang village is designed very delicately in a large and airy space with nature. The house when built will be divided into two types: small house with 4 compartments and large house with 5 compartments. According to feng shui, the facade always faces south and there must be a wooden ladder to go up and down. The two doors are slightly lower than the head so that when strangers enter the house, they must bow low to greet the owner. Depending on the conditions of each family, the type of wood used to build the house will show the class of the owner.
There is a difference of the stilt house in Cham village, there are no tables and chairs inside, so when guests come to the house, the host often spreads a mat or carpet for the guests to sit cross-legged on the wooden floor. Especially in the house, there is a door frame with a decorative curtain that is decorated with eye-catching decoration to separate it from the inner house. According to custom, this is a living area completely reserved for women and girls, men are not allowed to enter. Therefore, this area is very important when there are guests or people coming to the house to play.
