Located in Vy Da ward, Hue city, Con Hen covers an area of 24.6 hectares. Most of the local people earn their living by catching shrimp and fish at night. Therefore, they often call this place as "Con Soi." In the 18th-19th centuries, Huynh Tuong came here to build a hut and engage in baby basket clam colleting. Since then, baby basket clams have become the livelihood of the whole village, and the name "Con Hen" officially came into being. Together with "Huu Bach Ho" (Con Da Vien), Con Hen symbolizes power, complementing both sides of the imperial city.
From the city center, you can easily reach Con Hen by road through Da Dam, turn onto Nguyen Sinh Cung street, and continue straight to Phu Luu iron bridge. The bridge is 3 meters wide and is only for pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles. This helps Con Hen maintain its quiet and peaceful beauty - a typical feature of Hue’s countryside.
Coming to Con Hen, you can admire historical relics that have existed for hundreds of years, including Boi Thanh village communal house, Phap Hai pagoda, etc. Simple houses, along with the peaceful beauty and the hospitality of local people, make it easy for visitors to explore and enjoy the beauty of Con Hen.
Con Hen is also known as the "Hue food island," with famous eateries serving rice with baby basket clams and sweet corn soup, which attract many food lovers. Famous for the baby basket clam collecting, dishes made from baby basket clams are a specialty that few places can rival. Made from familiar ingredients, such as leftover rice, fried pork lard, fresh baby basket clams, roasted peanuts, garlic, salt, among others, combined with the skillful hands and refined taste of people of Hue, rice with baby basket clams has become an integral part of the culinary culture and an elegant dish of the ancient capital. In addition, when talking about Con Hen's cuisine, people also mention sweet corn soup.
Ancient Vy Da - today’s Con Hen still retains its fresh beauty over time, and is an essential part of the overall picture of Hue, preserving invaluable cultural and historical values. Currently, Con Hen island is a densely populated residential area with more than 1,000 households and around 4,500 people. The peaceful land is still waiting for projects to preserve its ancient beauty while bringing a new appearance for the island.
Translated by Quynh Oanh