When swimming in lakes or the ocean, one of the more frightening thoughts is that something lurks beneath you and is capable of striking at any minute. In the oceans, there’s a rational fear of sharks and other predators while in lakes and rivers there’s a variety of animals that could drag one to a horrifying death. While most are well aware of what animals reside in which waters, most people never contemplate what supernatural forces might exist beneath their feet. All around the world, graveyards have been discovered underwater with many housing thousands of graves. This raises all sort of questions around paranormal activity underwater. While most swimmers are primarily concerned with sharks or crocodiles, in Vietnam, spirits are said to live under the water, vengeful ones that prey upon unsuspecting victims. These ghosts are called Ma Da.
Ma da are described as the spirits of drowned victims and appear as bloated corpses with weed tangled in their hair. Many say they have a childlike appearance, probably because of the high fatality rate of children drowning in Vietnam. It is said these souls died in agony and cannot find peace. Legend has it that they can only be reincarnated if there’s someone else to take their place. That is why they roam in lakes and rivers waiting to pull down oblivious swimmers.
While the Legend of Ma Da is almost surely fictional and told to children by parents to keep them away and out of water, we must note again it’s entirely possible and likely paranormal activity does exist in the rivers and lakes of Vietnam.
One prominent example of paranormal activity occurring in a body water involved Hanoi West Lake in Vietnam. underneath the lake is a massive graveyard, with many reporting paranormal activity and curses. To make things creepier the gravesite has some part not deep under the water. When water levels drop, it’s not uncommon to see graves rise above the water in places that are shallow. Boats run into graves from time to time as well.
Despite the picaresque appearance of West Lake on the surface, below it, The graveyard has been renowned for much paranormal activity over the years. In the 1970s, locals started diving into the lake to retrieve wood from the graveyard’s coffins to sell. According to local legend though, all who did so, or anyone who bought furniture made from the coffin wood, became cursed and suffered some type of misfortune.
It is said many of the carpenters reportedly went crazy while staining the wood as they witnessed horrifying faces appear on the newly stained wood.
It also said some of the best divers have drowned under mysterious circumstances while going out for a simple dive around the graveyard. Many attribute their misfortune to the spirits under the water.
While the Ma Da might not be entirely true it might be one of the best myths the country has ever created. This is because the country experiences a large number of children drowning each year, around 3,000 every year. The rate of child drownings is around 10 times higher than other developed countries. In Vietnam , drowning had been detrimental, with around 50% of injuries and fatalities involving children in the country.
So, while the Ma Da legend might not be entirely true, its important to point out that fear of the Ma Da probably stopped many children from going in the water and saved countless lives.
