Persistent village tradition

(Baonghean) - Located on the right bank of the Gang River, the ancient Yen Lac village, Thanh Ngoc commune (Thanh Chuong) with many temples, palaces, and shops, is a red address associated with the revolutionary struggle of our people...

The village was born long ago, in the early 15th century when the ancestors of the Tran and Vo families came here to settle down, the village already existed. To the west, the Gang River meanders between the two banks of corn and rice; to the east, Elephant Mountain and White Mountain form a towering strip, protecting and sheltering the village. The old village had two hamlets: Yen Thuong and Yen Ha; after the revolution, many new hamlets were born in the village.

According to the elders, Yen Thuong hamlet has a 3-room communal house made of jackfruit wood, facing south. Next to the communal house, the village erected a stele of Ba Hau - to record the merits of the woman who contributed money to the village, built the palace, and communal house. Behind the communal house is Yen Thuong pagoda, with a three-door gate and a large shrine, inside which are worshiped many Buddha statues. Yen Ha hamlet also has a 3-room communal house made of ironwood, with walls on three sides. Every year, the communal house often holds the opening ceremony and the death anniversary of King Mai Hac De.

In 1930 - 1931, Yen Ha communal house was the training place of the Red Guards; the workplace of the local Soviet government; the place where the Provincial Party Committee cadre Nguyen Van Tieu sacrificed his life during a raid by the enemy, shooting and killing in the village. Next to the communal house is Yen Ha pagoda, hidden under the shade of ancient trees. Today, the two pagodas have faded away; Yen Thuong communal house only has a banyan tree and a merit stele on the old ground, now a kindergarten; Yen Ha communal house, although restored by the villagers, is located in the grounds of a temple.

Yen Thuong Palace, Thanh Ngoc Commune (Thanh Chuong).

Along the Gang River, there is Yen Thuong Temple, worshiping 8 gods, located on beautiful land, overlooking the river wharf. The gate of the temple is 2 pillars facing the village communal house; the upper hall, the left and right wings are small houses, elaborately carved; on both sides are statues of civil and military mandarins; in front is a 3-room jackfruit wood worshiping house, with an altar with 2 neat rows. Every year, villagers often gather at the temple to pray for peace in the spring and pray for rain during droughts. In 1930 - 1931, the temple was a place to hide revolutionary documents, a guard station of the Red Guards. During the anti-American war, the entire temple garden was nearly 2 acres wide with many ancient trees, rattan, and dense bamboo, a shelter for convoys of cars carrying goods to the front line... After a long period of degradation and ruin, in 2010, the temple was restored and embellished by the villagers. The ancient banyan tree in the front yard still casts its luxuriant shade. The banyan tree in front of the gate embraces one side of the pillar. For hundreds of years, Yen Thuong Palace has not only been a place for cultural and spiritual activities of the village, but also a place for many tourists to stop, burn incense, and enjoy the scenery every time they visit the village.

The village also has a Thanh Quan located on Ruong Lai field, worshiping Confucius and the sages; it is a place where scholars burn incense, and they often come to pray for success every time they take exams. The villagers say that: Thanh Quan was built far from the village communal houses, because the ancestors invited a geomancer to choose a beautiful piece of land to build, hoping that the children in the village would be successful in their studies... In 2010, Thanh Quan was renovated by the villagers, including a shrine and a three-door gate. In the courtyard of the Quan, on the left side, a lotus pond was created and a memorial stele was erected to commemorate the village's martyrs.

Floating tree Yen Ha.

Yen Ha wharf has two ancient trees, which are the communal living place of the village. The old banyan tree, near the water's edge, casts its shade over the middle of the river wharf. Right next to it is a drift tree hundreds of years old, tens of meters high, with a base that is big enough for 7 or 8 people to hug. In the years 1930 - 1931, the drift tree was where revolutionaries planted the red hammer and sickle flag; where villagers gathered in the streets to fight against colonialism and feudalism. At Yen Thuong wharf, during the anti-American war, soldiers built a wooden bridge across the Gang River, allowing trucks to transport goods to the front line, avoiding the "fire bow" of Ru Nguoc and Truong Bon. The US once dropped bombs to destroy the bridge, to cut off this important route, but Yen Thuong bridge still stands tall. The drift tree was also dug a deep hole next to it by American bombs and many branches were broken. Now, on its body, there are many jagged wounds from storms, bullets and bombs, although they have healed, they are still clearly visible. The old river wharf has a bridge across it, the banyan tree is no longer there, but the floating tree still grows green, a testament, a symbol of the strong vitality, of the resilient, indomitable fighting spirit of the people here.

The once poor countryside no longer has the scene of "Who comes to Yen Lac to see / Bringing pots to the stove and carrying hot pots to the fields", high-rise buildings and concrete roads are becoming more and more numerous, and especially, the traditional cultural values ​​of many generations of ancestors are still preserved by the people here.

Huy Thu