Khoa Truong tile-roofed bridge and the story of a family in Nghe An

The bridge built by the Dinh family

Looking back at the history of the bridge that is only in the past, I was introduced by Nghi Long Commune Party Secretary Le Van Nghia to meet Mr. Dinh Van Tam, a descendant of the Dinh Kim Khe family currently living in Doi Cung ward (Vinh city) and he told me many interesting stories about the bridge as well as his famous family.

Khoa Truong covered bridge in a photo taken by the French. Historical document photo

Mr. Tam said: Khoa Truong Bridge was built in the late 18th century, initiated and built by two brothers, Dinh Trong Thu and Dinh Hong Phien, from Ong La Giap village, Kim Nguyen commune, Chan Loc district (now Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province). Mr. Dinh Trong Thu and his younger brother, Dinh Hong Phien, were mandarins during the Le dynasty. When the Le dynasty fell, they resigned and returned to their hometown to teach, not cooperating with the Tay Son dynasty. The bridge was built during that time and named Khoa Truong with the wish that the family would forever maintain the long-standing tradition of mandarin examinations.

The bridge has 3 spans, 2 foundations made of red stone, 30m long, 6m wide, built in the style of "upper house, lower bridge" with 4 pillars made of ironwood, above is a curved tiled roof shaped like a dragon's tail. The entire bridge is made of ironwood. There are railings on both sides, and chairs along the bridge for visitors to lie down, sit, rest, and enjoy the cool air. The reason for building Khoa Truong bridge is to help people in transportation, which everyone can see, but there is also a private reason that only the brothers in the same family understand: to create merit for their descendants.

Both Mr. Le Van Nghia and Dinh Van Tam still remember clearly that when they were children, they often crossed this bridge because it connected Nghi Long commune with other communes such as Nghi Thinh and Nghi Xa. According to the book Traditional History of Nghi Long commune, in 1980, Truong bridge was demolished, but the bridge is still in the minds and is the pride of many people in Nghi Long commune.

Mr. Dinh Van Tam introduces the photo of Khoa Truong tile-roofed bridge built by his ancestors in his hometown, which is Nghi Long commune, Nghi Loc today. Photo: Thanh Duy

A family of both literary and martial arts

The Dinh Kim Khe family is a famous family in history, both literary and martial. Mr. Dinh Hong Phien was famous for his talent in poetry and literature, served as an official for the Nguyen Dynasty, and was appointed as Deputy Chief Envoy to the Qing Dynasty. In 1822, Mr. Dinh Hong Phien's eldest son, Dinh Van Phac, passed the imperial examination and was one of the eight first-class doctors of the Minh Mang Dynasty. Mr. Dinh Van Phac was the son-in-law of the great poet Nguyen Du. Due to his involvement in the uprising of Le Van Khoi, Mr. Dinh Hong Phien was sentenced to extermination by the Nguyen Dynasty during the Minh Mang Dynasty. Fortunately, a nephew of Mr. Dinh Hong Phien and son of Dinh Van Phac, Dinh Van Ke, was sheltered and hidden by the villagers and escaped death.

Mr. Dinh Van Ke did not dare to take the exam, so he stayed home to make a living and repay his kindness to the villagers. All of Dinh Van Ke's children studied and passed the exams, including Mr. Dinh Van Chat, who passed the doctorate in 1875. When he was the district chief of Nghia Hung, Dinh Van Chat was famous for his integrity and diligence, so King Tu Duc bestowed upon him a golden plaque with the four words "Integrity, Peace, Diligence, and Ability" engraved on it.

In a research article about Dinh Van Chat, researcher Dao Tam Tinh wrote: “Nam Dinh citadel fell, French soldiers and boats surrounded Nghia Hung citadel. He closed the citadel gate, together with patriotic scholars, soldiers and civilians organized forces to dig trenches and build fortifications. The French continuously fired artillery to destroy the government office and civil works, but he still sat solemnly in the middle of the government office, with a sword and a cup of poison in front of him, swearing to fight the enemy to the death, determined not to surrender. The soldiers saw this and fought even harder, making it impossible for the enemy to enter the citadel, so they used the trick of luring him to surrender, but he did not listen. The French army had to retreat from the siege of Nghia Hung citadel.”

Image of the battle at Nam Dinh citadel between French colonialists and Nam Dinh soldiers. Historical document

In 1883, the French occupied the entire Nam Dinh province. He was appointed Thanh Hoa Military Affairs Commissioner by royal decree, then appointed as Son Phong Chanh Su, and participated in the Can Vuong movement against the French. Later, due to the pessimism of the court officials, the enemy was allowed to overwhelm them, leading to the anti-enemy forces gradually weakening and failing. He returned to his hometown Nghi Loc with the scholars and mandarins to gather the insurgents, raise the flag of uprising against the French, and join forces with other insurgent forces led by other scholars and mandarins.

At first, the insurgents were quite strong, stationed along the Southwest of Dien Chau, Northwest of Nghi Loc, Northeast of Nghi Xuan (Ha Tinh), with barracks, organized teams, and command guns and flags; recruited skilled workers, and built a weapon forge. His younger brother, Dau Xu Uyen, and his two sons, Dinh Van Con and Dinh Van Thieu, joined the insurgents with Dinh Van Chat. Later, the insurgents moved to establish a base to resist the French in Thanh Chuong.

At the base in Thanh Chuong, the French surrounded and blocked all the food supply routes for the insurgents, then concentrated on a fierce attack. The insurgents held out for 2 years, until 1887, when he was captured and handed over to the Southern Dynasty for punishment. On October 17, Dinh Hoi year, or November 28, 1877, the Nguyen Dynasty under King Dong Khanh convicted Dinh Van Chat of treason and issued an edict to exterminate his entire family.

While the family was in panic over the big case, Mr. Chat's youngest son, Dinh Van Chi, was fortunate to be taken to Vinh by an old woman in the village wearing a turban (skirt), and then taken to Fujian (China) by his maternal family to take refuge. After more than 10 years of hiding from the sentence in Fujian, when the situation in his hometown was stable, he returned to his hometown and changed his name to Dinh Van Chap. Mr. Chap studied well and became an official.

The location of the old Khoa Truong covered bridge across Rao Truong connecting Nghi Long commune with Nghi Thinh, Nghi Xa. Photo: Thanh Duy

Khoa Truong Bridge is now just a memory, but in the hundreds of years of its existence, it has become a historical relic associated with the land and people of Nghi Long and the Dinh Kim Khe family, famous for its studiousness, academic achievements, and patriotism. This is a family with outstanding figures in the fields of culture, education, military, Buddhism, etc. A family with typical figures who fought with all their might against tyranny and to protect justice. In recognition of the contributions of the Dinh Kim Khe family, many localities across the country have named streets after them, such as: Dinh Van Chat in Vinh City, Dinh Hong Phien in Cua Lo Town, Dinh Van Chap in Da Nang.