Let's work together to restore the sacred temple.

Ancient traces

Visiting Duc Thinh hamlet, Hung Loc commune in November 2017, according to the elders, this place once housed the tomb and temple of Emperor Trung Quang Tran Quy Khoang - a king of the Later Tran Dynasty who made many contributions to the country and organized resistance against the Ming invaders' rule. The elders recounted that Trung Temple, where Emperor Trung Quang was worshipped, was located right next to his tomb. The tomb still remains, but only traces of the old temple remain.

The tomb complex of Emperor Tran Quy Khoang in Hung Loc commune, Vinh City. Photo: Nhat Lan

The Trung Temple was once very large, consisting of three buildings: Lower, Middle, and Upper. Inside, there were statues, ritual objects, and royal decrees from the Le and Nguyen dynasties, commensurate with the merits of the deity. During the period when the American forces escalated their bombing of North Vietnam, the Trung Temple was damaged by bombs and bullets, with the Lower, Middle, and Upper buildings all being destroyed.

During this period, the Hung Loc commune authorities temporarily used the temple's rafters, beams, and pillars to build a warehouse for the cooperative. The ritual objects, statues, and royal decrees were moved to the Tran family's ancestral temple (also in Duc Thinh hamlet) for safekeeping, awaiting the restoration of the Trung Temple before being returned.

Fortunately, the tomb of Emperor Trùng Quang in Đức Thịnh hamlet remains intact. His tomb is situated in a rather scenic location, right next to the road bearing his name: Trần Trùng Quang. The tomb has now been extensively renovated and restored. The complex includes a perimeter wall, a triple-arched gate, an altar, statues of elephants and horses, and shady trees…

Upon arriving at the tomb of Emperor Tran Quy Khoang, the scene was exactly as described by the elders of Duc Thinh hamlet, but all traces of the Trung Temple had disappeared. Here, we met Mrs. Tran Thi Quyen (77 years old), a descendant of the Tran family from Duc Thinh hamlet.

When asked, Mr. Quyen spoke of the longing for the old temple felt by the descendants of the Tran family and the people of Hung Loc commune. Pointing to a thicket of bushes about 100 meters behind the mausoleum, he said:

“After being damaged by bombs during the war, Trung Temple was dismantled to make way for a cooperative warehouse in that area. Over time, the warehouse also collapsed. Currently, wooden artifacts from the temple are still intact in the bushes. Because the temple is so sacred, no one dares to take them for their own use…”

The wooden artifacts from the ancient Trung Temple still remain. Photo: Nhat Lan

Exploring the wooden artifacts of Trung Temple, as pointed out by Mrs. Tran Thi Quyen, amidst the dense foliage, there were indeed many trusses, rafters, beams, and columns… Although damaged by time, the traces of wood carving art commonly found in temples are clearly evident in these wooden artifacts…

Upon arriving at the Hung Loc commune headquarters shortly afterward, the officials there confirmed that the restoration of Trung Temple was the heartfelt wish of the descendants of the Tran clan and of all the officials and people of Hung Loc commune. Because this wish was entirely legitimate, the Party Committee and the government of Hung Loc commune had submitted a written request to higher authorities quite some time ago.

In 2014, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 5113/UBND-VH agreeing to the plan to restore Trung Temple with funding determined from social contributions and a portion of the budget of the Vinh City People's Committee and the Hung Loc Commune People's Committee.

The plan to restore Trung Temple was subsequently approved by relevant authorities at all levels. However, the restoration of Trung Temple faced financial difficulties, causing delays in implementation, despite the Hung Loc commune government's efforts to mobilize social resources for the temple's restoration…

Let's work together to restore the sacred temple.

Regarding Hung Loc commune on this occasion, local officials said that with initial contributions from descendants of the Tran family and officials and people in the commune, the main hall of Trung Temple is being built. Thus, the hope of restoring Trung Temple of the descendants of the Tran family and all officials and people of Hung Loc commune has begun to be realized.

The main hall of Trung Temple is under construction. Photo: Nhat Lan

Upon arriving at the tomb of Emperor Tran Quy Khoang, the construction of the Upper Hall of the Trung Temple had reached its completion stage. The Upper Hall was rebuilt on the old site, occupying a fairly large area, right behind the tomb of the emperor. The Upper Hall was constructed of concrete in accordance with ancient architecture, featuring a sanctuary, 18 columns, and four curved roofs.

According to Mr. Le Duy Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hung Loc commune, the main hall has an area of ​​approximately 80 square meters, with a total construction cost of about 950 million VND. Once the main hall is completed, the commune government will use the adjacent land on the right, under its management, as a parking lot for visitors; at the same time, there are plans to expand the left side to give the temple grounds more width facing Tran Trung Quang street.

Also at this location, Mr. Le Duy Thanh stated that after the completion of the main hall and supporting facilities such as the fence and parking lot, the Hung Loc commune government will propose to relevant agencies and levels to reconsider and re-recognize the Trung Temple as a historical and cultural relic.

Mr. Thanh shared: "After being recognized as a historical and cultural relic, Hung Loc commune will proceed to restore the Middle and Lower Palaces to their original state, fulfilling the aspirations of the descendants of the Tran family and the people of the entire commune..."

The main hall of Trung Temple, viewed from the tomb of Emperor Tran Quy Khoang. Photo: Nhat Lan

Regarding Trung Temple and the Tran family in Hung Loc commune, we have heard many stories about Trung Temple having its National Historical and Cultural Monument recognition revoked. This story happened quite a long time ago. At that time, the cultural sector compiled a dossier on the "Tomb and Temple of Tran Quy Khoang" and it was recognized as a national monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Subsequently, land disputes involving the Trần family's ancestral church, a historical site, led central government agencies to discover inaccuracies in the historical site's documentation.In 2010, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revoked the recognition certificate for the historical site "Tran Quy Khoang's Tomb and Temple".

However, because Tran Quy Khoang was a real historical figure, and the series of relics associated with this king, including his tomb, the Tran family ancestral house, and the Trung Temple, are real, the Provincial People's Committee directed the Vinh City and Hung Loc commune authorities to take responsibility for preserving them. This led to a decision in 2014 to approve the restoration of the Trung Temple.

In Hung Loc commune these days, we met several individuals who are descendants of the Tran family and are contributing to the restoration of Trung Temple. Mr. Tran Trung Du, Vice Chairman of the Tran Family Council of Hung Loc commune, is one of them.

Mr. Du said that his father was entrusted by the Family Council with the responsibility of preserving and safeguarding 3 out of 12 royal decrees bestowed by previous kings upon Trung Temple. Over the decades, these 3 decrees have been preserved intact by his family.

Mr. Tran Trung Du introduces the royal decree of the Le Dynasty king to Trung Temple. Photo: Nhat Lan.

Mr. Du showed us three royal decrees (one from the Le dynasty and two from the Nguyen dynasty) and told us about the descendants of the Tran family from Hung Loc commune, scattered throughout the country, who had contributed to the restoration of Trung Temple.

He said, “Tran Quy Khoang was the last king of the Tran dynasty, who led the resistance against the invading Ming army. Although the resistance failed, it laid the foundation for the Le dynasty to drive out foreign invaders and gain independence for the country. His famous ministers, such as Nguyen Bieu and Dang Tat, all had worthy places of worship after their deaths. Why is it that he, to this day, does not have this? As his descendants, how can we bear to think about this? Therefore, during this difficult time for the state, we are mobilizing donations to restore the Trung Temple so that he can have a place of worship. This also serves to unite and build solidarity within the family…”

Mr. Tran Trung Du's words, as if expressing the sentiments of the descendants of the Tran family in Hung Loc commune, reflect the meaningful efforts to restore the Trung Temple. In the historical flow of the nation, Emperor Trung Quang Tran Quy Khoang is a historical figure worthy of honor; and the efforts to restore the Trung Temple further illuminate the Vietnamese people's principle of "drinking water, remembering the source"...