So that the Van Chi Tong Cat Ngan does not become a ruin!

According to the information engraved on the Van Chi, in the 10th year of Khai Dinh (1925), the Cat Ngan General Office of the Van Ho appointed Mr. Vo Van To - Bachelor of Nham Ty (1912) and Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam - Bachelor of Mau Ngo (1918) to preside over the composition of the stele and supervise the moving and restoration of the Van Chi.

The inscription consists of three stone steles erected on the top of Go Cao, in Cao Mon commune (now Thanh Lien commune) facing the top of Thap But - a symbol of Thanh Chuong's academic land. The three steles clearly record the names of the Grand Masters (Third Prize Winners, Doctors), Bachelors, and Bachelors in the history of the feudal examinations in Vietnam of Cat Ngan commune as well as the contributions and embellishments of the scholars.

Pen Tower in Thanh Lien commune - about 1,000m south of Cat Ngan communal house relic. The communal house and Pen Tower are symbols of the studious land of Thanh Chuong. Photo courtesy

At that time, Cat Ngan commune was calculated from Cat Ngan commune to Duc Nhuan (Thanh Lien commune today) of Thanh Chuong district. Originally a land of learning, Cat Ngan commune at that time had many famous scholars with high achievements such as the Great Doctor in Dinh Hoi year (1467) - Dinh Bo Cuong; Nguyen Ngoc Dat - Third Prize winner in Binh Ngo year (1546), Nguyen The Binh - Doctor in At Mui year (1775)... All were recorded clearly and carefully in Van Chi.

However, after the death of Mr. Vo Van To and Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam, the care and restoration of the Van Chi was almost forgotten. Along with the destruction of natural disasters and war, this evidence gradually faded away. The Van Chi spent decades "exposed to the wind and rain" without anyone to look after it.

One of the three stone steles of the Cat Ngan communal house. Photo: Phu Nam

Until more than ten years ago, when the cultural life of the people was improved and the Law on Cultural Heritage was promulgated, the people and the government of Thanh Chuong district agreed to restore this document. However, how to restore it is a difficult problem.

Because of many objective reasons, it is impossible to restore the Van Chi in the Vo family church grounds, so the commune and district authorities were forced to choose another location in the area to relocate the Van Chi.

The temple was only partially restored after the relocation. Photo: Phu Nam

There have been many opinions that the Van Chi should be relocated to the Thanh Chuong III High School. However, the school campus is not large enough and is not suitable for moving the Van Chi. After much debate, in 2014, the Van Chi was finally relocated next to the Thanh Lien Commune People's Committee center.

However, due to financial difficulties as well as difficulties in reaching a consensus on architectural style, the restoration of the Van Chi is still unfinished. Therefore, after 4 years, Van Chi continues to be "exposed to the elements" after being moved to a new location.

After 4 years, the restoration of Van Chi is still facing difficulties due to lack of funding. Photo: Phu Nam

Mr. Phan Ba ​​Ngoc - Chairman of Thanh Lien Commune People's Committee, Thanh Chuong District said: "Cat Ngan communal house is a testament to the names of talented, studious and righteous people of Cat Ngan area in general and Thanh Lien commune in particular. Realizing this, the government and people in the commune agreed to restore the communal house to promote the movement of encouraging learning and talent in the locality. However, the restoration encountered many difficulties when choosing the relocation location as well as the funding source for the restoration. Therefore, up to now, the project is still unfinished, the government is also struggling to find a suitable solution".