Chinh Vi Temple: A relic at the estuary

Chinh Vi Temple is located in Nghi Xuan commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province, 12km east of Vinh city, on the Vinh - Cua Hoi - Cua Lo road.

In 1800, Mr. Ba Hoi, a boat trader, spent money to build a temple. Chinh Vi Temple worships the village's tutelary god and the wandering souls along the river. The temple is located in a natural landscape with a wharf and boats, and is windy all year round. In addition to its spiritual and religious significance, Chinh Vi Temple is also a relic associated with many historical events of the locality.

Over 500 years ago, Nghi Xuan commune belonged to the land of "Three pages and seven camps" of Duke Nguyen Su Hoi. Nguyen Su Hoi was the eldest son of Grand Tutor Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi. He and his father eliminated the rebels to restore the Le dynasty. Nguyen Su Hoi was also appointed Admiral to command and defend 12 seaports, from Sam Son (Thanh Hoa) to Thuan An (Thua Thien - Hue). He was the one who recruited people to establish villages in the land of Cua Hoi and Cua Lo.

Cua Hoi includes the villages of Song Loc, Tan Hop, My Loc, Nam Son and Hong Quan in Dang Xa commune. On this land, there are many cultural architectural works such as: Hieu village temple, Chinh Vi temple, Phuc Vi temple, Dong Trang temple, Nam Son temple, Hong Quan temple, Hai Yen temple...

The people here have a tradition of mandarin examinations: Mr. Pham Vi Khiem obtained the title of Imperial Doctor with the title of Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si ​​of the Le Canh Hung Dynasty, Mr. Truong Van Khang (the General Teacher) passed the Tam Truong exam, Mr. Le Ke Thuong passed the Bachelor exam, Mr. Le Ke Xuan was awarded the title of Han Lam by the King, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh passed the Bachelor exam with the title of Tham Bien Dai Hoc Si, Mr. Hoang Quan, Mr. Dinh Duong, Mr. Le Quy Mau, Le Khac Giai, Le Khac Tuan, Le Duc Tinh, Hoang Duc Doan, Mr. Nguyen Ba Cac... all passed the Bachelor exam, Tu Tai exam and Han Hoc exam.

On this land, there were many military generals whose names were recorded in history books such as: General Vu Duc Hau, Grand Admiral Nguyen Ba Loc, both of whom were meritorious officials during the Tay Son Nguyen Hue period.

In 1885-1896, in response to the Can Vuong edict, many Song Loc children actively participated and became leaders of the anti-French movement such as: Dinh Van Chat, Dang Thai Than, Ngo Quang, Hoang Van Thai, Dinh Van Phien, Cao Huy Tuan, Nguyen Huu Chinh, Trinh Xuan Huy. The people cut down bamboo fences to block the enemy's advance, contributed money and rice to supply the insurgents and nurtured and protected the scholars who participated in the uprising. At that time, Chinh Vi Temple became a gathering place for young people and intellectuals to discuss national affairs and organize the reading of patriotic poetry.

Under the oppression and exploitation of the feudal colonialists, the people rose up to fight against the Westerners who confiscated alcohol and salt, demanded the division of public land, fought against corrupt local officials, and fought against forest rangers for bullying and forcing people to collect casuarina leaves to cook...

From 1925 onwards, the revolutionary organizations Thanh Nien and Tan Viet were born in Song Loc. To commemorate the October Revolution in Russia in 1929, the Indochinese Communist Party organized a flag-raising ceremony at Chinh Vi Temple.

On February 3, 1930, the Communist Party of Vietnam was born, under the leadership of the Central Region Party Committee, Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Nghi Loc District Party Committee, the first merged Party cell of Nghi Loc District was established, with comrade Nguyen Duc Binh as Secretary. After that, mass organizations such as: Red Peasant Association, Women's Liberation Association, Communist Youth Union, Red Self-Defense Force, Support Association... were born.

Under the leadership of the Party, Song Loc people have written glorious pages of history:
On the morning of May 1, 1930, people from Song Loc, Tan Hop, An Hau, Duc Hau villages... participated in a demonstration with workers from Vinh - Ben Thuy factories demanding that the French colonialists increase wages, reduce working hours for workers, and reduce taxes for farmers. The demonstration was brutally suppressed by the French colonialists, killing 6 people and injuring 18 others.

On June 25, 1930, implementing the policy of Nghi Loc district, Song - Tan Party Cell led red peasant association sub-groups, mobilizing hundreds of farmers to gather at Cong Ma Nuong (Nghi Truong commune) to attend a rally.

On September 10, 1930, the people of Song Loc - Tan Hop, My Chiem, Phuong Cuong (Dang Xa commune) gathered at Con Mo (Co Bai, Phuc Tho) to rally against the imperialists' execution of two Red Peasant Association cadres, Phan Van Than and Nguyen Van Diu. The masses also forced Bang Yen and Tho Than (Song Loc) to make confessions, then marched to destroy the Fonten Wine Agency, the French signal house, and made demands that the military officer in charge of the garrison stop controlling and collecting taxes on people's boats entering and leaving Cua Hoi.

On September 28, 1930, people gathered at Dong Rao (Nghi Xuan commune) to protest and punish Do Toan - the tax collector at Son market for being arrogant and bullying the people; then they went into the house to smash things and took Do Toan out to Son market to "fight", a young man lit a match and burned off his catfish beard. Do Toan was so scared that he promised from now on "he would not dare to report to the authorities and would not collect market taxes anymore".

On February 28, 1930, the people of Song Loc - Tan Hop, Phuong Cuong, My Chiem, Hai Con, Co Bai, An Hau, Duc Hau (Nghi Loc) together with workers and farmers of Vinh - Ben Thuy, Yen Dung... held a memorial service for the soldiers who died in the struggle on September 12, 1930 in Thai Lao (Hung Nguyen).

In early 1931, the people punished the district chief Ton That Hoan and his henchmen at Chinh Vi temple. This event shocked public opinion in the country and in both Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. Ton That Hoan had been the district chief of Nghi Loc since 1930, a descendant of Nguyen Gia Long (Ton That), and was the most evil district chief in the country.

On the morning of January 2, 1931, District Chief Ton That Hoan rode a purple horse with 5 soldiers to Song Loc village to hunt down Party cadres. Upon hearing the news, General Committee Dang Xa immediately gathered the masses to protest, demanding that the district chief release those who were arrested. The drums beat continuously, the red militia and the masses led by comrade Truong Van Thanh brought spears, clubs, sickles, knives... and rushed forward. The district chief ordered the soldiers to shoot, injuring one person. Immediately, the masses shouted and rushed forward, the soldiers fled, and when they reached Chinh Vi temple (Nghi Xuan), they tried to find a boat to escape but the people caught up. The district chief, along with the deputy chief Dang Xa, the deputy village chief, Song Loc regiment chief and 5 soldiers were punished by the people.

After the murder of the district chief, the feudalists of the Southern Dynasty intensified the white terror in Nghi Loc. They established the Chinh Vi station (right next to the Chinh Vi temple) and sent the notorious "Tang" and 40 soldiers in green uniforms to search, arrest, and suppress day and night. The terror lasted for months. At the Chinh Vi banyan tree, the French colonialists and feudalists executed 22 communist soldiers. Among them was comrade Nguyen Phong Sac - Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee and burned down 320 houses of the people of Song Loc - Tan Hop.

Although the enemy used all kinds of sinister tricks, it did not diminish the revolutionary spirit of the people. The revolutionary movement here continued to develop until 1945.

On February 23, 1937, the envoy of the French Popular Front Government, Goda, came to investigate the situation in Indochina from Hanoi to Vinh. Hundreds of farmers and fishermen from Song Loc - Tan Hop came to Vinh to send their demands and wishes to Goda, "demanding food, jobs, freedom and democracy, abolishing the poll tax, reducing land tax, and eliminating political prisoners..."

In 1945, the Viet Minh Front was born, using the Chinh Vi Temple as its headquarters and a gathering place for mass organizations. The National Salvation Army was established and formed a new force for the uprising to seize power in the August Revolution of 1945.

Chinh Vi Temple is located close to the Lam River bank, facing East, overlooking Cua Hoi. Chinh Vi Temple has 2 houses: the Upper Palace and the Lower Palace. Over time, nature and enemies have caused the relic to deteriorate heavily. Currently, the relic only has the Upper Palace house with 3 rooms and 2 wings remaining.

In front of the entrance gate are two 4m high pillars, on the pillars are two lions, on the body of the pillars are two parallel sentences carved in Chinese characters: "Lam thuy phong van boi vuong khi chinh thien tue nguyet tu du linh" praising the natural landscape of the temple that is rarely compared. In the middle of the two pillars is a gate shaped like a tiger, on both sides of the gate are two kneeling stone elephants. Next is the yard 10m long, 7m wide. The Upper Palace has 3 compartments, 2 wings with seven curved crane-shaped arches, two sides are built with a wall. The front has 6 doors made of ironwood. The main longitudinal beam is carved with dragon and phoenix motifs and stylized flowers and leaves. The temple has a large red-lacquered and gilded inscription with the 4 words "Chinh Vi Linh Tu".

Chinh Vi Temple used to worship the village's tutelary god. In 1996, local people built an altar to comrade Nguyen Phong Sac and other soldiers who died in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement in 1930-1931.

Every year, local people organize many festivals such as: praying for peace, worshiping the water god, worshiping the river god; boat racing festival on Lam river, organizing lion dance, playing human chess...

Chinh Vi Temple is not only a place for cultural and spiritual activities of the community but also a memorial to comrade Nguyen Phong Sac - Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee and the fallen sons of the homeland and the typical events in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement. With that meaning, on January 24, 1998, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 95 recognizing Chinh Vi Temple as a national historical and cultural relic.