Hai Hau Temple - a place that witnessed the fierce struggle of the people of Xuan Lam commune

Hai Hau Temple is an architectural work built during the Le Trung Hung period (1533 - 1789). The temple was built to worship two historical figures who contributed to the people and the country, and who were also father and son, namely Doctor Nguyen Phung Thoi and Doctor Nguyen Ba Quynh. The two men were granted the title of Marquis by the court, so people often called it Hai Hau Temple.

Hai Hau Temple relic is located in Hamlet 8, Xuan Tuong Commune, Thanh Chuong District, Nghe An Province. Over hundreds of years, the place name has changed many times but the location of the relic remains the same as the original.

Hai Hau Temple is located northwest of Vinh city, the economic, political and cultural center, 11km southeast of Thanh Chuong district. Visitors who want to visit the relic can go by many different means, following National Highway 46 (Vinh - Thanh Chuong route), at km 46, turn right and go about 200m to reach the relic.

Based on official historical records such as: Dai Viet Su Ky Tuc Bien (1676 - 1789) by the Le Dynasty Historian; Kham Dinh Viet Su Thong Giam Cuong Muc by the Nguyen Dynasty National Embassy; Nghe An Ky, Thanh Chuong Huyen Chi by Bui Duong Lich and the content of the royal decrees being kept in the temple, Doctor Nguyen Phung Thoi and Doctor Nguyen Ba Quynh were not only father and son but also two famous Confucian scholars who had many contributions to the country, were awarded by the royal court and highly respected by the people.

Dr. Nguyen Phung Thoi was the third son of Mr. Nguyen Binh Nghia in Hoa Lam commune, Nam Duong district, or Xuan Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district. Born into a poor peasant family, he had to both go to school and work in the fields, but he was famous for his intelligence and good study since childhood. In the year of Tan Mao (1711), Nguyen Phung Thoi passed the Huong Cong exam. Four years later, in the Hoi exam in the year of At Mui under the reign of Le Du Tong, the 11th year of Vinh Thinh (1715), he passed the Third Class Doctorate. Immediately after passing the Doctorate exam, he was appointed by King Le Du Tong as the Supervisor of the Censorate of Lang Son.

Coming from a poor countryside, he understood better than anyone the suffering of farmers, so he made great efforts to take care of the dykes, overcome floods and natural disasters, and was fair and honest in his judgments, so he was loved by the people. On November 11, the first year of Bao Thai (1720), Nguyen Phung Thoi was trusted by the court and appointed as the Inspector of Hai Duong. In Hai Duong, he had many great contributions in stabilizing the political and social situation, creating conditions for people to have a peaceful life and develop the economy. He organized the recruitment of people, reclaimed land, expanded and improved the land, turning many wastelands into fertile areas. With his contributions to Hai Duong, in 1924, he was summoned back to the capital and promoted to the position of Imperial Academy. On December 24, the eighth year of Bao Thai (1728), he was assigned to be the Inspector of Kinh Bac.

In just a short time as an official, he showed himself to be a talented, virtuous, and well-rounded man, trusted by the royal court and appointed to many important positions in the court as well as in local authorities. In 1734, he was promoted to Tham Chinh of Hai Duong; Thi Lang, Han Lam Vien Thi Doc. On October 3, the 2nd year of Vinh Huu (1736), King Le Y Tong appointed him as Trieu Liet Dai Phu - Te Tuu Quoc Tu Giam. In 1739, he was promoted to Trieu Liet Dai Phu Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si. In 1740, he held the position of Dong Cac Dai Hoc and concurrently held the position of Do Ngu Su.

As a talented and virtuous man, Nguyen Phung Thoi spent a long time as an official in the court and no matter what position he held, he always showed himself to be an honest official, devoted to the people and the country. After holding the position of Dong Cac Dai Hoc and Do Ngu Su, he continued to be appointed by the court to other positions such as: Left Minister of the Ministry of Justice, title Lam Xuyen Marquis; in 1749, he held the position of Right Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Left Minister of Rites, title Lam Xuyen Marquis, and was appointed as the Supervisor of the Royal Examination. After completing the work of the examination, he was awarded the title of Minister of Public Works, title Lam Xuyen Marquis.

In his old age, he returned to his hometown to live a peaceful life and opened a school. Many students in the area attended, many of them passed the exam. The book Nghe An Nhan Vat Chi recorded: "Mr. Nguyen Phung Thoi in Xuan Lam commune was one of the exemplary teachers who taught many students, his son Nguyen Ba Quynh also passed the Doctorate exam, father and son lived a glorious life together in the dynasty". In the 15th year of Canh Hung (1754), Nguyen Phung Thoi passed away and was awarded the title of Minister of Public Works, Special Envoy Kim Tu Vinh Loc Dai Phu, and the title of Marquis Lam Xuyen. The feudal dynasties had decrees to confer divine titles on him and assigned the local people to serve. Currently, many of his decrees are still preserved at the relics.

Dr. Nguyen Ba Quynh was born and raised in a family with a tradition of Confucianism. From a young age, he was famous for his intelligence and was revered as a prodigy by the people in the area. He enjoyed the full happiness of childhood, being taught and educated in all aspects of life by his father, Dr. Nguyen Phung Thoi. His mother, a gentle and responsible woman, always worried about the lives of her husband and children.

At the age of 19, Nguyen Ba Quynh passed the Huong Cong exam (1729), four years later in the Hoi exam in the year of Quy Suu, the 2nd year of Long Duc (1733), he passed the Third Class of the same Doctorate at the age of 23. Currently, on the stele of the Quoc Tu Giam Temple in Hanoi, stele number 66 has his name written "Third Class of the same Doctorate... Nguyen Ba Quynh: Hoa Lam commune, Nam Duong district, successful Confucian scholar". In this exam, only he passed in the whole Nghe An province.

He was an official in the same dynasty as his father, promoted to the position of Tu Nghiep Quoc Tu Giam and Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si. He was an official with the ideology of loyalty and patriotism, but his straightforward and assertive personality made Lord Trinh displeased. After a while, he was transferred to be the Supervisor of Nghe An Province.

During his tenure in Nghe An, he handled a lawsuit between the rich people of Dong Loan village, Dai Dong commune, Thanh Chuong district and the people in the area whose land was encroached upon. He maintained integrity and impartiality, did not take advantage of his position and ruled in favor of the people. Because of his love for the country and the people, he did not think about his own life. During his time as an official at the Imperial Academy and the Nghe An Censorate, he deeply sympathized with the suffering of the people. Seeing the decay and decline of the Le - Trinh mandarins, he resigned from his position and returned to his hometown to open a school to pass on his knowledge and feelings to future generations. His school was called Mai Son Teaching School. During the time he spread knowledge, morality and humanity to students in the area, many of his students became successful and held positions in society at that time.

In the year of Nham Thin (1772), he passed away. Admiring his virtue and achievements, King Le posthumously awarded him the title of Mai Linh Hau, appointed him as a god of fortune, and worshiped him in the same temple with his father, Lam Xuyen Hau Nguyen Phung Thoi in Thuong Tho village.

Hai Hau Temple relic has existed for hundreds of years and is associated with many historical events of the district, especially in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement 1930 - 1931.

Hai Hau Temple relic is the place that witnessed the fierce struggle of the people of Xuan Lam commune (now Xuan Tuong commune) in the struggle on September 1, 1930 in Thanh Chuong. This is considered the starting point marking the birth of the Soviet government in Nghe Tinh - the peak of the revolutionary movement of 1930 - 1931 nationwide.

From the night of August 31, 1930, the red self-defense teams in the villages spread out to guard the roads and ferry terminals, to isolate Thanh Chuong District Office from the villages. The Xuan Lam self-defense team destroyed Rao Gang ferry, cutting off enemy communication from Vinh; then moved back to surround and suppress the village chiefs of Xuan Bang, Tu Vien, Xuan Tuong, Phong Nam, Nguyet Bong and Ngoc Son villages. Leaflets were scattered all over the roads. Red flags were planted on the roofs of communal houses, tall trees and mountain tops.

Having sensed our plan, the enemy tried every means to counter it. They sent soldiers from Thanh Qua garrison, commanded by Congdo Minat, to protect the district office. At the same time, they gathered all boats along Lam River to Ro ferry to prevent the people of Xuan Lam and Dai Dong from crossing.

From 1 a.m. on September 1, 1930, after the drums sounded the command at the high peaks of Xuan Lam commune, Tien mountain (Vo Liet commune), Nguoc mountain (Ngoc Son), Sung Bo mountain (Hoa Quan)..., the whole Thanh Chuong was in an uproar with the sound of gongs, drums, wooden fish and cheers. District chief Phan Sy Bang ordered the soldiers to shoot at the protesters, injuring and killing many people. The flames of hatred burned fiercely, the masses rushed in and surrounded the district office, burned documents and books, smashed the prison, freed prisoners... The district chief and his officials and soldiers abandoned their posts and ran away. The Soviet government of the people was established.

Nghe An Provincial Party Committee assessed this event as follows: “This fierce demonstration, never seen before in Annam, brought the workers and peasants to a new period, a period of fierce struggle against imperialist capitalism and feudal landlords, a period when workers and peasants had to sacrifice for the revolution to demand the right to live and the right to freedom…”

The Hai Hau Temple relic is also the place where the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee chose as a base for secret activities, printing documents, and propagating revolution... According to Mr. Nguyen Duy Tran - a veteran revolutionary cadre of Thanh Yen commune, the temple's worshiping house was chosen by him and comrades Nguyen Dang Tam (Nghi Loc), Nguyen Sy Triem, Nguyen Thi The (Thanh Duong) in the printing committee of the Thanh Chuong District Party Committee as a place to print documents because there are sacrificial objects used as printing tools such as bronze trays, boxes containing documents... In addition, the worshiping house is also a meeting place to listen to Party cadres give speeches, so the folk song about the Hai Hau Temple relic in the years 1930-1931 is still circulated as follows:
"Who doesn't know Hai Hau Temple?"
30 years old speech in the night
There are two lords Mai Linh and Lam Xuyen
The pink horse and the stone statue also stood up in agreement.”

Hai Hau Temple was built on high ground, facing south, with a T-shaped architectural structure. In front is a road running from the beginning of the hamlet to the end of the hamlet, the remaining three sides border the village, surrounded by bamboo hedges and a system of green trees creating a solemn, quiet, and ancient look.

Today, the relic site has a total area of ​​660m²including the following construction items: temple gate, garden, surrounding wall, worshiping hall and sanctuary. In which, sanctuary and temple gate are the original architectural items of the relic, the remaining items are newly restored.

Temple gate:
The temple gate is made up of two symmetrically arranged pillars, 3.1m apart, each pillar is 4.5m high, made of brick and mortar, including the main parts: pedestal, pillar body, and pillar top.

Garden:
Behind the gate is the path leading to the temple yard paved with clean brown square bricks. The temple yard has an area of ​​50m2.²The temple garden is large and planted with shade trees such as fig, banyan, lychee, longan, and coconut.

Worshiping path:
This is the main architectural work of Hai Hau Temple. This work was recently restored in 2009, and is relatively imposing, located behind the temple yard. The worshiping house is made of ironwood, rosewood, bricks, tiles, and mortar, with a three-compartment, two-wing architecture. Due to the nature of the worshiping house as a gathering place before entering the ceremony, the layout here is quite simple.

Open air court:
From the Worship Hall to the Rear Palace, you pass through a small open-air courtyard. The courtyard is 10cm lower than the Worship Hall. This courtyard is paved with clean red square bricks, with walls on both sides and embossed with pink and white horses.

Harem:
The Rear Palace House is the original architecture of the temple, built under the Later Le Dynasty and restored in the 22nd year of Tu Duc (1869). The house is made of ironwood, rosewood, bricks, tiles, and mortar. The architecture consists of 2 rooms, with an area of ​​33.1m2.²This place still preserves many types of worship objects made of wood, ceramic, and precious paper that need to be protected and promoted.

Inside the house, the harem is decorated with vertical altars, including 2 altars:
Outer worship area: Place a vermilion lacquered altar carved with the images of the “four sacred animals” and “four seasons” measuring 1.6m long, 1.2m high, and 60cm wide. On top of the altar are placed two bronze incense bowls, two wooden cranes, candlesticks, and porcelain cups.

Inner worshiping palace: Is the place where the throne and memorial tablets of the father and son doctors Nguyen Phung Thoi and Nguyen Ba Quynh are placed. Nguyen Phung Thoi's title is inscribed "Le Dynasty At position, Third class, same-class Doctorate, Special Envoy, Golden Child, Honorary Grand Master, Left Minister of Justice, Left Minister of Rites, Heavenly Envoy, retired scholar Nguyen Tuong Cong, conferred the title of Minister of Public Works, Four posthumous titles, Tru Quoc Thuong Gia, successive dynasties bestowed the title of Wing Bao Trung Hung Thuong Dang, native land Thanh Hoang Ton Than".

The title of Nguyen Ba Quynh "Le Dynasty, At dynasty, third class doctorate, great scholar, young mandarin, awarded by the Imperial Academy. Conferred the title of posthumous title of handsome scholar of Dong Cac, great scholar of Trinh Thuc Than Tuy Dai Vuong, awarded the title of winged guardian, loyal and revered god of Mai Linh in each dynasty".

The throne is large, lacquered and gilded, elaborately carved, with kneeling legs, the throne body simulating a sitting figure, and curved wooden arms stylized with two bronze dragons. Supporting the arms are round balusters. The throne is not only a worship object symbolizing the majesty of two deities who have contributed to the construction and development of the homeland and country, but also a valuable work of history, antiquities and fine arts.

On the two main pillars of the middle room hang a pair of parallel sentences with the following content:
Transcription:"A father and son of the first class in the imperial examination
"The history of envelopes from Le to Kim"

Rough translation:"The two words Le and Nguyen were conferred the title
The Father and Son Family

In addition to its architectural values, Hai Hau Temple also has spiritual and cultural values. Every year, on the 11th and 12th of the third lunar month, the people of Thuong Tho village, Xuan Lam commune and many other villages in the region hold a solemn festival, offering offerings to commemorate the two Doctors Nguyen Phung Thoi and Dr. Nguyen Ba Quynh - who are also the two village tutelary gods who have contributed to the development of the locality and the country. The festival has attracted a large number of people from all over to visit.

The festival at Hai Hau temple usually has two parts according to traditional customs: the ceremony and the festival.
Ceremonyincluding the following contents:
Consecration Ceremony: Informing the gods and ancestors for permission for descendants to do a general cleaning of the temple and tomb area. After the consecration ceremony, everyone starts cleaning the sacrificial objects and clearing the area...
Announcement Ceremony: Report to Thanh Hoang Nguyen Phung Thoi, Nguyen Ba Quynh, heaven and earth, and gods about the time, content, and participants of the ceremony and invite them to attend.
Grand Ceremony: Offering incense, presenting offerings, playing music, reading literature… to commemorate the merits of the two Doctors, praying for them to continue to bless and ward off bad luck for their descendants.
Thanksgiving Ceremony: Thank you, send the gods back to the underworld to directly bless and ask forgiveness for any shortcomings and see you again next year.

Part of the festival:Taking place on the 11th and 12th of the third lunar month, held in front of the temple yard. The festival includes folk cultural activities such as chess, cockfighting, swing playing... attracting a large number of people to attend. Through the festival, people from the villages and tourists from all over have the opportunity to gather at the temple, meet and exchange, and participate in cultural activities towards the origin.

Hai Hau Temple is an ancient and precious relic with beautiful architecture and landscape, preserving many valuable documents on history and art. The temple is a place to worship two doctors, father and son, who are also two village tutelary gods who have contributed to the people and the country. This place is associated with many historical events in the movement to defend the country, especially the revolutionary movement of 1930 - 1931. At the same time, it is also a place where people of Xuan Tuong commune, Thanh Chuong district, worship the gods, pray for blessings, fortune and wealth. With its great values, Hai Hau Temple relic was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a provincial-level cultural and historical relic in 2008. In 2013, the Department of Cultural Heritage issued Document No. 247/DSVH-DT dated April 26, 2013 on approving Hai Hau Temple relic to have enough criteria to prepare a dossier to propose the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to consider ranking it as a national relic.