A suburban atmosphere...

I often have the habit of carefully analyzing the names of the lands I have the opportunity to visit. And Hung Loc, is it a combination of the meaning of prosperity and wealth? Smiling at the somewhat clumsy explanation, Mr. Uong Dinh He said, that explanation is "not wrong, but too wordy, must be a little conventional, must understand more deeply the origin of this land to fully understand its name". Mr. He is nearly eighty years old, his house is located in a deep alley shaded by wild climbing trees, wearing a faded shirt but with a serious look, busily leading a green Honda, whose age is probably around twenty, taking me to visit the ancient land. The car rumbled with short and long stories about generations of people who had settled there, and the land expansion, along with the creation of villages and hamlets, clustered around the sandy land that was not very fertile. He was keen on sharing a lot of information about the land history that he had been trying to read for decades, in which there was no document that highly appreciated the soil and terrain here, so the "prosperity and wealth" that I hastily interpreted at first, must have come from another reason?

That other reason was gradually revealed in a sincere way during the field trip with Mr. He to the historical sites in the area. He was born and raised here, since the time when the village name was Loc Da - Duc Thinh. At his age, there are still many knowledgeable elders in this land, but Mr. He is often sought out by visitors from near and far because of his concise way of speaking and his sharp memory. Another part is because he has the "advantage" of holding the position of Chairman of the Uong Family Council for many years - one of the families following the migration wave, along with the Nguyen, Tran, Hoang, Pham families... who were present almost the earliest on this land rich in sediments. Saying it was the earliest, who knows if it was several hundred years or thousands of years ago, the first migrant feet set foot to explore and expand the ancient land on Viet Thuong land, located at the left bank of Lam Giang? Ancient history did not record the reasons for the migration of the clans, the changes of time and social history also made the descendants today like the old man Uong Dinh He no longer preserve the traditional genealogy, so the footprints of the previous people are somewhat vague. The only thing is certain that the ancestors of many clans here are all virtuous and virtuous people, who have made great contributions to the cause of defending the nation and making the homeland famous. "That is also a reason, the foundation for the prosperity of this barren land!" - Mr. He concluded.

Mr. He counted on his fingers and muttered the names of the ancestors with the surname Uong, whose names are recorded in history books, showing no hidden pride: Uong Trong Cong (General and Admiral of the Le Dynasty), Uong Manh Chuong (Minister of the Ministry of Personnel of the Nguyen Dynasty), Uong Van Hoan, Uong Sy Tu (Bachelor, Third Class Doctorate of the Nguyen Dynasty), Uong Sy Tuy, Uong Huy Danh (participated in the Van Than - Can Vuong movement initiated by King Ham Nghi)...

The heroic ancestors are respectfully worshiped by their descendants in the family temple that is over 130 years old, the rafters, beams, and columns have a glossy color of age, majestic and sturdy in the evening light. Waving the incense stick to release the smoky scent, Mr. He respectfully bowed before the ancestral altar, muttering about the reason for the appearance of a strange guest like me. In the quiet space, looking around the 3 ancient rooms, one can clearly see the typical architecture of Northern temples in the style of "front lower - back pillar" for convenience of worship. The middle room worships General and Admiral Uong Trong Cong, the right room worships Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Uong Manh Chuong, and the left room worships the descendants of the Uong family in later generations. I was absorbed in admiring the exquisite details that, despite the many changes of time, the shifting of stars, and the many restorations by craftsmen from all over, were fortunately still almost intact, with the majestic tiger and moon faces, and the elaborate set of eight dragons on the roof of the church...

However, the Uong family temple is not only significant as a cultural relic, but also shines in the modern history of the country with its revolutionary historical value. With a thoughtful look, Mr. He rummaged through the gilded wooden box, respectfully displaying the complete records of the important events of the family temple: "With its location near the center of Vinh - Ben Thuy, secluded terrain, dense trees, and few people passing by, the Central Region Party Committee and Vinh - Ben Thuy Provincial Party Committee decided to choose the Uong family temple as the base of operations and direct leadership of the Soviet - Nghe Tinh movement 1930-1931". Also because of those historical, cultural and revolutionary values, the Uong family temple was honored to be recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) as a National Historical - Cultural Relic in 1992.

Mr. Uong Dinh He lights incense on the ancestral altar of the Uong family.

Only 3 years after the honor of having the first National Historical - Cultural Relic, Hung Loc land and people were filled with pride when in 1995, Hoang family temple and Tria temple were successively recognized as National Historical - Cultural Relic. In the afternoon sunlight, Hoang family temple appeared ancient and deep. "After many ups and downs", the temple no longer had the appearance of a hundred years ago, but the later generations were always conscious of preserving it in the architectural style of four pillars, 3 rooms, 2 sides, roofed with southern tiles, on the roof was embossed the image of "two dragons facing the moon". What is special is that the middle worship room has a scroll painted with the two words "Chinh Trung" (honest and honest); outside there are 4 brick pillars engraved with two parallel sentences: "The family tradition has been passed down for a long time / Now we meet the next generation". I absentmindedly looked up at the book and pondered about the integrity of the family tradition, which had forged excellent children for the land of Hong - Lam. Before, there were the ancestors of the family such as Pho Bang Hoang Van Nha, Bachelor Hoang Van Duong...; later, there was the name of comrade Hoang Trong Tri - Secretary of the rural Party cell of Bac Vinh - Ben Thuy - leader of many struggles in the Nghe - Tinh Soviet movement (1930-1931). In the Hoang family's ancestral house, the silence and solemnity seemed to evoke the tense atmosphere of closed meetings, the secret comings and goings of comrades such as Nguyen Phong Sac, Tung Lieu, Nguyen Khue..., the beginnings of many large-scale demonstrations demanding salary increases, reduced working hours, tax exemptions, tax reductions...

Along with the Uong family temple and the Hoang family temple, Tria temple (formerly known as Loc Da temple) has contributed to making the name of the poor village of Loc Da - Duc Thinh famous internationally. In the article "Red Nghe An" by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc sent to the Communist International Oriental Department (December 19, 1931), the author recalled the rally as follows: "...In Loc Da village, 2 km from Vinh, 4,000 workers of Vinh City and farmers of Hung Nguyen, Nghi Loc came to attend the memorial service for the fallen soldiers, a hammer and sickle flag was hung on the altar full of incense and flowers. The host read the eulogy, then representatives of the Trade Union, Farmers' Association and representatives of the villages came up to speak...". Tria temple still retains the majestic grandeur of the ancient temple, and when closing your eyes, you can still clearly imagine the resounding voice of the host in the utter silence of thousands of patriotic children. Eyes blazing with hatred, soft breaths as if suppressing the indomitable will to "take the lead and rise first", and waves of hands raised high in oath, brave footsteps marching around Loc Da - Duc Thinh village in the light of thousands of torches and the Party's red flags...

It has been 84 years since that historic night. The old Loc Da - Duc Thinh village is now a part of the city. The vast fields have turned into bustling small industrial zones. High-rise buildings stretch up to the modern Vinh city, the country roads bearing the footsteps of farmers who rose up to demand the right to live in the Soviet movement have now become wide and flat concrete. Hung Loc is now somewhat "prosperous and prosperous" as its solid identity. As Mr. Uong Dinh He said, the most "prosperous" thing is that the descendants of the homeland know how to respect the old village customs and traditions to preserve and spread humanistic values ​​in every small and big action of modern life. He compared it to a sweet fruit season, sown from the seeds of hundreds of thousands of years of history - culture, patriotic and revolutionary traditions and the will to overcome the hardships of the barren land of the children who love their homeland in their blood!