The shimmering Mount Quyet

On this late autumn night, the wind whistles through the mystical pine forest. It seems as if heaven and earth have converged and harmonized in this moment. From the summit of Dung Quyet, Vinh City shines brightly. The Lam River flows gently amidst the shimmering lights along both banks. It is a night of solemn and sacred festivities.

The Quang Trung King Temple Festival marks the beginning of a series of activities celebrating the 220th anniversary of Phuong Hoang Trung Do and Vinh City's new status as a Class 1 urban city. The festival takes place over two days, October 6th and 7th, with two parts – the ceremonial and festive – meticulously and thoughtfully prepared.

Since yesterday morning, the opening ceremony at the Lower Hall and the temple area has been taking place amidst the anticipation and excitement of numerous visitors from all over. Early in the morning, Mrs. Le Thi Xuan from Van Loc commune, Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa province, dressed in traditional headscarves and long robes, went to the temple with her children and grandchildren to offer incense in remembrance of the heroic deeds of the national hero, Quang Trung. At 71 years old, she has visited many temples and shrines and is a devout Buddhist at Sung Nghiem Temple (Duyen Khanh - Hau Loc). Upon arriving here, she felt: "The temple is situated in a place with beautiful scenery. If I were a native of Nghe An, I would visit the temple once or twice a month, offering incense with sincere devotion." She carefully noted the anniversary of King Quang Trung's death, intending to visit Vinh once a year on the 29th day of the 7th lunar month. Sharing the same sentiment as her, many city residents have come here in recent days to respectfully offer incense, make charitable contributions, and present commemorative items.

Amidst the swirling incense smoke, and the ever-increasing crowd flocking to the temple, was Dr. Nguyen Quang Hong, a lecturer from the History Department of Vinh University. He was leading history students on a tour of the structures, studying the inscriptions on the screens and reliefs displayed in the Lower and Upper Halls. Dr. Nguyen Quang Hong is one of the researchers on Emperor Quang Trung and a member of the advisory board for the construction of the Quang Trung temple on Dung Quyet Mountain. He confided to us: "The more I research, consult, and collect, the more I realize the immense contributions of the Emperor to our country and to Nghe An province. A festival worthy of those contributions, I believe, fulfills our aspirations and demonstrates the principle of remembering our roots. I hope that the festival will be held annually and on an increasingly larger scale."

To prepare for the festival, for over a month now, the City's Cultural and Sports Center has been implementing the contents of the Ceremony and Festival. The Center's procession team has been practicing for months so that on October 7th, starting from the Quang Trung Temple grounds, the procession will carry the ancestral tablets down the mountain, through the city streets, and conclude with a ceremony of enshrining the tablets for the grand sacrificial rites. In addition, cultural and sports activities such as participating in the mountain climbing cross-country race and boat race between the Nam-Hung-Nghi-Vinh-Cua Lo units have taken place in a joyful and vibrant atmosphere of martial spirit.

The city lit up, and the crowds heading towards Dung Quyet grew larger and larger.

A solemn opening ceremony was held, attended by provincial and Vinh city leaders, as well as a large number of people from within and outside the province. The speech delivered at the ceremony highlighted the role of the national hero: "220 years ago, after crushing the Trinh-Nguyen feudal regime and advancing north to drive out the invading Qing army, upon stopping in his ancestral homeland of Nghe An, Quang Trung-Nguyen Hue recognized that the Yen Truong area had a strategically important and favorable location for building a capital. Therefore, on September 3rd of the 11th year of Thai Duc (October 1st, 1788), King Quang Trung sent a decree to La Son Phu Tu-Nguyen Thiep, deciding to choose this area to build the capital, naming it Phuong Hoang Trung Do. The Phuong Hoang citadel, though unfinished, became a historical milestone in the life and career of King Quang Trung-Nguyen Hue and also marked the formation and development of Vinh city later on."

With the desire to recreate the heroic atmosphere of 220 years ago, an epic program titled "Quang Trung and Nghe An" was meticulously and grandly staged. 120 performers from the Nghe An Song-Dance-Drama Troupe, the Nghe An Folk Song Troupe, the Provincial Culture and Arts Center, students from Vinh University, Sara Vocational School, and members from 20 wards and communes in the city participated in the performance. Director and scriptwriter Chu Hoang Yen said: "The program's script has four acts. Act 1: The people of Nghe An respond to the Tay Son uprising; Act 2: Emperor Quang Trung invites La Son Phu Tu to be his advisor to recruit soldiers to go to the North to defeat the Qing army; Act 3: Building the Phuong Hoang Trung Do citadel; Act 4: Vinh 220 years - today and forever."

In the middle of a city autumn night, atop the historic Dung Quyet peak, the spectacular epic performances transported the audience back to the legends of a heroic era of national defense. Music and lights spread and soared ever higher. Concluding the impressive opening night, the crowd continued to head towards the temple dedicated to King Quang Trung with reverence. We met Mrs. Hoang Thi Pham, 73 years old. Mrs. Pham said: "I've lived in Hamlet 3, Trung Do since 1958. Every day I still go up to light incense for the King at the remaining part of the city wall. Today, I was so happy to see this artistic program; it was wonderful. I felt as if he was present somewhere, protecting and building a strong and prosperous nation alongside his descendants."

Text and photos: Tran Hai - Nguyet Anh