Dao Van Loi, a historical figure of Nghe An province.

(Baonghean)According to the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư (Complete History of Đại Việt), in the Lý Dynasty section, in November 1029, King Lý Thái Tông appointed Đào Văn Lôi as Tả phúc tâm (Left Righteous Minister). With this position, he was one of the king's closest confidants and could participate in many important court decisions. So, who was Đào Văn Lôi? Where was he from, and what was his career? These remain a mystery to most of us...

In Dien Kim commune (formerly known as Hoa Luy village), Dien Chau district, there were once three temples that were built and worshipped hundreds of years ago. After the August Revolution, due to the prejudices of some people, all of those temples were destroyed...

Writer Son Tung said that after the temples in his hometown were destroyed, a relative (the son of a family that previously looked after the Trang Temple in Dien Kim) sent him 18 royal decrees for the village deity of Hoa Luy. Son Tung then asked a friend, an expert in Han Nom (classical Chinese characters), to translate all 18 decrees from Chinese into Vietnamese.

Based on the royal decree translation previously provided by writer Son Tung, I asked researcher Chu Xuan Giao at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, an expert in this field, to review and edit it into a more complete translation. Through this process, we classified the 18 royal decrees spanning 157 years. The oldest dates back to the 28th year of Le Canh Hung's reign (1767), and the most recent to the 9th year of Nguyen Khai Dinh's reign (1924), which bestowed titles upon three deities.

1. Local guardian spirit.
2. Grand Marshal, Duke of Thành Quốc.
3. The Governor of the East Sea, the Great Fisherman.

My fellow researcher Chu Xuan Giao and I surveyed ancient documents and verified that the deity bestowed with the title of Grand King, Grand Marshal, and Duke of Thanh Quoc, worshipped at Trang Temple – the center of present-day Dien Kim commune – is indeed Dao Van Loi. However, current documents written in the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script contain rather conflicting information. Some opinions suggest that Dao Van Loi was the son of Dao Cam Moc (who was granted the title of Tin Nghia Marquis during the reign of Ly Thai To, and after his death was bestowed the titles of Grand Tutor and Prince, and was one of the most important figures in bringing Ly Cong Uan to the throne).

Incidentally, I came across the opinion of Mr. Luong The Phiệt (published on the Vietnam Writers Association website). Mr. Phiệt is from Van Tra village (An Dong commune, An Duong district, Hai Phong city). Mr. Luong The Phiệt stated that the Great King, Grand Marshal, and Duke of Thanh Quoc, Dao Van Loi, is currently worshipped at Van Tra Temple, one of the oldest temples in Hai Phong (nearly 1,000 years old), and was recognized as a National Monument in 1994. Dao Van Loi's mother's hometown is Van Tra village, his paternal hometown is Nghe An, and his father's name was Dao Moc, not Dao Cam Moc as some documents state.

Upon receiving this information, I contacted Mr. Luong The Phiệt, who was overjoyed and wrote back to me saying that for many years, the people of Van Tra village had been waiting for the day when someone from the deity's paternal hometown would contact the maternal side, but only now had they seen it. Mr. Phiệt also mentioned that the legend of the Van Tra temple had been initially translated by Mr. Ngo Dang Loi, one of Hai Phong's local history researchers. The original version of the legend is still preserved in the Institute of Han Nom Studies.

I contacted Ms. Do Bich Tuyen, currently a postgraduate student and long-time employee at the Vietnam Institute of Han Nom Studies. Ms. Tuyen found and translated this legend into the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script. This legend was originally compiled by the Grand Academician of the Eastern Pavilion, Nguyen Binh, during the Hong Phuc era (1572-1573), and copied by Nguyen Hien, the Supervisor of the Hundred Gods and the Deputy Minister of Hung Linh, on May 7th, the second year of Vinh Huu (1736).

The content of the legend reveals many important details about his background: The legend says that Dao Van Loi's father was originally from Hoan Chau, named Moc, formerly surnamed Nguyen, later changed to Dao... The tomb of Dao Moc's mother is located on Tung Son mountain north of the Tan Linh range (we believe this place may belong to Trung Son commune, Do Luong district today). Dao Van Loi's mother was Do Thi Uyen, from Van Tra village, Hai Phong today. The reason for the marriage between Dao Moc and Do Thi Uyen is that Dao Moc left his hometown in his youth to study in Trang An, and a friend brought him back to Van Tra where they fell in love. After Dao Moc and Uyen got married, they returned to Trang An to live. Dao Van Loi was born in the year Dinh Hoi (987) in Trang An, and lived there until he was 13 years old when his father died, and he followed his mother back to Van Tra to live.

Dao Van Loi was a brilliant student from a young age. At 24, he topped the imperial examinations in the capital, joined the Han Lam Academy, and was later appointed as the Prefect of Son Tay, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, and Ha Giang. Because of his talent and reputation for integrity and love for the people, he was later appointed as the Grand Tutor, then as the Minister of State, and later as the Imperial Chamberlain. For his contributions in suppressing the rebellion of the Three Princes, he was appointed as the Left Grand Tutor. From then on, he was successively appointed as the Minister of the Central Secretariat, the Left Deputy Minister of State, and finally as the Grand Marshal and Duke of Thanh Quoc.

Towards the end of his life, Dao Van Loi returned to his hometown and passed away on Kim Nhan Mountain (now Anh Son district, Nghe An province). King Ly Thanh Tong ordered the people to build a temple in his honor.

In the history of Nghe An province, Mai Hac De was the earliest king to rise up against the invaders from the North, while Dao Van Loi may have been the first to pass the imperial examinations and become an official, reaching the rank of Grand Marshal, and later being ranked as Grand Tutor. This is undoubtedly a source of pride for the people of Nghe An, but for decades it has been forgotten.

After obtaining the historical records, we conducted a field survey. Our team, consisting of Mr. Nguyen Trong The (Head of the Dien Kim Hometown Association in Hanoi), Mr. Chu Xuan Giao, and myself, traveled to Kim Nhan in Anh Son district, then to Trung Son commune in Do Luong district (where we identified Tung Son mountain). In these places, the old temples had been completely destroyed. We then went to Nghi Thai commune (in Nghi Loc district) – a place identified by the book "Vietnamese Han Nom Heritage" as having the temple dedicated to the Great King and Grand Marshal Dao Van Loi. Here, the temple had also been destroyed, leaving only a foundation where the locals kept an incense burner to burn on the 15th and 1st of each lunar month.

We also formed a campaign team to rebuild the Trang Temple in Dien Kim commune, with the Dien Kim Hometown Association in Hanoi as the core, in collaboration with the Dien Kim Commune People's Committee. We met with and presented our case to former General Secretary Do Muoi. We also worked with Comrade Tran Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and with Comrade Phan Dinh Trac, then Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee. In all these places, we received the support of the leaders. Comrade Phan Dinh Trac even visited Dien Kim commune to revisit the historical site, where the Great King and Grand Marshal Dao Van Loi was once worshipped.

From our perspective, we believe that the reason for rebuilding the temple of Grand Marshal and Duke of Thanh Quoc, Dao Van Loi, is that: In Nghe An province (the god's ancestral homeland), a land of heroes and culture, there should be at least one place of worship for a hero, a great intellectual, a great meritorious official of the late Ly dynasty, who has long been canonized by the people. And I also think that, in the future, there should be a road named Dao Van Loi in Nghe An province.

In 2012, to commemorate the 1025th anniversary of the birth of Grand Marshal and Duke of Thanh Quoc, Dao Van Loi, the people of Dien Kim officially restored the Hoa Luy Village Festival and built a shrine to him on the site of the former temple. During this sacred ceremony, the people reread the royal decrees bestowed upon the deity by previous emperors.

Based on the available materials, in the autumn of 2012, I wrote a book titled "The Udumbara Flower Blooms Again," a historical account of the life and era of Grand Marshal Thanh Quoc Cong Dao Van Loi, presented as a modern legend blending fiction and history, reality and myth.

Hopefully, all people of Nghe An, wherever they may be, will contribute their hearts to help restore the magnificent temple dedicated to the Great King and Grand Marshal, Thanh Quoc Cong Dao Van Loi. This great man, canonized nearly 1000 years ago, will forever be our pride and revered figure.

Writer Thien Son