Society

The worship of King Hung is a core cultural value in the lives of Nghe An people.

Minh Quan • April 7, 2025 07:04

The worship of King Hung is not only present in the ancestral land of Phu Tho but also spreads widely throughout the country, becoming a common cultural source, a symbol of solidarity of the Vietnamese national spirit.

Minh Quan(Implementation) • April 7, 2025

In Nghe An - the land of outstanding people in the Central region, the worship of the Hung Kings also has a lasting vitality, holding a sacred position in the cultural and spiritual life of the people. Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Bui Cong Vinh - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghe An about this issue.

PV: It is known that in Nghe An, the worship of Hung Kings is clearly shown throughout history and the spiritual and cultural life of the people. Can you tell us more?

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh:According to researchers, the Nghe Tinh region has long been the residential area of ​​the Lac Viet community. A typical example is the archaeological site of Vac village in Nghe An. Although the date is still debated, most people associate this site with the Dong Son culture, dating back about 2,500 years ago, the Hung King period.

Nghe An people also have a long tradition of directly worshiping the Hung Kings. The most typical example isHong Son Templein Vinh city, built in the 18th year of Minh Mang (1837). To this day, the temple still preserves intact the throne and tablets of 18 Hung Kings in the central hall. This is the only temple worshiping Hung Kings in Vinh city, becoming an important spiritual and cultural center, where local people turn to their roots.

After the August Revolution in 1945, especially during the renovation period, the Hung King worship in Nghe An was given more attention for restoration and stronger development. Many related historical relics were restored, traditional rituals were restored, in line with the trend towards the common national origin of the whole country.

Every year on the 10th day of the third lunar month, Hong Son Temple is crowded with people and tourists coming to offer incense in commemoration. The offering of banh chung and banh day here is always a sacred moment, reminding us of the legendary story of the 6th Hung King. Next, the traditional sacrificial ceremony takes place solemnly with the participation of the main celebrant, the assistant celebrant, and the sacrificial team wearing traditional costumes, respectfully offering incense, wine, and reading the eulogy to express gratitude to the ancestors.

At Kim Lung Temple (Mai Hung Ward, Hoang Mai Town), every year on the 10th day of the third lunar month, people hold a Ky Phuc ceremony to burn incense in memory of the four mountain gods (Cao Son, Cao Cac, Han Son, Hiep Son), who are believed to have contributed to helping King Hung build the country. A special part of this festival is the solemn palanquin procession, imbued with traditional cultural imprints.

A unique feature in Nghe An is the organization of the Hung King's death anniversary right at the pagoda. A typical example isDai Tue PagodaOn the top of Dai Hue mountain (Nam Dan district), although it is an ancient Buddhist temple, every year it holds a very solemn National Ancestor's death anniversary ceremony. This reflects the unique harmony between folk beliefs and Buddhist beliefs, creating a unique cultural identity of Nghe An land.

Besides the above typical relics, Nghe An has many other places of worship related to the Hung King era such as Duc Hoang Temple (Yen Thanh district) worshiping Lac Long Quan - Au Co, Trung Cao communal house (Nghi Loc district) worshiping the tutelary god who was a general in the Hung King era. These places of worship form a large system of spiritual and cultural space, clearly proving the saying: "Wherever there are Vietnamese people, there is worship of Hung Kings".

PV: How do you evaluate the significance of Hung King worship in Nghe An?

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh:It can be affirmed that the worship of Hung Kings has become a core cultural and social value in the lives of Nghe An people. Through the activities of the Hung Kings' death anniversary, the locality always focuses on integrating traditional education for the young generation and the community. Every year, on the occasion of the Hung Kings' death anniversary, the local government strengthens propaganda so that all classes of people turn to their roots, express their respect and gratitude for the merits of the Hung Kings. In addition, schools in the province also regularly organize extracurricular activities and competitions to learn about the Hung Kings' era in the third lunar month. Thanks to that, the young generation has more understanding and pride in their roots, thereby nurturing patriotism and a sense of responsibility to inherit and promote the traditions of their ancestors.

Not only that, the worship of Hung Kings also contributes to connecting the community and enriching the local cultural life. Hung Kings worship festivals such as the Ancestor's Death Anniversary at Hong Son Temple, Kim Lung Temple... are occasions for people to meet, exchange, and strengthen the village and neighborhood relationship. Everyone joins hands to contribute labor and money to organize festivals, restore and embellish temples - that is a vivid expression of the spirit of solidarity in the community. In terms of culture, Hung Kings worship festivals contribute to preserving and promoting many precious traditional values ​​of Nghe An. Folk songs such as Vi, Giam, Ca Tru, rituals of worshiping saints, folk games... are performed during the festival, thereby maintaining and passing them on to future generations. Traditional costumes, Han Nom scripts on funeral orations, ancient parallel sentences in temples are also preserved and honored.

In short, the worship of the Hung Kings is an extremely valuable cultural heritage in Nghe An, with a long history and strong vitality in the community. In the modern flow, the people of Nghe An still firmly maintain the morality of "remembering the source of drinking water", proudly passing on to their descendants the sacred flame of worshiping the National Ancestor - the flame of patriotism, the spirit of great solidarity and national identity that never goes out.

PV: In addition to solemnly organizing the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony in the locality, in recent years, what activities has Nghe An had to participate in the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony held in Phu Tho province?

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh:Over the years, Nghe An has organized many practical activities towards the homeland, expressing respect for the Hung Kings, especially through participating in the Hung Kings' Commemoration Ceremony in Phu Tho. Every year, Nghe An province sends delegations to attend the incense offering ceremony at Hung Temple on the occasion of the Commemoration Ceremony.

An important milestone was that in 2019, Nghe An was honored to be selected as one of three localities (along with Can Tho and Son La) to coordinate in organizing the Hung Kings' Commemoration Day - Hung Temple Festival. As a locality contributing to the commemoration, Nghe An also actively participated in many other activities in the festival such as the Chung cake wrapping contest, folk game performances, art performances and exhibitions introducing local cultural identity. Nghe An's participation contributed to creating a vibrant and solemn atmosphere for the festival, and at the same time was an opportunity for the province to promote its unique cultural features in a national event.

In 2023, Nghe An will continue to be present in Phu Tho by sending an art troupe to participate in the "Festival of Performing Intangible Cultural Heritages Recognized by UNESCO" held in Viet Tri city. This event will take place from April 21 to 24, 2023, as part of the Hung Kings' Commemoration Festival and the 2023 Culture and Tourism Week of the Ancestral Land. The Nghe An troupe brought to the festival special performances of Vi and Giam folk songs, attracting the attention and excitement of a large audience, contributing to enriching the festival atmosphere and promoting the unique intangible cultural values ​​of Nghe An (such as Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh) to domestic and international friends.

Nghe An's solidarity and unity in events in the homeland, as well as the solemn organization of the Ancestor's Death Anniversary right in its homeland, has contributed to strengthening the awareness of a unified national culture in the diversity of regions.

PV: Besides the above activities, how else is the heritage connection between the two provinces of Nghe An and Phu Tho demonstrated, sir?

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh:The heritage connection between Nghe An and Phu Tho is increasingly close, demonstrated through many meaningful cooperation activities in recent years. A typical example is that in 2024, the two provinces successfully coordinated to organize the thematic exhibition "Phu Tho - Nghe An, connecting heritage lands" at Nghe An Museum. The exhibition introduced to the public typical cultural heritages of both localities, such as the worship of Hung Kings and Xoan singing of Phu Tho, and Nghe Tinh folk songs.

This cooperation activity not only contributes to educating the younger generation about tradition, but also arouses pride and attachment to the national origin in each citizen. In addition to the cultural and social significance, maintaining and developing the heritage connection between Nghe An and Phu Tho also opens up opportunities to promote cultural tourism. The unique historical and cultural values ​​related to the Hung King era are valuable resources, have great appeal to tourists, contributing to promoting tourism development of both localities. In the coming time, in order for the heritage connection between Nghe An and Phu Tho to become increasingly strong, in my opinion, the two provinces need to continue to promote cultural exchanges, strengthen coordination in historical and cultural research of the Hung King era, and at the same time promote cultural tourism. Only then can we both honor the common origin of the nation and together build a bright future on the foundation of the precious heritage left by our ancestors.

PV: Thank you very much!