About the death of King Sat Hai

(Baonghean) -King Sat Hai Hoang Ta Thon is considered the god of the river and sea regions of Vietnam, worshiped at all seaports from the North to the South Central region. In Nghe An, he is one of the two most famous and sacred human gods and is worshiped by people in many places...

King Sat Hai is a historical figure clearly recorded in national history. His hometown is in Van Phan commune, Dien Chau prefecture (now Dien Van commune, Dien Chau district) with Van estuary where the Bung river flows into the sea. There are many legends surrounding his life and career, all of which converge at one point: his mother was a mortal, but there is no document mentioning his father. His birth was the result of the union between his mother and the spirit of the Water Palace. According to legends, miracles, and stele inscriptions, he died on the first day of Tet, at Trao creek, Hoang Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province on the way (currently in Hoang Tien commune, Hoang Hoa district, there is still a temple to worship him). This information is based on many books and newspapers today. However, in our opinion, this date is not accurate and there are many issues surrounding his death that need to be reviewed.

Temple of King Sat Hai in Dien Van (Dien Chau).

Firstly: The Tran Dynasty, with three great victories over the Yuan-Mongol Empire, made Dai Viet's prestige increasingly stronger, and neighboring countries respected and established friendly relations. For a long time, the country was peaceful, and the diplomatic relations between Dai Viet and the southern countries were very good, especially Champa. The evidence is that King Tran Nhan Tong married Princess Huyen Tran to Che Man, and Dai Viet's territory was expanded to Thuan Hoa. Although after rescuing and bringing Princess Huyen Tran back to the country, the Champa King was resentful, but at that time the Tran Dynasty was very powerful, so Champa still did not dare to resist. Only at the end of the dynasty, when the Tran Dynasty weakened, did Champa recall the old story and demand Chau O and Chau Ri back. So, during the time when Sat Hai Dai Vuong Hoang Ta Thon was in office, it was impossible for the Champa army to come and harass Dai Viet's waters? If there was any aggression, it would only be in the Thuan Hoa area (adjacent to Champa). While all documents say he died in Cua Trao - Thanh Hoa, a place very far from Chau Thuan, Chau Hoa.

Second: During the Tran Dynasty, there was a custom of sealing the seal on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month and opening the seal on the 15th of the 1st lunar month of the following year. During that time, all official documents and official duties were temporarily suspended (except for emergencies related to national security, of course). This custom still exists today in the Tran Temple Seal Opening Ceremony in Nam Dinh. According to the family tree, he was 85 years old when he died, so while he was on holiday, the country was at peace, there was no reason for an old general to go to work at sea on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Third: Recently, we were fortunate to have access to the Genealogy of the 7 Nguyen Trieu Co families in Quynh Doi village, written by the scholar Nguyen Lan between 1501 and 1510, under the early Le Dynasty. The Nguyen, Ho and Hoang families were all the families that founded and established the land of Quynh Doi today. All three families had a very close relationship through marriage. This genealogy was reproduced and continued by the descendants of the Nguyen family in later generations. In addition to records of the history, generations, and tombs of the Nguyen family, there are also records of the Ho and Hoang families and the history of Quynh Doi village. In it, there is very important information about the background of Sat Hai Dai Vuong. We would like to roughly translate as follows: “…Hoang Khanh (one of the three masters of Quynh Doi village) is the nephew of Hoang Ta Thon from Van Phan. Hoang Ta Thon was born in the Tran Dynasty, assisted Tran Thanh Tong and Nhan Tong in fighting the enemy, was given the title of Sat Hai Than, and was specially given the title of Ngoc Minh Hung Trieu Lao Tuong Quan. He was born on April 15, Giap Dan year (1254) and died on March 15, Ky Mao year (1339). The king ordered a dragon boat to carry his body back to his hometown of Van Phan for burial…”.

Fourth: We met directly with Mr. Hoang Nam - the head of the Hoang family in Dien Van commune, a descendant of Sat Hai Dai Vuong, and he told us: "For generations, every year at the Hoang family temple and church in Van Phan, a memorial service for Sat Hai Dai Vuong is held on the 15th day of the third lunar month. On this day, many local people and people from other places, especially fishermen, come here to worship and ask for his blessings. And every 3 years, a grand ceremony is held, including a boat sending ceremony...".

From the above inferences, we see that the documents stating that he died on the first day of the Lunar New Year on the way are incorrect. Unfortunately, the date of his death was not fully recorded in national history. The Genealogy of the 7th branch of the Nguyen Trieu Co family in Quynh Doi village was written 162 years after his death, and can be considered the earliest document recording him (outside of national history). This is extremely important information for research on Sat Hai Dai Vuong. Determining the correct date of his death so that his family and temples across the country can organize a commemoration ceremony on the right day. This also supplements the official history and corrects the inconsistent information in books and newspapers today.

The record of Sat Hai Dai Vuong in the Nguyen family genealogy.

Another thing that makes local people and tourists feel sad is that His temples are majestic and magnificent all over the country, but the main temple and His tomb in Dien Van commune, Dien Chau district are not worthy of the stature of a famous person. The temple grounds are small, desolate, overgrown with weeds and construction projects are still unfinished because the land has not been cleared. His mother's tomb is currently located at the foot of the Vach Bac dike, where people, vehicles, buffaloes and cows pass by every day... This is very offensive and disrespectful to the deceased, especially those who have contributed to the country. We respectfully request that the authorities at all levels pay attention to expanding the grounds and renovating the temple to be dignified and worthy of His merits. Hopefully in the future, the main temple of Sat Hai Dai Vuong in his hometown Van Phan will be beautiful and solemn, showing deep gratitude to the hero, contributing to educating patriotism and the tradition of remembering the source of drinking water for the future young generation of the country!

Quang Phuoc - Tu Quang (Nghe An Provincial Library)