Forever remembering the heroic spirit of the Hoan Chau uprising

(Baonghean)- Exactly 13 centuries ago, in the year 713 in Hoan Chau, Mai Thuc Loan, with a heart filled with love for his homeland, rose up to revolt against the Tang Dynasty, established an autonomous government and founded the Mai dynasty, bringing our people independence and autonomy for nearly a decade (713 - 722).

Growing up in a country that was destroyed, and having experienced a difficult childhood, in addition to inheriting the cultural traditions of his homeland and family, Mai Thuc Loan struggled with an independent life early on, so he had many opportunities to broaden his awareness of the suffering of our people under the brutal domination and exploitation of the Northern invaders. The desire to fight foreign invaders, save the country, save the people, and regain independence and autonomy combined with Mai Thuc Loan's steadfast character, iron determination, and daring to think and dare to do, burned more and more brightly, then fanned the flames of the Hoan Chau uprising that shook the Tang Dynasty and resounded throughout An Nam at that time.

After making basic preparations, from Hoan Chau land (in the present-day Ha Tinh and Nghe An regions) in 713, Mai Thuc Loan led the people to revolt and quickly won. He ascended the throne, proclaimed himself Mai Hac De, established an autonomous government apparatus, and continued to recruit soldiers, build bases, expand the scope of the uprising, marched north, attacked Tong Binh citadel (in present-day Hanoi), forcing the Tang Dynasty's army and officials there to flee back to their country. But in 722, after suppressing the internal rebellion, the Tang Dynasty concentrated its forces to suppress the Hoan Chau uprising, and the young Mai Dynasty quickly ended.

In less than 10 years, the Hoan Chau uprising quickly spread to many other provinces, not only attracting the people in the region but also linking with many participating localities, including the army of Lam Ap, Chan Lap and Kim Lan. Our people regained independence from the hands of the Northern invaders. Hoan Chau proudly became the capital of the autonomous dynasty headed by King Mai Hac De with Van An citadel (in present-day Nam Dan) considered the capital. That achievement not only demonstrated military strategy and skillful mobilization of the people but also demonstrated the diplomatic talent of the King of Nghe An - Mai Hac De.

With the glorious Hoan Chau uprising, establishing an independent dynasty of the Vietnamese people, Mai Thuc Loan became the first outstanding son of Nghe An to go down in history as a king with great merit, opening a new page for the history of the ancient Hoan Chau land and the present Nghe An. Mai Thuc Loan, along with many other famous people, especially Phan Boi Chau and President Ho Chi Minh, made Hong Mountain, Lam River and our whole country famous, creating for Nghe An a sense of pride and honor compared to other regions in the country.

The life and career of Mai Thuc Loan and the Hoan Chau uprising left an indelible mark on the homeland of Nghe An and the Vietnamese people. Not only in Nghe An, but also in some other rural areas, there are historical and cultural relics related to this important historical event, such as the Mai family church and Mai Thuc Loan temple in Mai Phu commune (Loc Ha, Ha Tinh); the tomb of Mai Hac De with the temple and tomb of King Mai, King Mai's mother, the temple of Prince Mai Thuc Huy, the temple of Nam Son Thuong Tuong, the Kha Lam communal house, the Van An citadel... in Nam Dan district (Nghe An); the relic cluster of Duc Anh temple, Cau Giay district (Hanoi); The relic cluster in Quoc Tuan commune, An Duong district (Hai Phong)... More specifically, in Nam Dan, as scheduled, every year in mid-January, the Mai King Temple Festival takes place (from this year, it is a provincial festival), people from all regions gather here in solemnity with a respectful heart but no less joyful, happy, excited, immersed in a space of community cultural activities imbued with humanity.

The Hoan Chau uprising is a powerful historical evidence, strongly demonstrating the aspiration for independence and autonomy of our nation, at the same time demonstrating the heroic, resilient, and bold spirit of the Nghe people at that time, which had the effect of encouraging and adding strength to the following uprisings. Following the Hai Ba Trung uprising (AD 40-43), Ba Trieu uprising (AD 248) and Ly Bi uprising (AD 542), Mai Thuc Loan's Hoan Chau uprising was the fourth largest uprising in history against the Chinese domination and is considered the opening act for the following uprisings such as Phung Hung uprising at the end of the 8th century, Duong Thanh uprising at the beginning of the 9th century, Khuc Thua Du and Khuc Thua Hao uprising at the beginning of the 10th century, adding strength to the nation on the path of a long-term, resilient struggle against the Chinese domination to the result of regaining complete independence and autonomy in the 10th century with Ngo Quyen's resounding Bach Dang victory in 938.
Mai Thuc Loan's contributions and the Hoan Chau uprising are still there with time, still a precious heritage for the people of Nghe An to be proud of in front of the whole country, for our nation to be proud of in front of other nations. Even though time has passed, the heroic spirit of Hoan Chau of that day always echoes with the sacred soul of the mountains and rivers of our homeland.

Le Duc Hoang (Faculty of History, Vinh University)