Resolutely handle violations at Tran Khac Family Temple Relic

Clear violation

The Tran Khac family temple relic (Bui Bui hamlet, Cong Thanh commune) - a relic expected to be ranked at the provincial level, listed in the list of management levels of relics and scenic spots in Nghe An in Decision No. 1017/QD.UBND.VX dated April 1, 2011, was dismantled by some members of the family and moved to a new place of worship since February 2020.

The path leading to the Tran Khac Family Temple Relic. Photo: Nhat Lan

The church still preserves many ancient artifacts such as: 1 incense table, 3 altar beds, 1 altar chair, 2 sets of thrones and tablets, 1 altar, 1 mirror stand, 1 wooden mandarin hat, 1 tea tray with kneeling legs, pedestal, and tray; 3 wooden genealogies, 1 horizontal lacquered board, 2 pairs of parallel sentences, 18 royal decrees, degrees, and orders. The typical figures worshiped at the Tran Khac family temple include: Thai Thuy To Tran Khac Lieu, holding the position of "Tham Tan Huan Than, Phu Quoc Thuong Tru Dai Tuong Quan", with the merit of fighting Champa; Thai Thuy To Tran Van Trai holding the position of "Thiem Tong Tri", with the merit of recruiting people to establish the village; Mr. Tran Khac Dan, an official of the Le Trung Hung and Tay Son dynasties, with the title of "Hung Liet Tuong Quan, Quan Quan Su, Hien Thanh Hau" (1 imperial edict is still preserved (March 12, Canh Hung 32nd year - 1771; 2 royal decrees dated November 10, Thai Duc 11th year - 1788 and November 2, Canh Thinh 4th year - 1796); Mr. Tran Khac Dieu held the position of Bac Bo, Phan Luc Tuong Quan... In addition, the Tran Khac family has 4 revolutionary veterans, party members from 1930 to 1931; 2 Pre-Uprising cadres; 14 martyrs; 2 Heroic Vietnamese Mothers; Tran Khac family temple is the place where a number of local historical events took place during the Nghe - Tinh Soviet period; is the place where documents of the Central Region Party Committee were printed in 1930 - 1931; is the place where revolutionary cadres were hidden, including comrade Ton Thi Que - Provincial Party Committee cadres to direct Party bases in Yen Thanh.

With the above historical artifacts and data, the Tran Khac Family Temple was inventoried by Nghe An Museum and the Management Board of Monuments and Landscapes in 1996 and 2003; identified as a historical and cultural relic; included by the Provincial People's Committee in the list of decentralized management of monuments and landscapes in Nghe An in Decision No. 1017/QD.UBND.VX dated April 1, 2011, expected to be ranked at the provincial level and assigned to Cong Thanh commune for management.

The gate of the Tran Khac Family Temple Relic. Photo: Nhat Lan

Regarding violations, at the time of inspection on March 23, 2020, it was determined that the Upper Temple (Hau Duong House - PV) had been dismantled and moved elsewhere, leaving only the surrounding wall intact. The reason was determined to be that some descendants of the Tran Khac family wished to move the church to a new place of worship (under construction about a few dozen meters away) for spaciousness and convenience in performing ceremonies on important occasions. The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Relic Management Board affirmed that the fact that some descendants of the family had organized the dismantling and relocation of the Upper Temple to a new location without the written approval of the competent State management agency was a violation of the Law on Cultural Heritage and Decision 27/2014/QD-UBND dated April 3, 2014 of the Provincial People's Committee on promulgating regulations on management, protection and promotion of the value of historical - cultural relics and landscapes in Nghe An province.

In Document No. 874/BC-SVHTT, the Department of Culture and Sports also affirmed: "The People's Committee of Cong Thanh commune is still lax in State management in the field of heritage that has been decentralized by the Provincial People's Committee; handling of petitions is still slow and not thorough; preventive solutions are not resolute, leading to the descendants in the family organizing the demolition of the Upper Palace...".

The Upper House of the Tran Khac Family Temple Relic has been damaged, only the surrounding wall remains; Surrounding wall of the Tran Khac Family Temple Relic. Photo: Nhat Lan

Slow implementation of the direction of the Provincial People's Committee

On May 5, 2020, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 2695/UBND-VX on handling petitions related to the Tran Khac Family Temple (Yen Thanh). Here, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Yen Thanh District People's Committee to direct the People's Committee of Cong Thanh Commune to seriously implement Decision No. 1017/QD-UBND.VX dated April 1, 2011 of the Provincial People's Committee on decentralization of management of relics and scenic spots in the province; handle violations and overcome consequences according to the provisions of law. Strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of State management in the field of heritage in the district in general, Cong Thanh Commune in particular, especially the content related to the Tran Khac family. Direct the People's Committee of Cong Thanh Commune to have appropriate solutions to resolve the matter thoroughly, not to let petitions drag on or go beyond the level. Organize serious reviews of organizations and individuals with shortcomings in performing assigned duties and tasks.

In addition, the Provincial People's Committee also assigned the Department of Culture and Sports to direct the Relic Management Board to coordinate with the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district to survey and re-evaluate the historical value of the Tran Khac Family Temple; requesting an objective and scientific assessment of the criteria of the relic. In case of sufficient conditions, the locality and competent authorities will be instructed to prepare a scientific dossier, submit it to the competent authority for consideration, assessment, and appraisal to rank the relic and manage it according to the provisions of law; in case of insufficient conditions for ranking, a plan will be proposed to hand it over to the family for self-management...

Implementing the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Culture and Sports has directed the Relic Management Board to survey and re-evaluate the historical value of the Tran Khac Family Temple. On May 28, 2020, the Relic Management Board issued Document No. 176/BQLDT.PHGTDT to report to the Department of Culture and Sports, in which it affirmed: "From the survey, the working group assessed that this is a valuable historical and cultural relic that needs to be protected and ranked...; The compilation of a dossier to rank the church relic requires the consensus and unity of the family, the locality and related organizations. Therefore, in the immediate future, we request the People's Committee of the commune and the People's Committee of the district to direct the descendants of the Tran Khac family to preserve and conserve the architectural works, documents and artifacts of the church".

On June 10, 2020, the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district issued Document No. 956/UBND-VHTT directing the People's Committee of Cong Thanh commune, the Department of Culture - Sports, and the Department of Home Affairs to implement the contents assigned by the Provincial People's Committee. But up to now, the Tran Khac family temple relic has not been restored, the situation is still "the Upper Temple has been dismantled, moved to another place, only the surrounding wall is not intact"; the situation of petitions and letters still recurs; the review of organizations and individuals with shortcomings in performing their duties and tasks has not been carried out...

Document No. 2695/UBND-VX of the Provincial People's Committee; Summary of the Tran Khac Family Temple Relic compiled by Nghe An Museum; Document No. 176/BQLDT.PHGTDT of the Relic Management Board affirming the historical and cultural value of the Tran Khac Family Temple. Photo: Nhat Lan

It is sad to go to Cong Thanh commune and Yen Thanh district to verify the related information. Because through that, it is clear that historical and cultural heritages are being neglected, leading to lax State management, allowing violations to occur. Again, the descendants of any family wish to do the best things to show their respect and deep gratitude to their ancestors. But "each tree has its own flower, each family has its own situation", the way of thinking of each family is different, so here and there there are still discords and disagreements. When such incidents occur at the local level, with the assigned State management responsibilities and tasks, the local government and political and social organizations must promptly grasp them, have the responsibility to act as a bridge, to mend and preserve solidarity. But with the incident of the Tran Khac family, the Cong Thanh commune government could not do so; More blameworthy, there was also "laxity in State management in the field of heritage", not promptly preventing the demolition of the Upper Palace...