Visit Phu Xa Temple

 

Phu Xa Temple was built according to feng shui, facing the Bach Dang River, where witnessing the battles against foreign invaders have gone down in history.

According to historical records, Phu Xa Temple is one of the historical relics associated with the victory in the naval battle on the Bach Dang River in 1288, commanded by Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan. It was the climax of the three battles of the Dai Viet army and people against the Mongol invaders of the 13th century. Legend has it that, at that time, to prepare for the great war on the Bach Dang River, Tran Hung Dao took the village. Formerly Phu Luong (now the residential group of Phu Xa street, Dong Hai ward 1) used to be a place to store food warehouses to serve the war. The battle of Bach Dang river was won, General Tran Hung Dao continued to choose Phu Luong village as the place to open a festival to reward soldiers before pulling troops to Van Kiep. In 1300, when Tran Hung Dao died, Phu Luong villagers established Phu Luong temple (now Phu Xa Temple) to commemorate his merits.

Phu Xa Temple is not only a place where people remember the merits of Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan, it also worships female logistics general Bui Thi Tu Nhien, a general who raised troops in the army of Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran. Quoc Tuan and the villagers of Phu Luong contributed to the historic Bach Dang victory. According to historical records, in 1288, when Tran Hung Dao’s army on its way to fight the Nguyen invaders passed through the village, Mrs. Bui Thi Tu Nhien – the village’s daughter-in-law Pham with patriotic spirit brought rice herself, mobilized villagers to contribute and set up food warehouses to serve Tran Dynasty generals and soldiers to fight the enemy.

Because she had to fight on the river, it was difficult to carry food, so she thought of a way to make rice paper with cooked flour for soldiers to carry, using it as a very convenient dry food in battle. To remember her merits in the war with the Yuan Mongols, before withdrawing to Van Kiep, Tran Hung Dao conferred her as the female general of logistics. In 1328, the female logistics general Bui Thi Tu Nhien died, the villagers remembered her merits and carved a statue to worship her at Phu Luong temple along with Tran Hung Dao.

The temple is hidden by a row of ancient trees

Phu Xa Temple is located on a high plot of land, built according to the feng shui position created in Tu Duc’s time, in front of the temple is a lake, the temple turns to the northeast, towards the mouth of the Bach Dang sea. Experiencing many times of renovation and embellishment, Phu Xa Temple today has become a superficial architectural work with internal and external structure, including 5 pavilions, the heavenly house, the dance house, and the second house. and harem. The temple is hidden by the rows of ancient trees with curved roofs of Vietnamese ancient architecture. On the roof system, the roof of the temple is decorated and painted with themes such as two dragons adoring the sun, kim, and Nghe. The decorative lines, carvings and painting are in the artistic style of the Nguyen Dynasty at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In particular, the French statues, antiques, and ceramics have high artistic and artistic value. sculpture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries,

 

Mr. Trinh The Hanh – Vice Chairman of Dong Hai 1 Ward People’s Committee said: “Every year on the 20th and 5th of the third lunar month, local people solemnly hold a traditional festival to review the Victory. Historical Bach Dang, offering incense to commemorate the great merits of Saint Tran and female logistics general Bui Thi Tu Nhien. The sacrificial activities are solemnly and solemnly organized with folk religious activities imbued with cultural values ​​and many folk games, attracting a large number of people and tourists from all over the world to offer incense and participate in the ceremony. The officials worshiped and prayed for the peace of the nation and the people”.

Also according to Mr. Hanh, Phu Xa Temple is not only a temple associated with the historic victory on the Bach Dang River, in the resistance war against the colonialists and imperialists, Phu Xa Temple is also a base for revolutionary comrades and construction workers. force building and propaganda to launch the struggle. This place is also a place to store weapons, ammunition, and military equipment to be transported to the southern battlefield.

With great significance in traditional education and preserving the unique cultural and artistic features of architecture, Phu Xa Temple has been ranked as a National Historic-Cultural Relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 1988, it became a useful and attractive sightseeing destination for tourists inside and outside the city.