Pilgrimage to the ancestral land

17:37' 27/04/2007 (GMT+7)
VietNamNet Bridge - Thousands of people went on a pilgrimage to the Hung Kings’ Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho on the 10th day of the third lunar month (April 26), the Hung Kings’ death anniversary.
The 10th day of the third lunar month has become a national holiday this year, an opportunity for the Vietnamese people to commemorate the dynasty of the Hung Kings, considered the founding fathers of Vietnam.

The legend of the Hung Kings
It is said that the first king of the country was Kinh Duong, who ruled over a vast territory in the south called Xich Quy (Red Devil).

Kinh Duong married the daughter of Than Long (Sacred Dragon), king of Lake Dong Ding. The couple had a son, Sung Lam, who later became king and called himself Lac Long Quan (King Dragon of the Land of Lac). The wife of Lac Long Quan, Au Co, gave birth to a sac containing 100 eggs from which 100 babies were born.

One day, Lac Long Quan told his wife, "I descend from dragons and you from fairies. We’re as incompatible as water and fire and we cannot continue in harmony." The king parted from his queen, taking to the sea with 50 of his children and his wife moved to the mountains, followed by the rest of the clan.

The eldest son, who was with this mother, established himself at Phong Chau, now the southern part of Phu Tho Province, and made himself king. That was King Hung I whose realm was made up of 50 tribes.

The 18 Hung kings then ruled the country from 2879 to 258 BC.

According to historical records, the regime of the Hung Kings was an impressive, brilliant and outstanding start for establishing Vietnam as a sovereign nation.

The 18 generations of the Hung Kings saw the birth and development of a nation and are credited with forging national characteristics such as the sense of community, mutual affection, patriotism and unwillingness to yield to oppression. From this original settlement, the Hong (Red) River civilisation and the pre-Dong Son cultures grew.

This celebrated date, the 10th day of the third lunar month, is dedicated to commemorating the anniversary of their ancestor’s death, the founder of the Vietnamese nation—the first Hung King.
The Hung Kings’ Temple complex
The historic relic complex of Hung Kings’ Temple, which is located in Co Tich village, Hy Cuong commune, Lam Thao district, Phu Tho province, worships the Hung Kings who founded the first state of Vietnam named Van Lang. The temple is 7km north of the centre of Viet Tri city and 90km from Hanoi. From Hanoi, tourists can reach the Hung Kings’ Temple by car or bus driven along National Road No.2 or by train on the Hanoi-Lao Cai route.
The temple is a cultural and historic relic especially important to the country and built on Hung Mountain in Phong Chau – the neighboring area of the capital of Van Lang State 4,000 years ago.
The whole relic area has 4 temples, 1 pagoda and 1 royal tomb in harmony with the natural beauty. The top of the mountain is 175 metres above sea level. It is said that Hung Mountain is like the head of a dragon turned toward the south. The body of the dragon is divided into Van Mountain, Troc Mountain and Pheo Mountain. Van Mountain is 170 metres high. Troc Mountain is located between Hung Mountain and Van Mountain and has the height of 145 metres.
The whole Hung Temple area was previously an old tropical forest. From the foot of Hung Mountain, tourists can see architectural relics like:
1. Temple Gate
2. Ha Temple
3. Stele House
4. Thien Quang Pagoda
5. Trung Temple
6. Thuong Temple
7. Gieng Temple
8. Au Co Mother Temple
9. Hung Vuong Museum
Temple Gate:
The gate of Hung Temple was built in 1917. The gate is vaulted and 8.5 metres high. It has two storeys of roof. The lower storey has a big vault and the top storey has a smaller one. 4 corners of the roof are embossed with two young lions and decorated with winding dragons. The middle of the two pillars is embossed with two boxers wearing armor. One is holding a battle-axe while the other is holding a lance.
Ha Temple
According to the legend, Au Co gave birth to a pouch containing 100 eggs, which hatched to produce 100 boys. Mat Rong Well (Dragon Eye Well) where Au Co incubated the eggs remains located behind the temple.
Ha Temple was rebuilt in the 17th-18th centuries. The temple consists of 3 buildings, which are 1.5 metres far each other. Each building has 3 rooms.
At the foot of the temple is the Stele House with hexagonal architecture. On the top of the house is a small bottle of wine. Inside the house is a stone stele embossed with the words of President Ho Chi Minh:
"The Hung Kings had the merit of founding the country
You and I must stick together to safeguard it."
Located close to the temple is a pagoda previously named “Son Canh Thua Long Tu”. The pagoda is now called “Thien Quang Thien Tu”. It contains a forecourt with 5 rooms, an incense burning house with 2 rooms, the Buddha Trinity with 3 rooms and the ancestor house.
In front of the pagoda, there is a 1,000-year-old tree. At the foot of the tree, President Ho Chi Minh had a talk with soldiers on their way to Hanoi.
The pagoda also has a steeple built in the 17th century.
Trung Temple
The legend says that the Hung Kings and Paladins and Military Chiefs used to go to Trung Temple for sightseeing and political meetings. It is also the place where the 6th Hung King ceded the throne to his son Lang Lieu, who found how to make sticky rice cakes.
The temple is 7.2 metres long and 3.7 meters wide.
Thuong Temple and Hung Kings’ Tomb
Thuong Temple is located on the top of Hung Mountain. According to the legend, the Hung Kings usually climbed to the top of Nghia Linh Mountain to carry out the religious rites of farmers worshipping the heaven and earth and the rice genie and praying for good weather, bumper crops and good health.
The legend also says that Thuong Temple is the place where the 6th Hung King set up an altar to offer prayers to the heaven so that the heaven would grant a talented person to the country to defeat the An invaders. The heaven granted Thanh Giong, a legendary hero. After defeating the An invaders, Thanh Giong returned to the heaven. Afterwards, the 6th Hung King built the Thuong Temple to worship him.
The legend also said that the Hung Kings’ Tomb is the grave of the 6th Hung King. The tomb is located to the east of Thuong Temple.
Gieng Temple
Gieng Temple is the place where the two princesses Tien Dung and Ngoc Hoa of the 18th Hung King saw their images when passing this region. The two princesses taught the people how to grow paddy trees. As a result, the people there built the temple to worship them. The temple was built in the 18th century.
Au Co Mother Temple
The Au Co Mother Temple was built from 2001 to December 2004 on Oc Son Mountain (Van Mountain) according to traditional architecture. The key temple covers an area of 137 square metres.
The temple worships Au Co Mother and two Paladins. It takes 553 steps to reach the temple.
Hung Vuong Museum
The Hung Vuong Museum was begun in 1996 and finished in 2003. The museum showcases over 4,000 things, including 700 original things.
The things in the museum are divided into 3 groups with distinct topic:
- Introducing the culture of Hung Vuong with things related to eras of the Hung Kings found in Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc.
- Introducing the appearance of the Hung Temple Relic complex.
- Describing the sentiment of the people, the attention of President Ho Chi Minh and Party leaders to the Hung Temple.
The Hung King’s Temple Festival

The Hung King’s Temple is located on Nghia Linh Mountain, Hy Lang commune, Phong Chau district, Phu Tho province, 85 kilometres northwest of Hanoi. Every year, a national festival called Hung King’s Temple Festival is held to worship the Hung Kings.

The festival lasts for 3 days from the 9th to the 11th of the 3rd month of the lunar calendar. A day before the festival, ancient and modern flags are hung along the road leading from Viet Tri to Hung mountain. A large balloon also publicises the festival to surrounding areas. On the eve of the festival, 100 flying lights are released into the night sky. The main worship service is held in earnest the following morning, the 10th day, beginning with a flower ceremony.

In Den Thuong (Upper Temple) where the Hung Kings used to worship deities with full rituals, the ceremony consists of a lavish five-fruit feast. Banh chung (square cake) and banh giay (circle cake) are also served to remind people of the Lang Lieu Legend (the 18th Hung King who invented these cakes), and the merit of the Hung Kings who taught people to grow rice.Next to the stage procession for deities, there are several marches in the procession such as the elephant march followed by the procession chair. These procession marches are conducted in Tien Cuong, Hy Cuong, Phuong Giao, and Co Tich villages. The procession marches are followed by a Xoan song performance (a classical type of song) in the Den Thuong, a "Ca Tru" (a kind of classical opera) in Den Ha (Lower Temple), and other activities like cross-bow shooting, rice cooking, swinging contests, cock fighting, and dragon dancing.

Later this day, a march of local people, including representatives of the country’s 54 ethnic minorities is rounded off with a speech and the release of doves, carrying the hope for peace of Vietnamese people.

The Hung King’s Temple Festival not only attracts visitors from everywhere and allows visitors to participate in the special traditional cultural activities, but it is also a sacred pilgrimage back to the origins of the Vietnamese culture. People usually show their love and pride for their homeland and ancestral land.During the festival, pilgrims always spend time visiting the temples and historic sites on Hung mountain.

The Den Ha, memorial temple for primal mother Au Co, is approximately 100 steps higher up, in a courtyard entered through a gate with a bell tower. The mother of the Hung Emperors and all Vietnamese is represented on the main altar; the left-hand altar is dedicated to the last Hung Emperor.

The steps continue to the Den Trung (Middle Temple), the main temple, which dates from the 19th century. It is dedicated to the founder of the dynasty and all other Hung Emperors. On the summit of the wooded hill is Den Thuong, which is dedicated to the gods of heaven and earth.

Lying on the middle altar is the sword of Phu Dong, the country’s first hero; another altar is dedicated to the wives and daughters of the Hung Emperors. On the hill is a mausoleum for the dynasty. Upon the Stone of Oaths here An Duong Vuong, founder of the realm of Au Lac, who came from the hills to the plain, swore to defend the land of his fathers.
The Hung King’s Temple Festival is one of the most important and sacred festivals of the Vietnamese people, deeply imbedded in the minds of every Vietnamese citizen, regardless of where they originate from. (Source: VNS, Phu Tho Province’s website, Vietnam Style)

VietNamNet Bridge records the anniversary in photos:

Banh day braying contest

The first ever fireworks in Phu Tho

Thousands of visitors pilgrimage to Phu Tho



Peddlers sit on the way to the Thuong Temple

Watching boat racing on the Lo River

The palanquin carrying the giant banh day to the temple

The giant banh day

Viet Tri City

Boat racing on the Lo River

Banh chung packing contest

The 2.5 tonne banh chung

Banh chung mass

Writing petition to the Hung Kings

Calligraphy

People follow the banh chung palanquin

In the Thuong Temple
Ngoc Oanh, Trung Kien, Xuan Truong