Vietnamese Women, vol. 1 chapter 1, part 3: 21 to 30

from: Bao Tang Phu Nu Nam Bo: The Vietnamese Women. Vestiges & Landscapes. The Cultural-Historic (Di Tich Thang Canh Lich Su Van Hoa. Phu nu Viet Nam); Nha Xuat Ban Phu Nu 1999; chapter 1: remains of goddesses, founders of professions and of famous persons' mothers (Di tich ve mau, nu than, ba to ba chua cac nganh nghe va me cac danh nhan)

1.21 QUYNH LUU-KYANH beach [the girl had to catch fiddler crab - and created mam cay]

Hometown of the Mam Cay founder

NGHE TINH

Mam Cay [salted fish] is a speciality of the Nghe Tinh region. The people of the region told the story about the mam cay founder as follows:

In the past, in the Nghe Tinh coastal region, there was a very poor woman who lived in a shack on the beach. All around year, she caught clams, crabs and shrimps to barter with rice for her living. In one year, there were serious floods which destroyed completely the harvests. The people looked for everything ghey could eat and all the sea life was caught. The lonesome poor lady was obliged to catch fiddler crab to eat and the villagers also did the same thing. She was afraid that one day there was no more fiddler crab so whe would die of hunger. So, she caught a lot and put all smashed into a jar. A few days later, the odor from the jar was very charming, and became a kind of sauce called "Mam Cay". She strained off the water to eat and the mam cay became more and more attractive. From that time, the mam cay profession was formed and became popular in the region. The villagers called her Lady Cay.

Then she died, the villagers who lived by catching fiddler crabs and exerting mam cay profession in the region considered her as the founder. They organized a ceremony to make offerings to her on a brackish water field, each of them brought a present such as a dish of rice, a dish of fish, a dish of mam cay, a dish of steamed vegetables, put on her grave and burned incense to pray her help them doing good harvest. After the ceremony, they sat there and ate all the offerings, then started the catching of fiddler crabs on that field.

The ceremony of making offerings to founder was simple but showed the benevolent spirit and the moral philosophy: "When drinking water remember its source" of the poor who relied on one another to live by catching fiddler crabs and making the mam cay in Nghe Tinh region (p.51).

1.22 PHUNG XA Dinh [concubine Nguyen Thi Hau]

PHUNG XA VILLAGE - MY DUC DISTRICT - HA TAY PROVINCE

The worshipping place of Lady Nguyen Thi Hau, the Imperial Concubine in the Ly Dynasty and the founder of the weaving profession in Phung Xa village (p.54).

1.23 LY TRIEU QUOC MAU Temple [Ly Cong Uan with a child of a deity of Tieu mountain]

Temple of LY CONG UAN's Mother

DINH BANG DISTRICT - BA NINH PROVINCE

According to legend, Duong Loi village (Tan Hong village, Tien Son district, Ha Bac province of today) was the native village of Ly Cong Uan.

Ly Cong Uan's mother was named Pham Thi Nga, who was very poor during her childhood; she was obliged to do the hired labor, then opened a stall to sell drinks in the village; later she became the Minh Chau Pagoda's keeper.

In this pagoda, she met bonze Khanh Van and bonze Van Hanh who came here to preach the Buddhist teachings. Realizing that she was a virtuous woman, they chose a divine place to bury her parents so that she would enjoy good fortune of which the possibility would reach King's title. Her parents tomb was used to being called "Mo to" (the tomb of Patriarch) in Nieu forest (today Mieu ricefield).

According to the Ly family stele (Ly Gia Lanh Thach) set in Tieu pagoda, lady Pham Thi was pregnant with a deity of Tieu mountain. She gave birth to Ly Cong Uan in Duong Loi village. Duong San hamlet remains the relics and topographic locations of the bathing pond, bathing basin, give born table, cut navel knife all made of stone and many stories involving the fostering situation of Ly Cong Uan (p.56).

1.24 First Royal Concubine Y LAN Templee [mulberry picking girl "Lady Y Lan" becoming "first royal concubine"]

DUONG XA VILLAGE - GIA LAM DISTRICT

Her native village was Sieu Loai village (formerly Tho Loi village), Gia Lam district, Ha Noi. According to the historical annals, King Ly thanh Tong at the age older than 40, still had no child, so he used to go to pagoda and pray for a male heir. One day in 1603, the King visited the Dau pagoda (province of Ha Bac). When passing by Tho Loi village, he saw a beautiful mulberry picking girl standing against a michelia tree. He asked her questions. She replied softly and fluently, he fell in love with her. He married her and granted her the title "Lady Y Lan". After bearing the Crown Prince Kien Duc (1066), she was nominated as "First Royal Concubine" (ranked first among the ryal Concubines, after the Queen).

In 1069, while the King was going to war, she reigned over the country well in order, people admired her. She also went on an inspection tour to faraway countryside, grasped thoroughly the situation in teh society and punished those mandarins taking bribery. The King was defeated and returend to the capital. When learning Y Lan's works in success, he returned to the battle, won it that time.

When Kien Duc was crowned (at 7 years old), he conferred on her the title "Linh Nhan Queen Mother". She also ransomed slave women and helped them get married afterwards.

She had made only one regrettable thing: she had compelled Queen Thuong Duong and 72 ladies - in waiting to commit suicide in order to control the power. Afterwards she showed her repentance, she had several pagodas built, preached Buddhism, did charity things, then entered into nunhood (p.59).

1.25 DONG THIEN Quan - DONG THIEN Shrine

NO. 8 NGO TAM THUONG STREET - HA NOI

The shrine worshipping the First Royal Concubine Y Lan (King Ly Thanh Tong's wife). The legend has it that here was the site of the Queen Mother's old palace (p.61).

1.26 PHU THI Temple [concubine Y Lan]

PHU THI VILLAGE (also known as Sui village) - GIA LAM DISTRICT - HA NOI

Here is for the worship of Sui village Thanh Hoang (village deity), the First Royal Concubine Y Lan.

It is said that there was a pagoda named of Thanh Chua (Dai Duong) in Phu Thi village. Here resided a monk whose name was Dai Dien and a certain Bo Bong. One day, monk Dai Dien asked Bo Bong if he wanted to be King, he said yes. The monk said that a royal concubine was going to come here the day after and told him to try to copulate with her as whe went to the bathroom. He did so, then consequently, the imperial guard arrested and put him to death immediately. When burying him, the monk cut a toe's nail of him. He prayed for him for 49 days to reincarnate him as her son.

After that, Y Lan gave birth to the Crown Prince with one toe's nail missing. She was nominated as the First Royal concubine. After ascending to the throne, King Ly Nhan Tong extolled her mother to be the Queen mother. When she died, villagers worshipped her as the village deity (p.63).

1.27 House worshipping and Stele commemorating Mrs. HOANG THI HAY [with 7 sons]

VILLAGE KIM DOI - DISTRICT QUE VO - BAC NINH PROVINCE

She was born in 1404 and died in 1484. She gave birth to seven sons, five of them had graduated literary doctors, during the Lê dynasty. When she was dead, the first doctor laureate Luong The Vinh had written the stele to prise the pains taken by her in giving birth, raising and educating her sons (p.65).

1.28 Temple of the King's Prime Minister NGUYEN QUAN NHO and his Mother [widow Trinh Thi Phuc]

THIEU XUAN VILLAGE - THIEU YEN DISTRICT - THANH HOA PROVINCE

Here Mrs. Trinh Thi Phuc has been worshipped. Her husband died when she was still young (22 years old). She replaced her husband to maintain the properties of her husband's family, worked hard and gave a successful education to the King's Prime Minister Nguyen Quan Nho (p.67).

1.29 Lady NGO THI NGOC DAO temple [wife of a prince and mother of king Lê Thanh Tong]

DONG PHAN HAMLET - DINH HOA VILLAGE - THIEU YEN DIST. - THANH HOA PROVINCE

She was King Lê Thanh Tong's mother.

Lady Ngo Ti Ngoc Dao (1420-1496) was the daughter of Mr. Ngo Tu in Dong Ban village, Yen Dinh district, Thanh Hoa province. Her father used to provide war supplies for [the] army when Lê Loi fought against the Ming invaders and was nominated as the Thai Bao rank (Great Tutor). When having come to the capital of Thang Long, she was chosen to get married to a royal prince.

In 1440, Lady Ngoc Dao was nominated as "Tiep Du", she gave birth to Lê Tu Thanh (Lê Thanh Tong) in Hyy Van pagoda in 1442. She was extolled as Quang Thuc Queen Mother in 1460. She was a virtuous woman and behaved well towards everybody. She brought Tu Thanh up to become a well educated, generous and wise king.

She also had a great merit of clearing Nguyen Thi Lo and Nguyen Trai of the unjust judgement and helped Lê Thanh Tong recognizing the truth in the case.

She passed away in 1496 (p.69).

1.30 Lady TRAN THI DUNG Shrine [bride and first royal concubine crown prince Sam - mother of princesses Thuan Thien and Chieu Thanh]

THIEN HUONG CAVE - HOA LU DISTRICT - NINH BINH PROVINCE

Located within the Thien Huong cave, one of the most scenic landscapes of Ninh Binh, the shrine is for the worship of "Linh Tu Quoc Mau" Tran Thi Dung with her statue sitting on the dragon chair under the four letters: "Quoc Sac Thien Huong" (the most beautiful girl in [the] nation).

Lady Tran Thi Dung was the daughter of Mr. Tran Ly in Luu Gia hamlet (Luu Xa village of today), Hung Nhan district, Thai Binh province.

Once, Crown Prince Sam (King Ly Hue Tong later) at the age of 15 evacuated to this region and married Lady Tran Thi Dung; and Tran Ly, her father, recruited the troops to help the king reoccupying Thang Long.

In 1211, Prince Sam ascended the throne and nominated Lady Tran Thi Dung as the First Royal Concubine, then Empress. She gave birth to Princess Thuan Thien and Princess Chieu Thanh or Queen Ly Chieu Hoang (the second queen of Vietnam history after Trung Vuong). After Ly Hue Tong passed away, she became the wife of King's Prime Minister Tran Thu Do. The royal event that King Tran ascended the throne replacing the Ly Dynasty with the contribution of Lady Tran Thi Dung was kept highly secret. She was the one who kept the Tran dynasty's inheritance stable. When she died in 1259, King Tran granted her the title of as "Linh Tu Quoc Mau".

It is said that, when she followed the royal family to Vu Lam for building the palace, she taught the people of Van Lam hamlet, Ninh Hai village, the profession of lace weaving. She was honored by the people as the founder of the lace weaving profession (p.72).

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