Vietnamese Women, vol. 1 chapter 2, part 4: 31 to 40

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 2: other remains about Vietnamese women (di tich khac ve phu nu viet nam)

2.31 The temple to Mr. DUONG DIÊN NGHÊ & Mrs. DUONG THI NHU NGOC [with women soldiers]

GIANG VILLAGE - THIEU DUONG VILLAGE - DONG SON DISTRICT - THANH HOA PROVINCE

Lady Duong Thi Nhu Ngoc was a daughter of high ranking Chinese administrator Duong Diên Nghê and the wife of general Ngô Quyên who was a national hero winning the Nam Han army in Bach Dang river (938).

During the resistance against the Nam Han troops, Lady Nhu Ngoc herself recruited women soldiers who felt hatred towards the enemy. She joined her troops to the army of her husband to restore the independence and freedom of the country (p.163).

2.32 HOA XA DINH (Đình) [for Lady Dô Ho helping King Lê Dai Hanh against Song invaders]

THANH TRI DISTRICT - HA NOI

The dinh was dedicated to worship of "Than Hoang" (village deity) who was Lady Dô Ho who had the merit to help King Lê Dai Hanh defeat the Song invaders.

In the lunar year of Tan Ty (981) when the Song troops invaded the country, King Lê Dai Hanh commanded by himself troops to block the enemy's attack. When the troops made a stop at Hoa Xa village of Ta Thanh Oai (today known as Ta Thanh Oai village, Thanh Tri district, Ha Noi) to get more food, the king met and fell in love with a girl named Dô Hô, who was a poor orphan working hard all around the year, but she looked very beautiful. A strange thing was that wherever she went, there were colorful clouds shading her; the king supposed that [this] was a good omen.

When she went to the battlefield, the king ordered her to prepare, transport and distribute food to the troops. She had in mind the way to make rice cakes and honey compotes which could be kept for a long time that ensured the soldiers health and did not have impact to their fighting spirit. She also presented a plan to the king for building convenient small boats to ensure the military secrecy.

After having defeated the Song invaders, the king took her to the capital and made her imperial concubine (p.166).

2.33 Dinh TICH SON - TICH SON DINH (Đình) [for 7 children of Lô family]

WARD OF TICH SON - TOWN OF VINH YEN - VINH PHUC PROVINCE

Place where seven brothers and sisters of the Lô family have been worshipped. These brothers and sisters had raised an army to defend the Lý dynasty fighting against the Trân dynasty, and later on, together with the Trân family fought against the Yuan troops. This army was led by the youngest daughter of the Lô famly called as Nang Bay (the Seventh Lady). (p.168)

2.34 VÊ Temple

BO VE WARD - THANH HOA PROVINCE

Worship place's dedicated to 29 Kings and 28 Queens of the posterior Lê dynasty (p.170).

2.35 DAO NUONG Temple [for singer A Dao - Ming soldiers thrown into the river]

DAO DANG VILLAGE - TIEN LU DISTRICT - HUNG YEN PROVINCE

A country girl of Dao Dang wo sang very well and danced gracefully was beautiful and virtuous. The villagers usually called her A Dao, but her true name was Dao Thi Hue.

[Chinese Ming invasion - singer A Dao]

In the early 15th century, the Ming troops invaded the country and caused a lot of persecution to the people. The villagers were very displeased, [so] most of the young men in the village engaged in the uprising of Lê Loi against the Ming troops. In the hamlet at the time there were only women, children and old people. The enemy's camp was set up in the hamlet and the soldiers usually drank alcohol and obliged A Dao to sing and dance for entertaining them. Despite her hatred to them, A Dao still pretended to please them in order to have their confidence.

[Chinese Ming troops sleeping in bags against mosquitoes - thrown into the river]

The Ming troops coming to our country were afraid of mosquitoes, they usually slept in big bags and asked the outsiders to tie the bags so that the mosquitoes could not bite them. Some nights, they did not get back to their camps, passed the night in the hamlet; they got into the bags and ordered A Dao to tie the bags.

Having known their weakness, A Dao and the villagers together set the plot to destroy the enemy forces in contribution to the Lam Son uprising. Having taken opportunity that they slept deeply in their bags, she tied tightly the bags and, with the help of the villagers, threw them into the river. These bags containning the Ming invaders drifted down the river and disappeared. Night after night the Ming troops had much loss; the remains of them heaped earth surrounding a square land to mark their garrison zone, but their loss was more and more considerable without reason. They were more and more anxious and finally departed elsewhere.

A Dao and the villagers' plot contributed to the Lam Son uprising's victory, the national independence was recovered. When she passed away, the villagers felt gratitude to her, set up a temple to worship her and offered her the title of Dao Nuong (Lady Dao). Her worshipping temple was built in Dao Dang village, Tiên Lu district, which is Trung Nghia village, Phu Tiên district, Hai Hung province today (the relic was recognized by the State in November 1988). (p.172)

2.36 VAN KIÊP Temple [for King Hung Dao and princess Thiên Thanh and for two daughters

KIÊP BAC Temple

HUNG DAO VILLAGE - CHI LINH DISTRICT - HAI DUONG PROVINCE

This is the place dedicated to worship King Hung Dao and his wife, Princess Thiên Thanh and his two daughters: Princess Quyên Thanh (King Trân Nhân Tong's wife) and Princess Anh Nguyên (Pham Ngu Lao's wife).

Every year, the pilgrimage to Kiêp Bac temple became a custom of our people. The main festival date is on the 20th of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (p.174).

2.37 PHU UNG Temple [for Pham Ngu Lao and his daughter Thuy Tiên]

DO LUONG VILLAGE - KIM THI DISTRICT - HUNG YEN PROVINCE

[This] place is for the worship of Pham Ngu Lao and his daughter, Princess Thuy Tiên, the concubine of King Trân Anh Tông.

This is a cluster of historical remains including many temples and pagodas, beautiful sceneries.

As the legend has it, Princess Thuy Tiên was the unique daughter of Pham Ngu Lao , she was very beautiful and chosen as a concubine of King Trän anh Tông but she was childless. Later on, she returned to the countryside to live and entered into nunhood at the village's pagoda. That is the reason why the pagoda [is] worshipping at the same time Buddha and Princess Thuy Tiên. Each year, the Phu Ung festival lasts three consecutive days from 11 to 13 of the first lunar month (p.176).

2.38 NÔN SON Pagoda [for princess Huyên Trân with the Champa kingdom]

NON Pagoda

HO SON HAMLET - LIEN MINH VILLAGE - VU BAN DISTRICT - NAM DINH PROVINCE

This pagoda has an altar to worship Princess Huyên Trân, King Trân Nhân Tông's daughter. After having entered into monkhood, King Trân Nhân Tông traveled to the capital of Champa and promised to marry Huyên Trân to [the] Champa King named Chê Mân.

In 1306, Chê Mân had a messenger to bring a letter to King Trân to offer two districts of Ô and Lý as wedding gifts. In the royal family there were several opposing opinions against the event, but the King did not want to break his promise so he had Huyên Trân escorted to the Champa King.

Chê Mân was dead almost one year later (1307). According to the Champa custom, when the King died the Queen had to follow her husband to die on a pyre [stake]. King Trân was afraid that the Princess would be able to be forced to die be dead by this way, so he ordered Tran Khac Chung to pretend to pay a visit of condolence then made a devise to take the Princess home back on a light boat.

After having returned home (1308) Huyên Trân entered into nunhood at this pagoda. When she died, the residents in the village worshipped her here (p.178).

2.39 RÔNG Temple

DINH BANG DISTRICT - BAC NINH PROVINCE

Queen Lý Chiêu Hoàng temple (1218-1278). (p.180)

2.40 Dinh GIAO TU - GIAO TU Dinh (Đình) [for Queen Lý Chiêu Hoàng]

GIAO TU VILLAGE (today Kim Son) CHE VILLAGE - GIA LAM DISTRICT - HA NOI

Giao Tu dinh is for the worship of Lý Chiêu Hoàng (1218-1278), the last Queen of the Lý Dynasty, also the 2nd Queen in feudal history of Vietnam. She gave the residents of Giao Tu village land to cultivate. When she died, the villagers erected a shrine to worship her and extolled her as their village's deity (p.181).

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