Vietnamese Women, vol. 2 chapter 2, part 2: other remains, 11 to 20

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; volume 2: remains of goddesses - lady ancestors of different professions - mothers of famous persons (Di tich ve nu than, mau, ba to cac nganh nghe va me cac danh nhan)

2.11 DIEU DUC Pagoda (DIÊU ƉÚC Pagoda)

Dieu Due Paoda is considered one of the Institute of Buddhist studies for nuns funded very early in Viet Nam. From its foundation on, hundreds of nuns from 3 regions were trained here. The pagoda is located on the slope of a hill in former Thuy Xuan village, now Truong An ward. The pagoda was built in 1932 by the founding board including Most Ven. Dieu Huong and Dieu Khong, Ms. Cong Ton Nu Thi Ban, Mr. Ton Nhon Ung Ban, Mr. Ung Uy, Mr. Ton That Tung together with Pilgrims' contribution of labor and finance everywhere.

At first, there were only two houses roofed with thatch for residing and a pavilion for preaching. In 1938, the main hall, the bell and statutes were made. The rear sanctuary was rebuilt in 1948 and the pagoda was gradually renovated to come the completion as nowadays.

Most Ven. Dieu Huong, who initiated the pagoda was a beloved concubine of King Thanh Thai. When the King was exiled, she left home and entered the nunhood together with Lady Minh Phi. Her religious name was Thuong Trung Ha Ninh, alias Dieu Huong. At that time, while she was instructing Buddhist teachings at Dieu Vien Pagoda, she was invited to be both the head and the supervisor of Dieu Duc nun Institute (p.96).

2.12 Lady THU BÔN Shrine

THU BON HAMLET - DUY THU VILLAGE - DUY XUYEN DISTRICT - QUANG NAM PROVINCE

The ceremony to commemorate her merit is held on the 10th day of the 2nd lunar month which attracts many people in and out of the region. Especially during the ceremony there are boat racing and buffalo killing (p.97).

2.13 Remains of the Worshipping House of King LE THANH TON (LÊ THÁNH TÔN) and his daughter

AN DAN VILLAGE - TUY AN DISTRICT - PHU YEN PROVINCE

2.14 The BÙI clan Worshipping Hall [woman general - being trampled to death by elephants]

TAY XUAN VILLAGE - TAY SON DISTRICT - BINH DINH PROVINCE

In the Bui clan worship hall, in Tay Son district, Binh Dinh (Ɖinh) Province there is an altar to adore the woman admiral of Tay Son movement - Lady Bui Thi Xuan.

Admiral Bui Thi Xuan was an inhabitant of Binh Phu village. Tay Son district, Binh Dinh province, she was the wife of Thieu Pho (a mandarin title) Tran Quang Dieu.

Her couple all were brave generals, the pillars of Tay Son movement. She used to move South to go to North and to reach the Western border in fighting against the enemy with several resounding victories that frightened King Lê, Lord Trinh and Lord Nguyên's armies. When King Quang Trung came to the throne (1788), she was nominated as admiral.

After the death of King Quang Trung (1792), the Tay Son dynasty became weak, the troops of Nguyên Anh attacked and occupied Phu Xuan. In 1802, her husband, General Tran Quang Diêu, was executed together with King Quang Toan. With her children., she was also arrested and ordered by the enemies to be trampled to death by elephants.

Her death was acknowledged by foreign missionaries to be the courageous and extra ordinary one. Admiral Bui Thi Xuan is worthy of being a heroine of Viet Nam (p.100).

2.15 BA NGHE Pagoda (BÀ NGHÈ Pagoda) [destroyed and reconstructed many times]

VINH NGOC VILLAGE - NHA TRANG CITY

Formerly the pagoda was named Kim Son and was since 1680. To 1794, the pagoda was completely destroyed by Nguyen Anh (Nguyên Ânh) because it was convicted of following Thieu Lam (Thiêu Lâm) sect and harboring the Tay Son troops.

Later on, Lady Truong Thi Duc raised funds from the people in the region to rebuild the pagoda. She originally was the wife of Sir Nghe (junior Bachelor) Nguyen Van Chuong, so she was called Lady Nghe. Her family all participated in the Tay Son movement very early and all were killed for the Tay Son great cause. Having been sorrowful for her family's separation of death and for the failure of the great righteous cause, she went to lead a religious life on Kim Son mountain and devoted herself to Kim Son Pagoda's reconstruction. That's why people have called Kim Son Pagoda as Ba Nghe Pagoda. She died in 1809 at the age of 78. Her stupa is located at the foot of Kim Son mountain.

In the first stage of French resistance, Kim Son Pagoda, once again, was the objective to destroy of the French colonists because it used to be the base against the French of Binh Tay Dai Tuong (French Punishing General) Trinh Phong.

Under King Khai Dinh period, the pagoda was again reconstructed with the devoted money of another Lady Nghe (Nghè) who came from Hue (Huê) imperial city to live in this region (p.103).

2.16 KUT Grave (KÚT Grave) [H'Bia, a beautiful girl dying by the tongue of tigers]

E DE MINORITY - WEST HIGHLANDS

According to the story of the Old in the village, long ago, there was H'Bia, a beautiful girl who was the daughter of tribal chief Po Tao. She was not only beautiful but also skillful, and was the objective of many young men in the village who wanted to marry her. But H'Bia loved only the brothers Soc (Sóc) and Ret (Rêt) who are both orphans.

One day, the village organized a feast to make offerings to God. By the custom, nobody was allowed to go to the field. But, H'Bia sneaked out of her home to go catching fish with a hand net in a spring and was absorbed in playing with water until the sunset, then she returned home. As her basket full of fish and forest fruit was too heavy, she had to take a rest at the foot of a Ko Nia tree and felt asleep tiredly.

At that right time, there was a couple of tigers who had lived for a long time in the forest and had turned into monsters. Having seen her, they struck out their tongue to lick her beautiful feet that caused H'Bia's death.

Po Tao ordered the villagers to kill the tigers to revenge for his daughter's death and to prevent from danger to the villagers. Only Soc and Rêt executed Po Tao's order. They went into the forest with their swords and lances to kill the tigers. Finally, after many nights of crossing forests and streams, they brought two tiger's heads to put in Po Tao's front yard. Then they left the village forever. Later on, nobody saw them anymore.

Po Tao decided to build a big and high grave for H'Bia with a high pillar [column] of Kut in the middle of the grave; around the grave were the figures statues of men, birds and monkeys.

It was said that the Kut pillar of the grave was pared for a long time but it remained ugly, the villagers had to pray to divinities and it was completed and handsome. From that time, the Kut vault of the E De (Ê Ɖê) represented the solemness, the majesty and the incarnation of the beautiful H'Bia who used to be the attraction for young men's hearts (p.105).

2.17 DONG GIANG DINH (ƉÔNG GIANG Ɖình) [for Lady Tiep Du Phu Tu - beauty, intelligence, literature]

DONG HAI VILLAGE - PHAN RANG TOWN - NINH THUAN PROVINCE

Today, in Dong Giang dinh at Dong Giang hamlet, Dong Hai village, Phan Rang town, remains the tablets of parallel couplets written and offered by Lady Tiep Du Phu Tu (Tiêp Du Phu Tu) on the renovation ceremony.

Her real name was Nguyen Nhuoc Thi Bich, alias Lang Hoan (1830-1909): her father, Bo Chanh Nguyen Nhuoc Sang (Bô Chánh Nguyên Nhuoc Sang) was a mandarin of managing taxation and finance under Nguyên dynasty in Thanh Hóa province.

To be a woman of beauty, intelligence and she was taught literary knowledge in addition, so she had been well-known in the region since her childhood. At the age of 19, she was selected to enter the imperial palace, not only due to her beauty and virtue, but also due to her skills and knowledge. Only three years after entering the place, she was nominated as from Tai Nhan to My Nhan then Quy Nhan. In 1868, she was granted the title of Tiep Du and appointed in charge of teaching in the royal palace; then, she was honored as "Phu Tu", a title that women at that time could hardly reach. Afterwards, she became Secretary of Queen Mother Tu Du and in 1892, she was nominated by Tu Du Queen Mother as Tam Giai Le Tan.

She passed away in Huê at the age of 80. She left a number of poems in Chinese characters, but her most remarkable works of literature was "Loan Du Hanh Thuc Quôc Âm Ca" including 1020 lines in the six-eight meter which reported all events in the imperial palace from after King Tu Duc's death to King Dong Khanh's reign (p.108).

2.18 PHUOC LUU Pagoda (PHUÓC LUU Pagoda) [lady Ba Dông - witch-doctor helping the people]

TRANG BANG TOWNLET - TRANG BANG DISTRICT - TAY NINH PROVINCE

This is one of the old pagodas in Tay Ninh province. According to the monks living in the pagoda, it was founded by Ms. Nguyên Thi Tu (whose religious name was Chon Trinh) alias Dieu Tuyet (Tuyêt). She died in 1884.

However, it is said that the pagoda was formerly a small pagoda named Ba Dông (Ms. Dông). Ms. Dông was the first woman who came to this land, she created the small pagoda to dwell and to work as a witch-doctor to help people, so it was called Ba Dong (Bà Ɖông) small pagoda. After that, by the year of 1900, Ba Dong Temple was extended with the roof tiles, the floor of red bricks to become Ba Dong Pagoda.

Later on, Patriarch Truong Luc, the 42nd generation of Lieu Quan Sect changed the pagoda's name into Phuoc Luu, which means "Happiness stays forever". Phuoc Luu pagoda was born with the contribution of Patriarch Truong Luc's mother who entered nunhood together with Ms. Dong. She devoted herself to take care of the pagoda, she was also called Ba Coc (which means the Old).

2.19 The PHAN clan's worshipping altar

CHAU THANH DISTRICT - TAY NINH PROVINCE

"Dam la toi troi" (a patch of leaves) in Go Cong land and Manh Hoa base, Hao Duoc village, Tay Ninh province, is the place where the track of the brave and silent sacrifice of the two sisters; Kim Chi and Ngoc Diep were left, the representative women in the early time of the insurrections against the French in the six southern provinces.

Kim Chi and Ngoc Diep (Diêp) were very skillful in martial arts. They were originally from the North, accompanied to their family to the South to look for their relatives who was taken into the army during the Trinh-Nguyên war. Since then, they settled here.

In 1859, when the Southern part of Viet Nam was under the heels of the French colonists, the people's houses, gardens, rice fields and closest interests were trespassed heavily. The Southern people with their frank nature and patriotism rose to resist the aggression.

To be the patriots with their skills in martial arts and strong will in addition, Sisters of Kim Chi and Ngoc Diêp could not endure to see their country's loss, the royal court's cowardice, and the French's infringement, they joined Truong Dinh's volunteer troops.

Having followed Truong Dinh to Go Cong land, (Gò Công land), Lady Ngoc Diêp, the younger sister with the insurrectionists won many battles and caused a lot of heavy losses to the enemy. then she sacrificed her life at "Dam la toi troi" (Ɖám lá tôi tròi").

Having kept on following Truong Quyên (Truong Ɖinh's son), Lady Kim Chi, the older sister led a troop (which included the Cambodian people) to transport salt, rice to Manh Hoa base (in Hao Duoc village, Chau Thanh district, Tay Ninh of today (1). At that time, the volunteer troops quartered in the area from Bau Ong Noi (Ong Noi pool) to Ben Thu (Thu pier). But afterwards, the base was discovered and destroyed by the French. Having come back from Ba Ria in a journey of transporting salt and rice, Lady Kim Chi fell in the French's ambush and was killed.

The two sisters Kim Chi - Ngoc Diêp's reputation have gone deeply into the Southern people heart at the beginning of the resistance against the French in the Six Southern provinces (p.113).

2.20 PHO DONG Stupa (PHÔ ƉÔNG Stupa)

TAN BINH VILLAGE - VINH CUU DISTRICT - DONG NAI PROVINCE

(p.115)

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