Dong Bang Temple

The sound of ritual singing rises from under the old temple roofs, carried on the wind from the river, and people from all over the Red River delta still come here every year. Đồng Bằng Temple is one of the largest centers of belief in the delta. It carries both a military history and a spiritual life that reach back many centuries.

The temple is a national historic and cultural monument. It stands in Đồng Bằng commune, in the Quỳnh Phụ area. That area now belongs to Hưng Yên province. Before the administrative reorganization, its old address was An Lễ commune, in Thái Bình province. The temple is known as the center for the worship of the Father King Bát Hải Động Đình, a sacred figure in Thờ Mẫu Tứ Phủ, the worship of the Mother Goddesses.

Local legend says that the Father King appeared in spirit and helped put down the enemies of the Hùng Kings, whom Vietnamese people honor as their ancestors. It adds that he was granted a noble title for it. The story has been handed down from generation to generation. It is a living part of the Mother Goddess faith in this delta country.

The history that can be better verified begins in the 13th century. The Đào Động area, where the temple stands, was once a defense line of the Trần dynasty, a place where troops were stationed and trained for war on the water. The Trần dynasty ruled Vietnam from 1225 to 1400. Local tradition says that Hưng Đạo Đại Vương came here with his officers and soldiers to offer incense before going into battle. He is Trần Quốc Tuấn, a military strategist who defeated two Mongol invasions. Later he was honored at the temple alongside the Father King. It is easy to imagine this whole river country ringing with oars at drill, then with the shouts of soldiers before they set out.

The temple has 13 halls, linked one after another. Together they hold 66 bays. The inner temple grounds cover about 6,000 square meters, and the whole main temple area covers 20,500 square meters. The layout is the traditional one called tiền nhị hậu đinh. It has a front hall shaped like the character Nhị and a rear sanctuary shaped like the character Đinh, and the halls run into one another without a break. Inside, carved wood panels, horizontal boards, couplets and arched door frames crowd together, along with the motifs of the Four Sacred Creatures and the Four Seasons, in the traditional art style of the north.

The gate follows the style of a three-part watchtower from the Nguyễn dynasty. It has three parts. The first two are called Đông Môn Đại and Tây Môn. The third is called Tiền Môn. The gate faces a half-moon lake. Local people often say this is one of the temples with the grandest spaces in the region.

Beyond the gate lies the main inner courtyard. On major festival days it is the place for the grand offering ceremony called tế công đồng. In the old festival it was also where a mat was spread for chèo, a traditional form of Vietnamese theater.

The complex holds more than the one temple. Besides the main temple for the Father King, five more sanctuaries stand close together. They are Đền Sinh and the temple of Quan Đệ Nhị. Two more honor Quan Đệ Tam and Quan Điều. The last is for Quan Đệ Bát. Each has its own deity within the Tứ Phủ belief, like a small spiritual world set among village fields.

The Đồng Bằng Temple festival runs from the 20th to the 26th day of the eighth lunar month every year, in memory of the Father King's service. The ceremonies include offerings to the deity, a palanquin procession with incense, and a retelling of the Father King going out to fight his enemies. The fair is lively, with hát văn singing and hầu bóng, a ritual with music and dance in which a medium is believed to receive the deities. There are also tug of war, rooster fights, cờ tướng chess and wrestling. The most distinctive event is the boat race on the 21st day of the eighth lunar month, when the Father King is carried to the Bơi communal house. It is the busiest and liveliest day, with the river packed with racing boats and drums and shouts filling the whole area.

Standing before the half-moon lake, you can see the three watchtowers reflected in the still water. Incense still drifts under the old roofs, and the hát văn singing still rises each festival season, as it has for so many centuries on this land.