Qua Son Temple

People in Nghệ An have repeated one saying for generations, and everyone there knows it. First comes Cờn. Second comes Quả. Third is Bạch Mã. Fourth is Chiêu Trưng. It is a folk saying about the four temples thought to be the most sacred in the region, and it is not an official ranking. This story belongs to the second of them, Quả Sơn Temple. It stands in the Bạch Ngọc area of Nghệ An.

The temple honors Uy Minh Vương Lý Nhật Quang. His name may sound familiar. He also appears in the story of Mount Quyết and the lookout Vọng Hải Đài. There he is the governor of Nghệ An in the 11th century. That was under the Lý dynasty, which ruled Vietnam from 1009 to 1225.

Here at Quả Sơn, the story of Lý Nhật Quang runs deeper, and it is tied to what he did for Nghệ An. The Nghệ An Police newspaper and local records describe him as someone who built up education, culture, temples, pagodas and military organization in the province. They also say he helped protect the borders of Đại Việt under the Lý. Đại Việt is an old name for Vietnam.

The temple was rebuilt starting in 1996, on the old site where it had stood. In 1998 it was ranked as a national historical and cultural monument.

What makes Quả Sơn Temple special to the people of Nghệ An is its festival, even above its architecture or its setting. Each year, on the 19th and 20th of the first lunar month, the festival has two parts. The first is the ceremony, with solemn rites. These include the bathing of the deity's statue, called mộc dục, then the launching of the boats, the procession of the deity, and the giving of thanks. The second part is the celebration, with ví giặm folk songs, flower lanterns on the Lam River, swinging, tug of war and board games.

One special feature is the water procession on the Lam River. The procession boats set out from the river landing in front of the temple and head toward Động Ngự. Then they travel on to Bà Bụt Pagoda, following a tradition the community tells of.

In 2026, the festival marked the 968th memorial ceremony for Uy Minh Vương Lý Nhật Quang. That is 968 years. The number shows how patiently the community has kept this tradition alive through many upheavals in history.

In festival season, tens of thousands of residents and visitors come. The Lam River glows with flower lanterns, and ví giặm songs ring out along both banks. On ordinary days the temple is quieter, and the scenery of the Lam River around Bạch Ngọc has a beauty of its own.

Quả Sơn Temple is not a showy sight. Its strength is depth. For nearly a thousand years, a community has kept up the rites of worship, remembering a man who served this land. When the scent of incense drifts out of the temple toward the Lam River, it is easy to see why people of Nghệ An, generation after generation, rank Quả Sơn Temple second, after Cờn Temple alone.