Soc Temple

More than 40 kilometers from central Hanoi, in the Sóc Sơn area, stands the Sóc Temple relic site, a special national monument. It lies at the foot of Mount Vệ Linh. It is dedicated to Saint Gióng, one of the most revered figures in Vietnamese culture. He is a hero of legend credited with defending the country from foreign enemies.

According to folk legend, Saint Gióng was a boy from the village of Phù Đổng, in the Gia Lâm area. The story goes that at the age of three he still could not speak or walk. Then the Ân invaders pressed into the land, and a Hùng King sent envoys to look for people of talent. Vietnamese people honor the Hùng Kings as their ancestors. Just then the three-year-old suddenly spoke up and asked for an iron horse, an iron rod and a suit of iron armor. Then he shot up into a giant warrior and routed the invaders. After the victory, legend says, Saint Gióng rode his iron horse to the top of Mount Sóc and rose into the sky. From then on, the people built a temple at the foot of Mount Vệ Linh to worship him.

The Nhân Dân newspaper records that the Sóc Temple was founded under the Former Lê dynasty, in the year 980, and has gone through 13 major restorations. The site stretches from the foot of the mountain to its peak. The main hall of worship stands at the highest point, where, according to legend, Saint Gióng made his last stop.

In Vietnamese folk belief, Saint Gióng is one of the Four Immortals, four undying saints worshiped across many generations. Two of them are Tản Viên and Saint Gióng. The other two are Chử Đồng Tử and Liễu Hạnh. Saint Gióng stands for the spirit of resisting foreign invasion. He is also the legendary figure closest to the hearts of children.

In 2010, UNESCO inscribed the Gióng Festival of the Sóc Temple and the Phù Đổng Temple on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. That list is for living traditions, passed on from one generation to the next. The Nhân Dân newspaper also reports that the ceremony to receive the honor took place on January 22, 2011, at the Phù Đổng Temple. It is one of the most important international recognitions Hanoi has received for intangible cultural heritage.

The Gióng Festival at the Sóc Temple runs from the sixth to the eighth day of the first lunar month each year. According to the Nhân Dân, tens of thousands of people come from all over to take part. Eight villages around the area prepare eight offerings, among them bamboo flowers, war horses, war elephants and other gifts. Alongside the rites there is wrestling, folk games and a performance of the epic of Saint Gióng.

The legend of Saint Gióng has been told for thousands of years because it speaks to something deep in Vietnamese people. The Sóc Temple stands inside that legend, and the legend is still alive today.