Preserving the beauty of communal houses and temples in the countryside

Lac Duc Temple and Communal House in Hung Dao Commune was restored and became the first spiritual tourist destination of Tu Ky District (photo provided by Lac Duc Temple and Communal House Relic Management Board)

Connecting spiritual life

The historical, cultural and spiritual relic cluster of Long Dong Temple, the Memorial House of Heroine Mac Thi Buoi, Sung Duc Palace and Quan Trang Tomb have become destinations for many people when visiting Nam Tan Commune. This is also one of 10 relics ranked as national historical and cultural relics in Nam Sach District. In which, Sung Duc Palace was built by Mac Dang Dung to worship the two-nation champion Mac Dinh Chi right on the foundation of his old house, which was destroyed at the end of the 16th century. At the request of the local government and the wishes of the Mac descendants, at the end of 2022, Sung Duc Palace was restored on an area of ​​over 6,000 m2 with a total cost of 40 billion VND from socialized sources.

Mr. Mac Cong Quan, Vice Chairman of the Mac Clan Council of Hai Duong Province, who is also a native of Nam Tan Commune, said: “Although it is a place of worship for the Mac clan, it is also a spiritual address for the locality. The restoration of the shrine is in accordance with the architectural style of the Mac Dynasty, from the tiled roof, dragon and unicorn statues, to the worship objects. Currently, the shrine is not only a gathering place for Mac clan members nationwide, but also a place to preserve and connect the spiritual values ​​of local people.”

Like the Long Dong temple relic complex, Lac Duc communal house and temple is a sacred place of worship for the people of Hung Dao commune and Tu Ky district. Lac Duc communal house was built from the post-Le to Nguyen dynasties, and is a place to worship the four village guardian spirits. Lac Duc temple (Doc temple) was built in the post-Le dynasty, and is a place to worship the Holy Mother Vu Thi Duc - who raised two children, Hac Long Quan and Bach Long Quan, to help King Le defeat the invading Ming army in the 15th century. After many stages, with the support of all levels and contributions from the children of the homeland, at the end of 2021, Lac Duc temple completed the restoration and construction with a total cost of 15 billion VND. Recently, the Lac Duc communal house and temple relic in Hung Dao commune has been recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as the first tourist destination of Tu Ky district. On each festival occasion, many art performances and folk games are recreated to help descendants remember their roots.

Not only in the past, but up to now, communal houses and pagodas are still places where many intangible cultural features such as festivals, rituals, customs, practices, folk games, etc. are gathered and performed, and where the village community is connected. Therefore, the restoration of communal houses and pagodas has always received attention from all levels and sectors over the years, and the people have actively responded. According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, from 2017 to 2022 alone, 208 relics in the province have been restored and embellished at different levels. Of which, 86 relics have been completely restored with socialized capital with more than 283 billion VND. The relics all retain the maximum original elements of the relics, restore the elements that have been lost, and preserve the traditional architectural style, making the relics structurally sustainable to survive the effects of time and climate while still retaining the soul of the relics.

Sung Duc Temple worshiping the two-nation champion Mac Dinh Chi in Nam Tan commune (Nam Sach) was restored in the Mac dynasty architectural style with a budget of 40 billion VND from socialized sources.

Unleashing tourism potential

Tu Ky district has identified Lac Duc communal house and temple as one of the cultural, spiritual and craft village tourism products that have been invested in and developed. Currently, the relic regularly welcomes domestic and foreign tourist groups.

Ms. Truong Thi Toan, Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Tu Ky district, said that the locality has more than 300 historical and cultural relics, of which 5 have been ranked nationally and 21 are provincial-level relics. The historical and cultural relics are all designed in the shape of the letter "T", some are designed in the shape of the letter "Nhất", "Nhị", "Cống"... which both have the common features of the Northern Delta region and have the unique features of each historical period. The relics are not only rich in quantity but also contain extremely valuable cultural, historical, artistic and architectural values. "With diverse and trendy cultural features, cultural and spiritual sites will certainly be one of the attractive destinations for tourists when coming to Tu Ky", Ms. Toan said.

In the current stage of new rural construction, in addition to investing in infrastructure and improving material life, cultural and spiritual factors are increasingly focused on. Especially the protection, restoration and promotion of cultural heritage values. Many localities have been developing plans to connect pagodas and temples with other destinations in the province and district to form attractive tours. This opens up favorable consumption opportunities for local OCOP products. People can also provide services to meet the needs of tourists. This is also a job opportunity to contribute to increasing income for local people.

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