Sacred of Ten Thousand Lives

Marking the glorious victory of the Tran Dynasty

"In Van Kiep, every mountain is filled with the scent of swords/ In Luc Dau, every river is filled with the sound of war."

When mentioning the feats of arms of the army and people of Dai Viet, we must mention the three great victories over the Yuan-Mongol army. In the first resistance war against the Mongol Empire (1258), the second resistance war (1285), the third resistance war (1287-1288), the place name Van Kiep was mentioned in both of the following two times. Not only was it the most important base of Hung Dao Vuong and his generals, with a particularly important strategic position, Van Kiep was also used by the Yuan-Mongol army as their headquarters. In the third resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol army in 1287-1288, the enemy mobilized 500,000 troops to enter Dai Viet. They went up the Bach Dang River to Van Kiep to join forces. In early February 1288, the enemy force in Van Kiep reached 300,000.

Because of its strategic location during the war, the Van Kiep area is also the resting place of the Tran Dynasty's fallen soldiers and the enemy's graves. Every year, during the Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival, a lantern festival and a peace-praying ceremony are held on the Luc Dau River. In addition to praying for the souls of the Tran Dynasty and the people who died in battle, the souls of the Yuan-Mongol soldiers who died during the war are also prayed for to be liberated and return to their homeland.

According to the documents of the Con Son - Kiep Bac Relic Management Board, Van Kiep is a place name that has existed for thousands of years and has changed its name and administrative place name many times. During the Hung King period, Kiep Bac belonged to Vu Ninh department. During the Qin period, it was the land of Nam Hai district. During the Han period, Van Kiep was called Lang Bac, then during the Tang period, it was renamed Lang Chau of Giao Chi district. During the Dinh period, Van Kiep belonged to Bac Giang province. During the Ly and Tran periods, it was called Van Kiep commune, Phuong Son district, Lang Giang prefecture, upper Bac Giang road. During the Le period, Van Kiep commune belonged to Phuong Nhon district, Lang Giang prefecture, Kinh Bac town. During the Nguyen period, Van Kiep was changed to Van Yen (An). From the year Gia Long 21 (1822), Van Yen belonged to Tram Dien commune, Phuong Nhon district, Bac Ninh town. In the year Minh Mang 12 (1831), Bac Ninh town was changed to Bac Ninh province. By the late 80s and early 90s of the 19th century, Van An commune belonged to Luc Ngan district, Lang Giang prefecture. Today, Kiep Bac temple belongs to Hung Dao commune, Chi Linh city (Hai Duong).

Address of traditional historical education

Today, Kiep Bac Temple is not only a spiritual address but also a place to educate the historical traditions of the previous generations. Kiep Bac Temple worships the national hero Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan and his entire family.

According to the stele at the relic, Kiep Bac Temple was built right after Hung Dao Dai Vuong passed away in 1300. The temple is located in the center of Kiep Bac valley, on a land area of ​​about 13,500 m²According to “Complete Annals of Dai Viet”, in the Le Dynasty, in 1427, right after the resistance war against the Ming army was about to be victorious, Le Loi cut the budget, sent Duong Thai Nhat to repair Kiep Bac Temple, issued an edict strictly prohibiting cutting down trees around the temple and encroaching on relic land. Under the Nguyen Dynasty, Kiep Bac Temple was restored and embellished by the State and people in the years 1847, 1887, 1906, 1916, 1920…

Scientists have determined that the Van Kiep residence of Hung Dao Vuong and his family is located right behind Kiep Bac Temple today. Currently, the Kiep Bac Temple guest house is hanging a black and white photo that always attracts many visitors to see "The vestiges of the palace of Hung Dao Dai Vuong in the 18th century, discovered behind Kiep Bac Temple in 1972". According to information from the photo, Hung Dao Vuong's residence was solidly built, the architectural shapes are still clear from the floor tiles to the walls. After conducting an archaeological survey and confirming the accuracy of the construction, scientists agreed to temporarily fill it up. Today, Hung Dao Vuong's Van Kiep residence is located below a green lawn, with cycads planted above. Tourists and people all hope that at some point, the residence of Hung Dao Vuong and his family will be open to visitors like some of the architectures at Thang Long Imperial Citadel (Hanoi).

Kiep Bac Temple is located in the middle of the Dragon Mountain valley, in the territory of Van Yen village (Kiep) and Duoc Son village (Bac), so it is called Kiep Bac Temple. In terms of geographical location, Van Kiep area has a special position in terms of traffic as well as military. During the feudal wars, Kiep Bac had a Dragon Mountain shaped like a throne, surrounding the valleys of the Thuong River, which penetrated deep into the canyon, and could gather thousands of warships. On the mountain tops, one could observe a vast area of ​​rivers and villages, creating an active position for soldiers when advancing as well as retreating, a position of "front attack, rear defense". To the north is a system of overlapping mountains and forests, where tens of thousands of soldiers can be hidden, establishing a safe base; to the south are rich villages, with many people's wealth, which is a great source of human and material resources for war...

The Kiep Bac Temple Festival used to be held from the 16th to the 20th of the 8th lunar month. Today, the festival in Kiep Bac as well as the Con Son - Kiep Bac Festival is a big festival, bearing strong historical, cultural and religious traces. Kiep Bac is even more special when history has confirmed that after 3 victories over the Mongols, Hung Dao Vuong lived peaceful years in Van Kiep and died here on August 20, 1300.