Ai Nang Temple (Mother Goddess of Heaven Temple)

Ai Nang Temple located on a mountain in the former Ai Nang village, now An Phu village, My Duc commune, Hanoi city. The temple is situated in a unique location and follows the ancient architectural style of the Vietnamese people, with Azure Dragon on the left and White Tiger on the right, Vermilion Bird in front and Black Tortoise behind; it leans against Den Mountain, faces the Thanh Ha River, and on both left and right sides are vast expanses of rice fields and villages

The name “Ai Nang” signifies the honoring of women’s image in Vietnamese folk belief culture. The temple worships Lady Que Anh, a sacred goddess who protected and blessed the people. In particular, the temple preserves many traces of Mother Goddess worship, a long-standing cultural beauty of the Vietnamese people.

Through many renovations and preservation efforts, Ai Nang Temple has retained its traditional architecture in the Nguyen dynasty style. The space around the temple is surrounded by overlapping mountains and the gentle Thanh Ha River, creating a picturesque, serene landscape suitable for spiritual tourism activities.

The main structures of the temple include:

• Tien Te (Front Ceremonial Hall): The place where main worship ceremonies take place, with a warm and solemn space.

• Hau Cung (Rear Sanctuary): This is where the statue of Lady Que Anh is placed, structured with a concrete vault and traditional Vietnamese tiled roof. There are also statues worshiping the Three Palaces of Holy Mothers, the Five Venerable Lords, and the three Council Lords: Lord Hoang Ba, Lord Hoang Bay, and Lord Hoang Muoi. Below the main altar is the place of worship for the Five Tiger Divine Generals.

Corresponding to the right and left sides of the main worship hall are the altar and statue of Saint Tran, and the altar and statue of Lady Chua Son Trang.

• The relic collection of Ai Nang Temple is quite rich in types and materials, including wooden objects, bronze objects, stone objects, porcelain objects, paper objects… Among the relics here, there are also two stone trays from the Nguyen dynasty and 04 royal edicts from the Nguyen dynasty, including:

The first edict dates to the 6th year of Tu Duc (1853);

The second edict dates to the 33rd year of Tu Duc (1880);

The third edict dates to the 3rd year of Duy Tan (1909);

The fourth edict dates to the 9th year of Khai Dinh (1924).

In addition, Ai Nang Temple also has a system of wooden worship statues arranged according to the standards of Mother Goddess worship - in a warm, sacred space that makes pilgrims coming to worship and pray here feel warm and confident, as if every prayer is answered and every wish is fulfilled.

Ai Nang Temple is not only a religious relic but also evidence of the cultural and historical depth of An Phu land.