Dong Tru Temple

The relic site worships Holy Mother Lieu Hanh, a divine figure widely worshipped in the midland and Red River Delta regions of northern Vietnam. Because she is worshipped in many places, legends about Lady Lieu are widely circulated among the people and recorded in many historical texts. The Van Cat Le family genealogy records that Lieu Hanh's ancestor was Le Tu Vinh, the fifth son of Le Bang Co... Giang Tien returned to heaven to attend the Dao Tri gathering and was conferred the title Princess Lieu Hanh by the Supreme God...

The stone stele at the temple records the event: "... in the land of Hoa Lam, on the night of the full moon of the eighth month of the Dinh Ty year (1557), the Holy Mother and her fairy maidens gathered around the banyan tree; under the mystical moonlight, the villagers considered it extraordinary and built a temple at this site..." Dong Tru Temple is a community relic associated with the traditional beliefs of the nation. In the Vietnamese pantheon, Lady Lieu Hanh holds a particularly important position as one of the Four Immortals. Associated with Mother Goddess worship is the ritual of spirit mediumship...

In 2017, the Hanoi People's Committee issued Decision No. 2273/QD-UBND dated April 14, 2017, ranking Dong Tru Temple as a city-level relic. The temple faces west and is located beside the southern dyke of the Duong River. The main architectural complex includes: Mother Temple (Community Temple), Four Palaces Temple, a hexagonal house, and a guest house.

In the Four Palaces Temple, the Four Palaces Council is worshipped (Mother of Heaven, Mother of Water, Mother of Mountains and Forests, Mother of Earth). In addition to worshipping Holy Mother Lieu Hanh, the temple also has an altar to Saint Tran - Great Prince Hung Dao (Tran Quoc Tuan).

The Mother of Mountains and Forests worship area is designed like a mountain grotto — the statue of the Mother is placed in the center of the grotto, surrounded by attendants and mountain maidens holding musical instruments. Dong Tru Temple is a place maintaining the worship of Mother Lieu Hanh, one of the most popular figures in the folk beliefs of northern Vietnam. Every year, on the third day of the third lunar month, the villagers hold a memorial ceremony for the Holy Mother, and also invite the Holy Mother to 'return for the village festival' on the tenth day of the third month. In daily religious activities, on the first and full-moon days of each month, local people and pilgrims come to the temple to offer incense and pray.