Thanh Xuyen Temple
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01Historical imprints and identity of the former Dong Vang area on Phuong Duc land
Located in the Thanh Xuyen space, now part of Thanh Hoang Village, Phuong Duc Commune, Hanoi City, Thanh Xuyen Temple is a typical architectural and artistic relic of the former Phu Xuyen area. The temple is located near the Vang market area, faces north, and looks out onto the Nhue River – a river once closely associated with the daily life, production, and trade of the local residents. With its architectural, artistic, and religious values, Thanh Xuyen Temple was ranked as a National-level Architectural and Artistic Relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1994.
02From former Dong Vang to Thanh Xuyen today
To understand the value of Thanh Xuyen Temple, one must place the temple within the broader historical space of the village.
Inscription materials at Thanh Xuyen Pagoda under the reign era the 12th year of Thieu Long, 1270, indicate that this area was formerly named Dong Vang, also called Duong Hoang, belonging to Duong Hoang Trung Hamlet, Phu Luu District, Quoc Oai Circuit. Dong Vang was once an area with fairly lively trade activities, associated with waterways, rural markets, and many traditional crafts.
In that space, a relatively complete system of cultural institutions formed, including Tan Phuc Pagoda, the communal house, temple, shrine, quán, Dong Vang Market, and community activity sites. Thanh Xuyen Temple is therefore not a standalone structure but part of the cultural structure of the ancient village, where beliefs, occupations, trade, and community life have intertwined over many centuries.
03Where local people entrust their gratitude to predecessors
Existing sources record differently the figure worshipped at Thanh Xuyen Temple.
A specialized introduction to the relic by Nguoi Ha Noi states that the temple worships Hoang Te cu si, personal name Nguyen Do; according to the divine legend, he was a Lac general of the Hung Vuong era, who rendered merit to the people and the country and after death was honored by the people as the Thanh hoang.
Meanwhile, the research article “Thanh Xuyen – the golden place name” identifies Dong Hai Dai Vuong Nguyen Phuc is worshipped at Thuong Temple, while the village shrine worships Hoang Te cu si Nguyen Do. This source states that Nguyen Phuc is remembered by the Thanh Xuyen community not only as a famous official of the Le dynasty but also in connection with the craft of hàng ngài – the craft of breeding silkworm eggs, raising silkworms, and weaving cloth which once provided an important livelihood for local people.
Although it is still necessary to continue cross-checking the ranking records, divine legends, and original royal edicts to accurately determine each object of worship at the temple and shrine, a very clear common point can be seen in Thanh Xuyen beliefs: the local people always honor those who rendered merit to the country, the village, and the community’s occupations.
That is precisely the depth of village Thanh hoang worship – not only a wish for protection and peace but also a form of education in the tradition of “remembering the source when drinking water,” maintained over many generations.
04A structure bearing the imprint of traditional architecture
Thanh Xuyen Temple currently bears many imprints of late Nguyen dynasty architecture. The overall structure is arranged in the form of the Dinh character, comprising two main buildings: Dai Bai and Hau Cung. The structure is built in the style of enclosed gable walls with traditional tiled roofs; the wooden frame uses familiar structural forms of religious architecture in the Northern Delta.
Inside the temple, many valuable artifacts are still preserved, notably the dragon throne, spirit tablets, and carved details with chrysanthemum patterns, leaves, and seal script. In particular, published documentation on the relic records that there are also royal edicts from the Nguyen dynasty, including edicts dated to the reign the second year of Dong Khanh (1887) and the third year of Duy Tan (1909).
These artifacts are not merely ritual objects. They are material “witnesses” to the process by which the Thanh Xuyen community maintained its beliefs, repaired the temple, and passed memories from generation to generation.
05Festivals – when the relic becomes the center of the village again
The value of Thanh Xuyen Temple is also very clearly expressed in traditional festival life.
According to available documentation, the people of Thanh Xuyen organize the spring festival from the 6th to the 12th day of the third lunar month. During the festival days, ritual ceremonies and a procession of the Village Tutelary God take place, along with many folk cultural activities such as wrestling, dragon dancing, cheo singing, and traditional games.
On the 20th day of the eighth lunar month, the village also has an autumn customary festival associated with craft guilds, especially the memory of the hang ngai trade and silkworm rearing and cloth weaving.
From that perspective, the festival is not only a spiritual ritual. It is also a time when families meet again, children and grandchildren return from afar, elders recount village stories, and young people come into direct contact with the customs that have shaped their homeland’s identity.
06Thanh Xuyen Temple and the memory of a craft village
A special feature in the history of Thanh Xuyen is the hang ngai trade.
Folk materials and local research still preserve verses mentioning Thanh Xuyen as a place famous for this trade. The hang ngai trade involved selecting good cocoons, breeding silkworm eggs, and then supplying breeds to silkworm-rearing and silk-reeling areas. At one time, this trade attracted a very large proportion of Thanh Xuyen households and became an important source of income during the agricultural off-season.
The old trade no longer holds the position it once did, but the memory of the trade remains part of the village’s history. It is precisely the connection between the temple – the deity worshipped – the traditional trade – the festival that creates Thanh Xuyen’s distinctive character, which not every locality has.
Behind that story is the image of people who live by their labor, know how to learn new trades, know how to trade, know how to organize into guilds, and especially always remember those who helped the community secure a livelihood.
07From Thanh Xuyen to the Thanh Hoang community today
Today, Thanh Xuyen, together with Vien Hoang and Co Hoang, forms Thanh Hoang village. Although the community organization has changed, Thanh Xuyen remains a place with a clear cultural imprint, associated with the old Dong Vang area and a valuable system of communal house – temple – pagoda relics.
In the new appearance of Phuong Duc commune, Thanh Xuyen Temple can become an important site in introducing local history, educating about tradition, and connecting cultural relics in the area.
In particular, when Thanh Xuyen Temple is placed beside Thanh Xuyen Pagoda – where a stone stele from 1270 remains – and other cultural institutions in the village, viewers can more clearly imagine a population area that formed and developed in a long-standing historical space.
08The temple roof and the image of the people of Thanh Xuyen
A relic is truly alive only when it remains present in people’s memory and life.
Through Thanh Xuyen Temple, one can see fairly clear values in the identity of the local community: valuing righteousness, gratitude to predecessors, diligence in labor, attachment to one’s trade, and upholding neighborly ties.
The people of Thanh Xuyen have gone through changes in occupations, boundaries, and social life, but the temple, festivals, and memories of Dong Vang are still preserved. That is precisely the thread connecting the past with the present.
Coming to Thanh Xuyen Temple, therefore, is not only visiting a National-level Architectural and Artistic Relic. It is also a journey to learn about a land that once had Vang Market, had the hang ngai trade, had a rich religious life, and had a community that knows how to preserve the memory of its ancestors.
Amid the new rhythm of life of Thanh Hoang village, Phuong Duc commune, the roof of Thanh Xuyen Temple still holds an enduring meaning: reminding every generation to cherish their roots, preserve the heritage, and carry forward the fine qualities of the people of their homeland – diligence, loyalty and affection, solidarity, and always looking toward the community.
