Tho Vuc Temple

THO VUC TEMPLE – HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RELIC, A PLACE PRESERVING TRADITIONAL SPIRITUAL CULTURAL VALUES

Tho Vuc Temple is located in Nam Quat village, Phu Xuyen commune, Hanoi city (formerly Nam Trieu commune, Phu Xuyen district). This is a traditional worship architectural work with a history of early formation, closely associated with the cultural and spiritual life of the local people. The relic is also called by the people by its ancient name, Vuc Quyt Temple.

According to the legend preserved at the relic, Tho Vuc Temple worships Holy Mother Princess Nguyen Nguyet Nga and also co-worships the village's Holy Emperor. Legend has it that Princess Nguyet Nga was a woman of peerless beauty and was granted by the king the title of Third Palace Consort. After her father passed away, she returned to observe mourning, then traveled to many places, built palaces, distributed land, and cared for the people's lives. When she came to the ancient land of Huong Lam, she found it a beautiful land, asked the king to allow the people to live and settle there, and chose this place as her burial plot for later worship. After she died, the people established a temple to commemorate her merits. The belief in worshipping Princess Nguyet Nga has been passed down through many generations, demonstrating the moral principle of remembering the source when drinking water and the community's gratitude.

The temple was built on a high plot near the village's fields, with a total area of about 900 m2. The complex includes a side gate, ceremonial gate, yard, front hall, and rear sanctuary. The architecture bears the artistic style of the Nguyen dynasty, with a harmonious and balanced layout. The ceremonial gate has a system of pillars decorated with kneeling nghe and phoenix figures. The front hall consists of 3 bays with 2 side compartments, structured in the style of closed gable walls with hand-held brackets, highlighted by carvings of dragons, flowers and leaves, and exquisite decorative motifs. The rear sanctuary is where the altar, dragon throne, and sacred worship objects are placed. The relic also preserves a system of horizontal lacquered boards, couplets, and many artifacts of historical, cultural, and artistic value.

Every year, many traditional festivals take place at the temple in the 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th lunar months and on occasions of village rituals. This is an opportunity for people to commemorate the merits of predecessors, pray for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, good crops, and to strengthen community solidarity.

With outstanding historical, cultural, architectural, and artistic values, on March 20, 2015, the Hanoi City People's Committee issued a Decision ranking Tho Vuc Temple as a historical-artistic relic.

Today, Tho Vuc Temple is not only a place for the people's religious activities but also a place to educate tradition, nurture love for the homeland, and awareness of preserving and promoting national cultural identity for present and future generations.