Dong Ngan Upper Temple

Dong Ngan Upper Temple worships the deity Bao Khang Dai Vuong, a descendant of the Hung dynasty. He, together with Saint Giong, defeated the An invaders to protect the mountains, rivers, and borders of the Southern land, and was worshipped by the people of Dong Ngan Village as the village tutelary god.

The remaining physical traces bear strong marks of architecture from the 19th century to the early 20th century. Based on material sources currently kept at the temple, such as the temple legend, royal edicts, couplets, and horizontal plaques, it can be inferred that the temple was initially built at the end of the Later Le period and, surviving to the present, has undergone several major restorations and repairs during the Nguyen period. In 1954, the temple was raised and some wooden components were repaired. In 1995, the temple continued to be raised to its current level. In 2002, local people contributed money and labor to repair the temple.

Dong Ngan Upper Temple is located on a plot of land close to the base of the Duong River dike, facing south; in front is a brick-paved courtyard, surrounded by many shade trees. The temple has an architectural layout in the form of the character “nhị” comprising the front hall and the rear sanctuary.

The three-bay front hall is built with closed gable walls and ngai-style hand supports; in front of the two gables, two ornamental pillars are built in lantern style. The front opens with a full set of folding panel doors. The roof ridge is shaped like a nail ridge, the two gable ends are decorated with kìm heads, and the floor is paved with bricks. The three-bay rear sanctuary is built with closed gable walls and a roof covered with local tiles. In the central bay, a brick altar is built against the rear wall to display ritual objects and place the tutelary god’s throne. The architectural decoration is simple, with only smooth planing and incised lines.

Dong Ngan Upper Temple still preserves valuable relics and ritual objects, such as one temple legend, one copy of the deity-title declaration kept at the Institute of Sino-Nom Studies, 11 royal edicts conferring titles on deities with reign years Vinh Khanh 2 (1730), Canh Hung 28 (1767), Canh Hung 44 (1783), Quang Trung 4 (1791), Bao Hung 2 (1802), Tu Duc 10 (1857), Tu Duc 33 (1880), Dong Khanh 2 (1887), Khai Dinh 2 (1910), and Khai Dinh 9 (1924), one altar curtain, an incense table, a horizontal plaque, couplets, and more. All were made in the 20th century. Every year, the temple holds festivals on the 1st day of the second lunar month and the 10th day of the eighth lunar month, the death anniversary of the three great kings. The common festival of the whole village is on the 15th day of the second lunar month. In particular, on the village festival day, there is a custom of giao hieu (friendly exchange) with Do Xa Village (Yen Thuong Commune), and Hoi Phu Village also participates.

The Dong Ngan Upper Temple relic was ranked as a city-level historical and artistic relic under Decision No. 2405/QD-UBND dated December 4, 2008.