Upper Temple (Quan Truc)

Upper Temple, also called Quan Truc, is located in Lai Tao village, Bot Xuyen commune, former My Duc district (now Lai Tao village, Phuc Son commune), and is one of the relics of historical, cultural, and spiritual value of the locality. The site was ranked by Hanoi City under Decision No. 169/QD-UBND dated January 22, 2008, together with the Middle Temple (Quan Ha) and Lai Tao Communal House.

The temple is located on a high, spacious plot of land at the head of the village, facing northwest; from afar, one can see the winding Day River embracing the village. That terrain is not only beautiful in landscape but also rich in feng shui significance, so folk tradition has passed down the saying: Crane's neck faces the front, the dragon reigns over the sacred land. Not only is it a place where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converges, but Upper Temple also preserves a legend deeply imbued with sacred meaning about the three Great Lords worshipped by the people. According to the divine genealogy, during the period of Han rule, in Son Lang hamlet there lived Cao Huy Chieu and his wife Nguyen Thi Nguyet, who were virtuous but remained childless for a long time. After a time of praying for children and resting in the Cao Trang area, the couple encountered a miraculous omen and had three sons: Cao Minh, Cao Tuan, and Cao Phap. Growing up, the three brothers were not only intelligent and superior in martial arts but also early harbored great ambitions to save the country. When the country faced foreign invaders, they followed and assisted the Trung Sisters, achieving great merits in battle. Later, after fulfilling their mission, the three became sacred spirits and were remembered and worshipped by the people. For this reason, the temple is not only a place of worship but also a space crystallizing patriotism, loyalty, and the sacred faith of the local community.

In folk cultural life, Upper Temple is also associated with the village's traditional festival. Legend has it that after returning victorious, the three lords stopped by Cao Trang on the 12th day of the third lunar month; since then the villagers have chosen this day as the annual festival opening day. Therefore, the temple festival is not only an occasion for rituals and commemorating the merits of the deities but also a time for the community to review its origins, foster solidarity, and preserve local identity. These layers of cultural sediment have raised the temple beyond the meaning of an ordinary worship structure to become a spiritual symbol of the whole village.

In particular, during the years of the resistance war against the United States in the 1960s-1970s, the Quan Truc area with its dense bamboo groves and bamboo bushes also became a shelter for soldiers and guerrillas and a place for evacuated classes of Bot Xuyen Primary and Secondary School. Thus, the temple not only exists in the distant memory of legend and divine genealogy but is also deeply imprinted in modern history, accompanying the people through the country's difficult years. From an ancient spiritual space, Upper Temple has become a place preserving both collective memory, revolutionary tradition, and the resilience of Lai Tao people.

It can be said that Upper Temple - Quan Truc in Lai Tao village is a relic of multifaceted value: historical value, cultural and spiritual value, architectural and artistic value, and community spiritual value. This place not only tells the story of an ancient countryside along the Day River but also reminds future generations of the moral principle of remembering the source when drinking water, gratitude to predecessors, and the enduring vitality of Vietnamese village culture. Amid the many changes of time, Upper Temple still stands quietly there as a witness of the past, a spiritual mainstay of the present, and an inseparable part of the soul of Lai Tao homeland.

Currently, the temple is undergoing restoration and embellishment.