Trung Temple (Quan Ha)

Trung Temple, also known as Quan Ha, is a typical historical, cultural, and religious relic of Lai Tao Village. The temple stands on land by the Day River, an area formerly called Hat Mon. Through changes in the river's flow, the riverbed gradually shifted eastward, leaving large alluvial flats. On that land, the people built Trung Temple, turning it into a sacred space closely tied to the spiritual life of the local community.

According to folk legend, Trung Temple was formed around the 6th century AD, associated with the story of Saint Tan Vien, who stopped to rest in this area during his campaign to defeat northern invaders. Legend has it that he rested under a banyan tree at the site of the present temple foundation. From that sacred trace, the people established a place of worship to express their reverence for the saint who had rendered service to the country. In the early days, when Cao Trang Village was still sparsely populated and the people's lives were still difficult, the temple was built only with simple materials such as thatch, bamboo, and leaves. Along with the development of the village, Trung Temple was gradually expanded and repaired and became an important religious center of Lai Tao Village.

Around 1940 to 1943, the villagers together renovated and upgraded Trung Temple in the traditional architectural style of the Nguyen dynasty. The structure was built in the chu dinh (T-shaped) style, consisting of the Dai Bai (main hall) in front and the Hau Cung (rear sanctuary) behind. This layout creates balance and solemnity while also suiting the traditional architectural characteristics of Vietnamese village communal houses and temples.

The temple's Dai Bai is relatively imposing in scale; its facade is decorated with a screen wall, floral walls shielding the roof, and many motifs strongly imbued with Nguyen dynasty artistic style. Prominent among the architectural elements is the image of two dragons flanking the moon, expressing the ancients' conception of solemnity, sacredness, and harmony between heaven and earth. Beside these are details such as bronze-pillar columns, column tops shaped like lanterns supporting leaf buds, and carvings of the Four Sacred Creatures and Four Seasons. Each image and motif not only contributes to the beauty of the structure but also conveys the people's aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous, enduring, and flourishing life.

Trung Temple currently preserves many valuable relics, reflecting the long history and longstanding worship tradition of the people of Lai Tao. The temple holds a genealogical record of the deity, royal edicts from various dynasties, and many other precious artifacts.

Through many historical upheavals, natural disasters, and the passage of time, Trung Temple has still been preserved, protected, and restored by local people. During the renovation years, along with the development of the homeland, villagers and Lai Tao natives living far from home actively contributed labor and materials to restore the relic. Thanks to this, the temple has become increasingly spacious and solemn while still retaining its ancient character and inherent traditional values.

Trung Temple (Quan Ha) was ranked at city level in 2008.