QUAN VAN STONE TOMB

Quan Van Stone Tomb is located in No Ban village, Van Tao commune, Hanoi city. It is a particularly valuable stone architectural and artistic work, built in 1733 during the Le Trung Hung period, and is the resting place of Duke Do Ba Pham, an official under the Trinh lords. Because he was originally from Van La village, Tong Van, now Hong Van commune, people commonly call it Quan Van Stone Tomb.

Duke Do Ba Pham once held the post of governor of Son Nam and was assigned by Lord Trinh Cuong to serve as Tutor, teaching Crown Prince Trinh Giang. In 1733, he had stone brought from Dong Trieu, Quang Ninh to build the tomb as his resting place. Through many upheavals, the tomb was buried after a great flood in 1914 and was rediscovered in the 1980s when local people were renovating fields.

The tomb was built entirely of large stone blocks, with a layout including main areas such as the tomb gate, burial precinct, stele house, and grave area. Prominent along the entrance path are stone warrior statues, stone dogs, and a system of guardian animal statues carved elaborately. The stele house is made of stone, inside which is a stone stele recording the biography and merits of Duke Do Ba Pham. Behind the stele house is the grave area with stone architecture bearing the typical style of tombs from the Le Trung Hung period.

With its system of stone statues, stele house, ritual objects, and highly artistic carving details, Quan Van Stone Tomb is one of the typical stone tomb works still preserved in Hanoi. The relic is not only of historical value but also reflects the carving, architectural, and fine arts level of Vietnamese artisans in the 18th century. In 2003, Quan Van Stone Tomb was ranked as a national-level architectural and artistic relic.