Tran Dang Temple

The temple is sacred and endowed with holy power, said to date from ancient times, and is associated with the legend of Lord Cao Lo fighting the enemy with the assistance of the Tiger Spirit. The current architecture belongs to the Nguyen dynasty, with only a few artifacts from the Le era remaining. The landscape is solemn and ancient, deeply imbued with the Vietnamese soul and rural shadow! The legend in Dai Than, Gia Binh District, tells that the Hung Kings, the Saintly Ancestors, succeeded one another for 18 generations of kings ruling the country, and named the country Van Lang. At that time, at the end of the reign of King Due Vuong, in Ai Lao country, Mai Chau prefecture, Hoa Khe district, Phu Duong commune, there was the family of Cao Nhat Trong, whose wife was Hoang Thi Thinh (some sources say Ta Ban Luong); they were powerful and wealthy but late in having children. One day, the two heard that Hoa Dong Khe Pagoda was very efficacious, so they purified themselves and went there to perform a ceremony praying for a child. Near the end of the third watch of the night, they dreamed at the pagoda that a deity came and gave them a stone pearl, saying: "Now the Eastern Blue-Robed Envoy will be born into the house to become a son of the Cao family, so that later he may assist the Thuc house." Hearing this, she suddenly woke and knew it was an auspicious sign; early the next morning she made offerings of thanks and returned home, and from then on she became pregnant. On the 10th day of the 3rd month of the Giap Dan year, she gave birth to a son named Cao Lo; as he grew, he was accomplished in both letters and martial arts, naturally intelligent, fond of reading military books, and fond of martial skills. At the age of 20, his father and mother passed away; after the mourning period was over, Cao Lo traveled here and there. One day he came to Dai Than village, Gia Binh District, Kinh Bac region, and seeing the charming scenery, he stayed there. The local elders saw that Cao Lo had an unusual appearance and literary and martial skills unmatched in the world, so they invited him to open a school there; after 3 years he had taught more than 100 students. At that time Thuc Phan was the king ruling Ai Lao country, originally of the lineage of the Hung house and later changed to the surname Thuc; hearing of Cao Lo's talent, he sent envoys to invite him to court and appointed him Left Chancellor. At that time King Hung Due Vuong was already old, and all 20 princes had passed away with no one to succeed him. Thuc Phan then planned to attack the Hung house and seize the throne; the two sides fought, and the Thuc house lost and had to negotiate peace. The Hung King's son-in-law, Tan Vien Son Thanh, advised King Hung Due Vuong: "The Hung house's realm has lasted 18 generations, and the country's destiny has ended, so cede the throne to Thuc Phan to avoid disasters for many generations to come." King Hung Due Vuong then yielded the throne to Thuc Phan and, together with Tan Vien Son Thanh, ascended to heaven. After ascending the throne, Thuc Phan sent General Cao Lo to serve as deputy in Ai Chau land, teaching the people benevolence and righteousness and diligent work. Some time later, Cao Lo helped the Thuc king fight Trieu Da and won many battles; his merits were assessed and he was granted the title: Hung Luoc Thai Bao Phu Quoc Great General. King Trieu Da, unable to win, devised a cunning plan and sent his son Trong Thuy to become a son-in-law of Thuc Phan, marrying Princess Mi Chau. Cao Lo advised against it, but the Thuc king did not listen and instead believed the slander of Lac Hau, so he ignored Cao Lo. Later the Thuc house fell for the Trieu family's scheme and was defeated; Cao Lo brought troops to reinforce and help the Thuc king, but because Mi Chau scattered goose-feather cloaks for Trong Thuy to follow, it could not be saved, and the Thuc house was destroyed from then on. In the era of the Tang dynasty's rule over the South, Cao Bien went to Luc Dau River and at midnight dreamed of an old man who called himself Cao Lo, Spirit of the Stone Dragon, coming to provide unseen assistance and establish merit; after winning the battle, he granted the villages of Dai Than, Dong Phu, My Loc, Ai Mo, Kenh Pho, etc., permission to build temples to General Cao Lo. In the reign of King Tran Thai Tong, when the Yuan invaders attacked, Hung Dao Vuong received the order to pray to all deities, and General Cao Lo also manifested and provided unseen assistance; after the invaders were defeated, King Tran bestowed the beautiful title: Linh Ung Thanh Triet Hien Huu. In the 4th year of King Canh Thinh, on the 11th day of the 5th month, he bestowed the beautiful title: Muc Uyen Cuong Chinh. In the 6th year of King Thieu Tri, on the 4th day of the 12th month, he posthumously bestowed the beautiful title: Tuan Luong. Permission was granted for long-term worship and incense offerings.

Tran Dang Temple was ranked as a National-level relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1988.