Traces of the past
The old Pho Hien – currently Hung Yen City – is a land cultivated by the Red River, featuring a cultural space bearing the marks of a golden age, as stated in the words, “The capital comes first, Pho Hien comes second”. The city has 182 cultural, historical, artistic and architectural sites, including the special national site of Pho Hien, which includes 20 national sites, 25 provincial sites, over 100 steles and thousands of valuable artefacts that combine eastern and western styles.
Head of the Pho Hien Special National Site Management Nguyen Thi Hoa said, there remain many unique architectural works in the Pho Hien complex, which are evidence of the golden age of “Little Trang An”. They are the nation and humanity’s invaluable heritage.
Within the Pho Hien complex, many sites still retain their originality from arts to architecture and history from the Dinh Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty, such as the May Temple of the Dinh Dynasty, Hien Buddhist Temple of the Ly Dynasty, Tan La and Kim Dang Temples of the Le Dynasty, Thien Hau Temple of the Later Le Dynasty, and Tran and Mau Temples of the Nguyen Dynasty. The density of spiritual sites gives Hung Yen City a unique cultural identity.
The special thing about each ancient religious site in Hung Yen City is that they have their own interesting stories. Such a feature makes the culture of Hung Yen City both diverse and unique. There are over 40 traditional festivals taking place in the city each year, with the highlight being the Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival, held during the third lunar month.
The Pho Hien Folk Culture Festival is the opening event for a series of festivals at historical and cultural sites, which last until the 11th lunar month. In the sacred spaces of historical sites, community activities are re-enacted to help residents and visitors have an overview of the old Pho Hien’s hustle and bustle.
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Dau An Temple Festival |
Hung Yen Province currently has 1,803 relic sites of all kinds, including 3 special national sites, 175 national sites, 272 provincial sites, 8 national treasures and 567 traditional festivals.
Along with historical and cultural sites and festivals, Hung Yen also has six national intangible cultural heritages, one of which is trong quan singing, with simple and heartfelt lyrics. Trong quan singing is a distinctive form of folk performing art, which evokes the peaceful space of rural villages in the past.
Preserving and promoting heritage values aligned with tourism development
According to Deputy Director of the Hung Yen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Dao Manh Huan, Hung Yen possesses a rich trove of cultural heritage, with many historical, cultural, artistic and architectural sites preserved in their original forms.
To preserve and promote the values of cultural heritages, the Hung Yen Party Committee adopted Resolution 13-NQ/TU in 2021 on the programme to preserve and promote the values of cultural and historical heritages, aligned with developing Hung Yen’s tourism for the 2021-2025 period, with a vision for 2030.
Based on Resolution 13-NQ/TU, People’s Committees at all levels have worked with the relevant agencies to formulate action plans to implement the resolution. Accordingly, Hung Yen will step up the promotion of the province’s heritage system, and enhance public awareness of the preservation and promotion of cultural and historical heritages.
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Xich Dang Temple of Literature |
Governments at all levels have arranged resources to renovate hundreds of cultural and historical sites, especially the ancient town of Pho Hien, Dai Dong Communal Temple Complex, Nom Buddhist Temple, Hai Thuong Lan Ong Historical Site and Xich Dang Temple of Literature.
The Hung Yen Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has made dossiers seeking national recognition for some historical sites and treasures. Departments and localities are working together to organise activities to promote cultural and historical sites aligned with tourism development, such as Phu Ung Temple, Da Trach Temple, Dau An Temple and the Vietnamese Trade Village Quintessence Centre in Xuan Quan Commune, Van Giang District.
Efforts to tap into the tourism potential along the Red River in the coming years include the construction of a road for tourism and economic development running along the Red River and the reconstruction of Pho Hien. Such projects are expected to help promote the province’s cultural heritage and unlock its tourism potential.
