The Do Temple in Bac Ninh Province is a uniquely Vietnamese temple.
Situated around 20 kilometers from Hanoi, it is the best known and
most visited temple in the country by far, which is not really
surprising, as even a cursory study of its history shows.
The temple preserves most the traditions of Vietnam and also keeps
almost everything people need to know about the Ly Dynasty (1009 –
1225), the first Vietnamese ruling family able to hold onto power for
more than several decades, allowing them to secure and expand the
territory.
“Do” means the capital city. It has as its deities eight kings of the
Ly dynasty. The temple’s other names are Thai Mieu, Co Phap Dien and Ly
Bat De.
It is still not explained why or how the ninth and last ruler of the
dynasty, Ly Chieu Hoang, the only female one, has been left out.
Ly Chieu Hoang was enthroned when she was just eight and handed over
the reins to her husband Tran Canh after two years, effectively ending
the Ly Dynasty.
It has also been said that feudalism valued men more than women and that they were not to be worshiped equally.
The temple was built in 1010 by Ly Thai To, the founder of the dynasty, and restored by his son Ly Thai Tong in 1030.
Its latest renovation happened in 1989, when the temple area was expanded to more than three hectares.
Ly Thai To established the capital of his kingdom in Hoa Lu, Ninh
Binh Province and then moved it to Thang Long, now Hanoi. But the temple
was built in his birthplace, Dinh Bang Ward, Tu Son Commune.
At the gate of Do Temple is the full version of the written
proclamation to move the capital and the change of its name from Hoa Lu
to Thang Long.
Besides the main house that worships eight kings, there is one for
their mothers, and two other houses for leading officials of the
dynasty.
The worshipped are prominent figures in the history of Vietnam who
made big contributions to the country’s stability. One of them is Ly
Thuong Kiet, who in 1077 penned what is considered the first Vietnamese
declaration of independence after Vietnam’s victory over Chinese
invaders during the reign of Song Dynasty.
“Nam Quoc Son Ha,” the declaration, and the proclamation about moving the capital of the country are kept in the temple library.
At the back of Do Temple are a number of steles paying tribute to the
contributions of the dynasty. The steles were built in 1604 by Phung
Khac Khoan, a noted Vietnamese military strategist, politician, diplomat
and poet during the Le Dynasty.
The temple also has many parallel sentences and horizontal lacquered boards honoring the dynasty and telling its history.
Some scholarly visitors to the temple have said there is enough material here to write a doctoral thesis.
Do Temple is among the worshipping places in Vietnam that preserves a maximum number of the country’s traditions and rituals.
One tradition is that of communal harmony, as every person in the ward joins in the temple festival.
The annual festival lasts four days around the full-moon of the third lunar month.
People in charge of the festival’s rituals are selected carefully,
and great care is also taken in other aspects of the preparation
including the collection of offerings and other items.
Offerings usually include a roasted bull, sticky rice and traditional
cakes made from the rice – bánh chưng and bánh dày, fruits, flowers,
incense sticks, rice wine, betel leaves and areca nuts.
All the offerings have to be homemade or homegrown by local people.
The festival starts in the evening of the 14th day of the lunar month with a parade to commemorate the mother of Ly Thai To.
On the main day, the next morning, which this year falls on April 5,
there is a colorful and impressive parade attended by around 10,000
people.
It is followed by a series of offerings made to the accompaniment of drums and gongs.
An incense offering ritual is performed on the 16th day, when
traditional games like wrestling, cock fighting, cooking and poem
reading contests take place.
In 1994, the Do Temple Festival received a 31st generation descendent of Ly Thai To from South Korea.
Lee Chang Kun came to acknowledge and pay homage to his ancestors almost 800 years after the Ly family was scattered.
He wrote in a visitors’ book at the temple’s library: “With
unstoppable emotions, today I return and have felt the glory of my
ancestors. I swear I will never do anything harmful to the noble souls
of my ancestors.”
The separation dated back to 1226 when Ly Long Tuong, a prince of the
Ly Dynasty, left Vietnam to avoid the massacre of family members
ordered by Chancellor Tran Thu Do, who overthrew the Ly Dynasty after
arranging the marriage of the incumbent Empress Ly Chieu Hoang and his
nephew Tran Canh.
Ly Long Tuong served as a general in Korea, where he was known as Yi
Yong Sang, helping the king there defeat the Mongol invasion of 1253. He
was also allowed to establish his own village, where the Ly generations
continued to grow and several Vietnamese traditions were maintained.
The Ly family book, kept since Ly Long Tuong, proclaims on the cover: “Born in Korea, soul in Vietnam.”
Lee Chang Kun has given the book to the Do Temple. He has settled in Vietnam and gained Vietnamese citizenship.
By Nguyen Van My
The writer is the director of Ho Chi Minh City-based Lua Viet Tour Operator
The gate of Do Temple in the northern province of Bac Ninh. Photo: Nguyen Van My
One
of the many charms of Hanoi back then was that cycling was such a
common and accepted form of transport. There were few cars or buses,
with the traffic about half bicycles and half motorbikes. We cycled in
the intense heat, riding as slowly as we could without falling over, and
stopping under trees near stoplights. We cycled in the rain, and
arrived soaking wet, if we didn't want to stifle under the plastic
raincoats for sale everywhere.