Located on a high mound of about 4,500m2 in Van Xuan commune, Hai Thon Temple is a religious work with a history of more than 3 centuries. This place worships King Ly Nam De, Empress Do Thi Khuong and generals of the Pre-Ly Dynasty. In 1986, the temple was ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic.
The project is built according to the three-letter layout with 3 main items including: front hall, middle hall and rear palace. The entire frame of columns, roof and enclosing structure bears a strong imprint of traditional architecture. The highlight is the exquisite wood carvings with images of dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, spiral veins, flip leaves and nghe, showing many vivid colors.
Over time, Hai Thon temple still retains its architectural appearance of the Le Dynasty quite intact, and also preserves many valuable artifacts. Among them, the lacquered and gold-plated wooden altar dating from the 17th century was once discovered here, and is currently kept at the Thai Binh Museum since before 1999.
Inside the harem, there is also a reprinted painting from ancient paintings, contributing to further recreating the religious elements of the relic. The temple space is more ancient thanks to 2 ancient trees, the persimmon tree and the longan tree, recognized as Heritage Tree since 2016. According to local people, these 2 trees are nearly the same age as the time of building the temple, and are still green and shady to this day.
Currently, Mieu Hai Thon is a familiar destination for people and tourists on every full moon and first day of the month. The quiet space, harmony between ancient architecture and nature, brings a feeling of tranquility and solemnity to those who visit.
