The "old man" of the tree has lived for nearly 7 centuries
The national historical site of Lac Temple is located about 30 km west of Hai Phong city center, on the gentle Luoc River, in the area of village 7, Vinh Thuan commune. The temple worships General Luong Toan - who had great contributions to the resistance war against the Chinese - Mongolian army in the 13th century. In 1993, Lac Temple was ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic.
After more than 700 years and many restorations, Lac Temple still retains its ancient and majestic appearance. In addition to the sophisticated ancient architectural work, which has cultural value, the national historical and cultural relic site of Mieu Lac also witnessed the formation and development of the Queo tree (muaom tree) which is over 660 years old.
The heritage muom tree is over 20 meters high, with young xum leaves and canopy of hundreds of meters. From the base of the tree to the trunk is upright, with a diameter of about 1 meter, the rough roots rise to the ground.
The Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) awarded the Certificate of Recognition of Vietnam Heritage Trees to the muom tree at Lac Temple on the day of the 748th Anniversary of the birth of Dai Nguyen Soai Luong Toan (August 12, Binh Than year, 2016).
The pride of local people
Since 2016, the local government of the old Giang Bien commune (now Vinh Thuan commune) has issued a decision to establish a Management Board for Heritage Trees - Muom Trees with 11 members headed by the Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee. According to the Management Board, local people pay attention to and care for the "old man" who lost his heritage, protect trees as the treasure of the villagers, and be proud of the identity of the countryside.
A representative of the Department of Culture and Social Affairs of Vinh Thuan commune said that thanks to the attention of the local government and people, over time, the muom tree has remained green, flowered, and fruited, and the canopy has spread all over the relic. Under the canopy of the muom tree, the people and laborers sit and relax after hot summer days, tourists from near and far rest when visiting, sightseeing, and offering incense at the village temple.
Every year, under the shade of heritage trees, Vinh Thuan commune organizes 2 festivals: Lac Temple Festival taking place on the 12th of the 8th lunar month and most recently the Ruoi Festival on the 20th of the 9th lunar month. Along with the system of antiques and ancient tombs, the longevity of the muom tree contributes to increasing the sacredness and historical value of the Lac Temple. Since then, Vinh Thuan people have come back every time they travel far to remember the heritage muom tree in the Lac temple grounds as a spiritual symbol, conveying faith and aspirations for favorable weather and a peaceful life.
