Uy linh temple and mausoleum of General Tran Quoc Bao

Trang Kenh area has long been present in the minds of Hai Phong people in particular and the whole country in general as a brilliant milestone of history against foreign invaders, a monument symbolizing the brilliant Dong A spirit of the Tran Dynasty.

Historical mark of the heroic sacrifice of General Tran Quoc Bao

The landscape complex harmoniously combines green mountains and blue water, the terrain here was once especially praised by world cultural figure Nguyen Trai in "Du dia chi" that this is a place where rivers exchange, waves connect the sky, sedge trees cover the banks, truly a dangerous place in the border region.

Based on the comparison and synthesis of historical sources, Tran Quoc Bao belonged to the descendants of the Tran Dynasty royal family, rumored to be the grandson of Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong. At the end of the 13th century, when the Yuan-Mongol empire invaded Dai Viet for the 3rd time (1287 - 1288), young brave general Tran Quoc Bao was trusted by the court to entrust him with the important task of guarding the sea gate area, stationed directly in the Ang Ho and Ang Lac areas of the Trang Kenh rocky mountain range to be a powerful support force for Prince Nhan Hue Tran Khanh Du.

In February 1288, in a fierce battle that took place in the Bach Dang wave area to block the way of retreat and plunder the enemy general O Ma Nhi, Tran Quoc Bao bravely fought to the end and was wounded to death. His body was quickly taken by his deputy generals and blessed soldiers to Ang Ho area behind the battle line, but due to his severe injuries, he bravely sacrificed. Right that night, deputy general Vu Nap directed his soldiers to urgently build a small secret road connecting from Ang Ho mountain to Phoenix mountain to take him to be buried at the "Tang phong, Dac Thuy" grave, the most prime location according to feng shui, with the desire to borrow the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to preserve blessings for posterity. Precisely in this land that gathers all the elements of geographical sacredness and outstanding people, the Tran Quoc Bao temple relic has been ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Relic since 1962.

Unique architectural art and priceless historical artifacts

To recognize the great contributions of the brave general, after the Bach Dang victory, the Tran Dynasty court issued an order to issue a state treasury to allocate money to the people to build a spacious temple at the very place where General Tran Quoc Bao once stationed troops, and at the same time posthumously promoted him to the position of Crown Prince and honored him as Thuong dang phuc than, Thanh hoang of Trang Kenh village. Over time, the temple at the foot of Hoang Ton mountain (the mountain of the king's grandson) has been restored many times, typically the large restoration in 1994 and restored in 2016 on the foundation of an ancient pagoda made of clay, brick walls and traditional wooden architecture.

The temple has a Nhi-shaped layout including the Forward Hall and the Palace. The Forward Hall stands out with a design consisting of 2 floors, 8 soft curved roofs, decorated with two dragons worshiping the moon and two phoenixes playing in the clouds. His majestic statue is placed in the Palace, coordinated with two talented deputy generals, Dong Giang Hau Vu Lac and Tay Giang Hau Pham Huu Duong.

The invaluable scientific and historical value of the temple also lies in two ancient stone steles, sophisticatedly carved, placed on the backs of stone turtles. The first stele is 101cm high, 62cm wide, bearing the words "Hàm cấp tạo lệ bi"; the second stele is 83cm high, 52cm wide, carved with two faces of the words "Hợp tiện tạo lệ bi" and "Cổ tích hiển thánh". Both clearly record the era "Vĩnh Tộ bát niên" (1626), helping to determine the time of restoration and the ritual regulations of the 17th century.

Besides, after the tomb on Hoang Ton mountain, there is also a natural cave containing a poem of 50 Chinese characters carved directly into the cliff praising the scenery and spirit of the general. In 2003, the General's tomb area continued to be greatly restored with a majestic scale using monolithic blue stone, elaborately carved "Four Linh", "Four Quy", along with the majestic Nghi Mon system and Bat Trang brick yard, creating a project that absolutely blends with the poetic nature of the Bach Dang Giang region.

The intangible spiritual cultural value and uniqueness of the Trang Kenh Festival

The people's respect for General Tran Quoc Bao does not only stop at material architectural works but is also transformed vividly through the Tran Quoc Bao Temple Festival (or Trang Kenh Festival). The festival is organized on a large and solemn scale from the 5th to the 7th day of the first lunar month every year. This cultural event is also the key to deciphering the extremely unique folk phenomenon of Thuy Nguyen land: the Open Face Festival - Dum singing of the General Official.

Legend has it that, after the bloody battle on the Bach Dang River, the remains of the Mongol Yuan invaders were piled up like mountains, because they were afraid of the harassment of the defeated invaders' souls, the beautiful girls of Tong Phuc Le had to form the custom of using crow beak scarves to cover their faces until the day of marriage. However, only during the days of the Trang Kenh Temple festival, under the protective and majestic spiritual protection of General Tran Quoc Bao, the young women confidently took off their scarves to immerse themselves in the smooth melodies of "Dum giao duyen" singing.

Within the framework of the festival, besides the rituals of worshiping, carrying palanquins, and reading traditional congratulatory speeches of sacred court nature, the festival part also takes place extremely sôi nổi with folk games imbued with the spirit of martial arts such as tug-of-war, cockfighting, swinging, and modern sports exchange activities between residential groups.