Xam Temple (also known as Hat Temple) in Lac Dao village (Hong Quang commune, Nam Truc district, Nam Dinh province) worships General Tran Minh Cong, also known as Tran Lam, and is a unique cultural and religious work in terms of history and architectural art.
The Gray Temple is a relic ranked as a national historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) since 1964. The Gray Temple is an architectural product demonstrating the talent and creativity of the working people, and is a historical relic bearing the national mark.
The architectural work of Dinh Xam was built on the site of a temple built by General Tran Minh Cong in the 10th century. The relic site consists of a main temple in the middle; two martial arts houses built on either side, and in front is Dinh Hat for singing competitions and Chau Van performances.
However, due to a long period of lack of timely restoration and renovation, many items of the temple are seriously degraded.
According to Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, the communal house's tiled roof is now skewed, the damp walls have many cracks, and the pillars and beams are damaged by termites.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Chi - Management Board of Xam Temple - said that this ancient temple is very valuable in terms of historical and cultural relics, and has been preserved by local people for many years. Currently, Xam Temple is seriously degraded, the Hat Communal House area, the two houses on both sides have skewed roofs, when it rains, the walls leak, causing mold, and many pillars and rafters are severely damaged by termites.
"The most recent renovation was more than 20 years ago, and some architectural items of the temple were restored, upgraded, and repaired. Our management board and local people really hope that authorities at all levels will pay attention to soon restore and embellish the items that are deteriorating," said Mr. Chi.
