Kiếp Bạc Temple

Kiếp Bạc Temple, whose formal name is "Trần Hưng Đạo Vương Từ" (Temple of Trần Hưng Đạo Vương), is located in the two hamlets of Dược Sơn and Vạn Yên, Trần Hưng Đạo Ward, Hải Phòng City, Vietnam; it is a place of worship for Hưng Đạo Đại Vương Trần Quốc Tuấn. Kiếp Bạc is a compound name formed from the two areas of Vạn Yên or Vạn Kiếp (Kiếp Village) and Dược Sơn (Bạc Village). This is an important relic within the Côn Sơn - Kiếp Bạc heritage complex.

In the 13th century, this was the place where Hưng Đạo Đại Vương Trần Quốc Tuấn (born 1231 (?) – died 1300) established a base, stockpiled provisions, and trained soldiers during the second and third resistance wars against the Mongol Yuan invaders. In the 14th century, a temple to him was built here by the local people, and it became the site of annual festivals to offer incense in memory of this Vietnamese national hero, who made great contributions to the country and is venerated in folk belief as Đức Thánh Trần (Saint Trần).

Under the leadership of the Trần kings and Hưng Đạo Vương, the Đại Việt army overcame many hardships, and despite having fewer and less battle-hardened troops compared to the enemy, twice defeated tens of thousands of powerful Mongol Yuan soldiers, achieving victories that "resounded to the North, causing them to refer to him as An Nam Hưng Đạo Vương without daring to call his name directly." His strategies contributed greatly to these victories, so these great feats are often associated with his name. His immense merits elevated him to the rank of "a military genius of strategic vision, and one of the foremost national heroes of the Trần dynasty," a true master of strategy. His victories, together with the Vietnamese army and people, helped mark the end of the Mongol Yuan's peak era in history.

The Kiếp Bạc Temple area is located near Lục Đầu Giang, where six rivers converge: the Cầu River, Thương River, Lục Nam River, Đuống River, Kinh Thầy River, and the main branch of the Thái Bình River. Some people, following feng shui theory, believe this is a place where vital energy gathers to establish a great enterprise. By road, Kiếp Bạc Temple is about 70 km from Hanoi, following National Highway 1 to Bắc Ninh, then turning onto National Highway 18, and is about 4 km from Côn Sơn Pagoda. Côn Sơn Pagoda is located in the Tiên Sơn area, Cộng Hòa Ward, Chí Linh City.

Only about 20 years ago, the residential area around the Temple was mainly made up of farming households, with difficult and impoverished living conditions. Even in the 1990s, there was still no electric lighting here, and the people lived in backward conditions. However, as the country’s economy and society developed during the period of đổi mới (renovation), the influx of pilgrims directly improved the lives of local people, with many families becoming wealthy through selling goods, providing ceremonial services, and fortune-telling. Overall, the living standards of people in the area around the Temple are now much improved.

The Kiếp Bạc Temple area is a fertile valley surrounded on three sides by the Rồng (Dragon) mountain range, with Lục Đầu Giang on one side. The mountains form a 'dragon prostrating, tiger crouching' configuration, and the river creates a wide 'bright hall' (minh đường). In front of the temple is a grand main gate with three imposing entrances. On the outer face of the gate are the four characters "Dữ thiên vô cực 與天無極" (With Heaven, Boundless), and below are five characters "Trần Hưng Đạo Vương từ 陳興道王祠" (Temple of Trần Hưng Đạo Vương).

The couplet on either side of the gate, composed by Thám hoa Vũ Phạm Hàm, has long been the subject of debate among scholars past and present:

萬劫有山皆劒氣

六頭無水不秋聲

Vạn Kiếp hữu sơn giai kiếm khí

Lục Đầu vô thủy bất thu thanh.

One free translation is:

Vạn Kiếp’s mountains still carry the spirit of the sword,

Lục Đầu’s waters only lose their sacredness when they run dry.

Another translation:

In the land of Vạn Kiếp, every mountain bears the aura of the sword,

On the Lục Đầu River, there is no water that does not echo the sounds of war.

("Thu thanh" means the sounds of war, as in ancient times battles were often fought in autumn, according to the famous "Thu Thanh Phú" by Ouyang Xiu of the Song dynasty.)

Passing through the main gate, on the left is a well called the Dragon’s Eye Jade Well. Following the stone path to the area where palanquins are kept during festivals, there is an altar in front. In the past, visitors, especially during festival seasons, often had the custom of tossing small change into the Well for luck, but nowadays, due to efforts by the authorities, this practice is prohibited and has largely disappeared, though some violations still occur due to lack of community awareness.

The outermost hall venerates Phạm Ngũ Lão, the second hall venerates Hưng Đạo Vương, and the innermost hall venerates Hưng Đạo Vương’s wife, Princess Thiên Thành, and their two daughters, known as the Two Princesses (Nhị vị Vương cô). The temple currently houses seven bronze statues: Trần Hưng Đạo, his wife, two daughters, his son-in-law Phạm Ngũ Lão, Nam Tào, Bắc Đẩu, and four ancestral tablets for his sons, along with two tiger generals, Yết Kiêu and Dã Tượng. In recent years, the Temple has been renovated and rearranged extensively, so it retains both its ancient features and a more spacious, modern appearance.

However, the many changes to the surrounding landscape have displeased many visitors and researchers, especially the Management Board’s use of the temple grounds to grow orchids, which has contributed to the loss of the ancient, intact character of the temple’s surroundings.

Kiếp Bạc Temple is also a place where fortune-telling, physiognomy, and ceremonial services with exorbitant prices, as well as the burning of votive paper, are among the most common, costly, and wasteful activities. In 2019, there was even a fire among the shops around the Temple, causing significant property damage and affecting the reputation of the management of this ancient Temple. There have now been some proposals to ban and strictly deal with these issues, especially the prohibition of paid ceremonial services and hired prayers within the Temple, as these are seen as a form of superstitious practice that undermines the sanctity of the Temple.

About 250 metres behind the Temple is a hill and a small valley (locally called Viên lăng), overgrown with trees; some believe this is the burial place of Trần Hưng Đạo. However, in recent years, lax state management has allowed local people to use machinery to dig, move earth, and cut trees, greatly affecting the unprotected natural landscape.

The main festival is held from the 15th to the 20th day of the 8th lunar month; in addition, there are also festival activities here at the beginning of spring. Due to geographical (proximity to Côn Sơn Pagoda) and historical reasons, the Côn Sơn Festival (associated with Nguyễn Trãi) and the Kiếp Bạc Temple Festival (associated with Trần Hưng Đạo) are often held concurrently so that people can commemorate these two national heroes.

Additionally, at Kiếp Bạc Temple in 2006, the authorities officially recognised the practice of lên đồng (spirit mediumship). Those who practise lên đồng to worship Thánh Trần are called Thanh đồng (spirit mediums). Currently, Trần dynasty lên đồng rituals are regularly performed at Kiếp Bạc Temple. However, it is concerning that these sessions are often conducted by local "fake shamans"—essentially fortune-tellers, physiognomists, and ceremonial service providers—who have not received formal training, so the content of these lên đồng sessions is often difficult to control in terms of cultural and traditional authenticity.