Phú Xá Temple

Phú Xá Temple is a place of worship located in Phú Xá village (formerly known as Phú Lương), now the Phú Xá residential area, Đông Hải 1 ward, Hải An district, Hải Phòng city.

Currently, the temple still preserves two imperial decrees conferred by various dynasties upon Đức Đại Vương Thượng Từ and his Lady.

According to legend, this land was used in preparation for the naval battle against the Mongol-Yuan invaders in 1288, when Trần Hưng Đạo chose this place as a storage site for military provisions. After the victory, a reward ceremony for meritorious soldiers was held here before the troops returned to the Vạn Kiếp base.

The temple was rebuilt during the reign of Tự Đức (1848 - 1883), initially as a small temple made of bamboo and thatch. After many rounds of repair and embellishment, Phú Xá Temple today has become a grand architectural work.

The temple worships Hưng Đạo Đại Vương, Trần Quốc Tuấn, who led the people of Đại Việt to three victories over the Mongol-Yuan invaders in the 13th century.

In addition to Đức Đại Vương, who is worshipped in the main sanctuary, his family members such as Đức Vương Phụ, Đức Vương Mẫu, and Vương Phi Phu Nhân are also worshipped in the temple's sanctuary. The Second Chamber houses statues of the Four Princes—his sons and those of his Lady, namely:

Đức Thánh Cả Hưng Vũ Vương, posthumous name Trần Quốc Nghiễn

Đức Thánh Phó Hưng Hiến Vương, posthumous name Trần Quốc Uất

Đức Thánh Tam Hưng Nhượng Vương, posthumous name Trần Quốc Tảng

Đức Thánh Tứ Hưng Trí Vương, posthumous name Trần Quốc Hiện

The Third Chamber worships the two daughters of Đức Ông and the Lady, namely:

First Princess—Quyên Thanh Princess, conferred title Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh Empress Dowager, posthumous name Trần Thị Trinh.

Second Princess—Khâm Sai Đại Hoàng Princess, conferred title Anh Nguyên District Princess, posthumous name Trần Thị Tĩnh.

In addition to his two daughters and the Lady, the Third Chamber also worships Đức Vương Tế Điện Súy Thượng Tướng Quân Quan Nội Hầu, conferred title Chiêu Cảm Hùng Văn Đại Vương, posthumous name Phạm Ngũ Lão.

Furthermore, the temple also worships the logistics heroine Bùi Thị Hiệu Từ Nhiên. She was a local woman who contributed and mobilised villagers to provide much food for the Trần dynasty's army. She was highly valued by Trần Hưng Đạo and entrusted with the important responsibility of managing military provisions and logistics for the army. For her merits, she is worshipped by the people at Phú Xá Temple.

In front of the temple is a semicircular lake.

The temple is structured in the "nội công ngoại quốc" style (inner I-shaped, outer U-shaped layout), including:

5-bay front hall

Incense-burning house

Side halls

Sanctuary

Four Palaces Worship Hall

The architectural decorative lines, carvings, and reliefs are in the artistic style of the late 19th and early 20th century Nguyễn dynasty.

The Phú Xá Temple festival is held on the death anniversary of Trần Hưng Đạo (20th day of the 8th lunar month) and the death day of Lady Bùi Thị Hiệu Từ Nhiên (5th day of the 3rd lunar month). The people of Phú Xá gather at the temple, preparing and cleaning ritual objects, ceremonial regalia for the village tutelary god, as well as the statues of Saint Trần and Lady Bùi Thị Từ Nhiên, with sincere reverence.

Popular games during the festival include Chinese chess, cockfighting, duck catching, walking on a bamboo pole over water, and playing tam cúc điếm (a traditional card game).

Pilgrims preparing offerings for Đức Thánh Trần always remember to buy a few sheets of rice crackers, sold by many vendors from various places. Some historians believe that the custom of offering grilled rice crackers originated from making dry rations for soldiers during the Trần dynasty, a merit attributed to Lady Bùi Thị Từ Nhiên, a native of present-day Phú Xá village.

For hundreds of years, the people of Phú Xá have maintained a tradition of friendly exchange with the people of Thụ Khê village (Thủy Nguyên), which also has a temple to Trần Hưng Đạo. According to old village regulations, on the 20th day of the 8th lunar month, the people of Phú Xá welcome the elders and representatives of Thụ Khê village, who cross the Cấm river to attend the incense-offering ceremony at the temple. Thụ Khê village (Thủy Nguyên) has a custom on the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month, during the early spring festival, to warmly welcome friends from Phú Xá Temple, where the original temple to Hưng Đạo Đại Vương and the heroine of the Bùi family is located. After the incense and rice cracker offering rituals at the temple, the festivities for adults and young men and women officially begin on the spacious grounds surrounding the temple.

The folk game that attracts the attention of many people attending the Phú Xá Temple festival is tam cúc điếm—a card game popular at many temples and shrines in the former Hải An district. Besides the players using a 32-card tam cúc deck, there is a singer, a dealer, a small drum (trống khẩu), and some counting sticks. The singer must have a good voice and know many old poetic tales such as Kim Vân Kiều, Lục Vân Tiên, Chinh Phụ Ngâm, Cung Oán Ngâm Khúc, etc., to improvise fluently.

The official game involves four people: the singer—also called the banker—who must have a good singing voice and broad knowledge of classical poetry to improvise and rhyme on the spot. The game takes place at the Điếm, a small two-room house with enough tables and chairs, tastefully decorated, clean, and adorned with lanterns and flowers. The Điếm is usually located in a cool, spacious spot so that everyone attending the festival can watch the game.

The swimming and duck-catching game takes place right on the surface of the semicircular lake in the temple's landscape. To prepare for the fun, the organiser releases a domestic duck onto the lake, where it swims freely. Anyone wishing to participate must register with the organisers to officially join the game, wearing neat clothing suitable for swimming. Although this is a water game requiring both good swimming skills and quick reflexes to catch the duck at the right moment and win the prize, many people compete, hoping for good luck and prosperity throughout the year.

This is a distinctive feature of Vietnamese spiritual culture in general and of Phú Xá Temple in particular. "August for Đông A, March for Lady Liễu"—so the saying goes, and thus spirit mediums and disciples often choose Phú Xá Temple to perform rituals of the Worship of the Father and Mother Belief.