Tràng Kênh Temple

The Tràng Kênh Complex of Historical and Scenic Sites is located in Minh Đức Ward, Thủy Nguyên City, 20 km northeast of the centre of Hải Phòng City. This land boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage, and is a scenic site formed by a system of limestone mountains, caves, and rivers. It was designated by the state as a national-level historical, cultural, and scenic relic in 1962.

The Tràng Kênh site covers tens of thousands of square metres and consists of two areas: Area A is the valley of three limestone mountains—Hoàng Tôn, Ao Non, and Áng Rong. Area B lies to the northeast at the foot of Ao Non Mountain, including the residential area of Tràng Kênh village and a road running along the site.

Through excavations, archaeologists have discovered a large number of artefacts of various types and materials, most notably pottery, stone, and bronze objects.

The pottery unearthed here bears the distinct identity of the prehistoric people of Tràng Kênh. The most characteristic is porous pottery: the clay is mixed with much sand and mollusc shell, greyish-white or pink in colour, fired at low temperatures; the decorative motifs are rich, with bold incised patterns and raised bands being unique features of Tràng Kênh pottery. In terms of form, besides the common flared rim, there are also constricted rims, thick-walled rims, and especially pottery with a roofed rim (a unique type found only at Tràng Kênh and Bãi Tự in Hà Bắc).

In addition, Tràng Kênh was the largest prehistoric stone jewellery workshop, with technical skills reaching the peak of prehistoric civilisation in Northeast Vietnam in particular and Vietnam in general, dating back nearly 4,000 years, belonging to the early Metal Age. Archaeologists have found many production tools such as quadrangular axes, small socketless chisels, drill bits, saw blade fragments, grinding stones, etc., and jewellery products such as bracelets, earrings, rings, beads, etc. At one time, Tràng Kênh jewellery was exported across the sea to Northeast and Southeast Asian countries.

Bronze objects have also been found at Tràng Kênh, though not in large quantities. The main types include: square-cornered axes, balanced axes, socketed chisels, spears, and daggers. These artefacts belong to the Đông Sơn and Phùng Nguyên cultures.

This land holds a strategically important position in the defence of the nation, as assessed in the Đại Nam nhất thống chí: "Our country’s resistance against the northern invaders—this place is the throat." Nguyễn Trãi described it as "A pass created by Heaven, a perilous position where two men could hold off a hundred; a place where heroes established their fame." For this reason, Tràng Kênh preserves many marks in the history of Vietnam’s struggle against foreign invaders.

In 938, Ngô Quyền defeated the Southern Han army at the mouth of the Bạch Đằng River, ending a thousand years of northern domination. Also on this river, in 981, Lê Hoàn defeated the Song army. More than 300 years later, in 1288, during the naval battle on the Bạch Đằng River against the Mongol Yuan invaders, Ù Bò Mountain was where Commander-in-chief Trần Hưng Đạo established his headquarters and directed the army; the Bạch Đằng estuary, where three rivers converge, still bears traces of the stake trap battlefields; right at the foot of Hoàng Tôn Mountain stands a temple dedicated to Trần Quốc Bảo, a member of the Trần royal family who contributed to the Bạch Đằng victory and was honoured by the local people with a temple after his death. During the resistance against the French, Tràng Kênh was one of the revolutionary bases for the army and people of Hải Phòng.

Tràng Kênh is formed by a system of limestone mountains with many marvellous caves and rivers. The Hùng King Cave (where the 18th Hùng King, who established a palace here, is worshipped) is 15 to 18 metres high and 5 to 10 metres wide, with a sharply pointed ceiling like a church bell tower, many alcoves, and a stream that flows gently all year round. The scenery of Tràng Kênh resembles Hạ Long Bay and is likened to a "Dry Hạ Long".

The local community has long passed down the saying: "Tràng Kênh has U Bò Mountain, Quán Đá River, and a ferry crossing."

On 6 October 2017, US Ambassador Ted Osius visited the Tràng Kênh historical and scenic complex together with Admiral Scott Harbison Swift, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, and stated: "I came to Bạch Đằng to learn more about Vietnamese history and to pay respect to the great kings who represented the Vietnamese people, who overcame hardship with resilience, determination, and ingenious tactics to preserve the country’s independence."

The relic area covers about 20 hectares at the confluence where the Thải River flows into the Đá Bạc River. Initially, there was only an ancient miếu (shrine) here, dedicated to the souls of soldiers who fought and died on the Bạch Đằng River. From 2008 to 2016, architectural works were constructed, including: the Ancient Pebble Garden and Victory Pillar, Bạch Đằng Giang Temple dedicated to King Ngô Quyền, Tràng Kênh Vọng Đế Temple dedicated to King Lê Đại Hành, Tràng Kênh Ancestral Hall dedicated to Commander-in-chief Trần Quốc Tuấn (Hưng Đạo Đại vương), Tràng Kênh Trúc Lâm Temple, the Holy Mother Temple, the President Hồ Chí Minh Temple, the Museum House, and the Victory Square.

On 4 November 2020, the Bạch Đằng Giang relic area was designated a national relic by Decision No. 3229/QĐ-BVHTTDL of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.