Dong Cuong Temple

Dong Cuong Temple, located in Ben Den Village, Dong Cuong Commune, Van Yen District, Yen Bai Province, has long been famous as one of the sacred temples along the Red River. This is also the main place to worship Mau Thuong Ngan, or Mau (the Second Mother Goddess of the Upper Mountains) in Vietnam.

Dong Cuong Temple was recognized as a National Historical - Cultural Relics in 2009, contributing significantly to preserving and promoting the value of humanity's representative intangible cultural heritage ‘Practicing the worship of Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces of the Vietnamese people’. 

Dong Cuong Temple (Source: Bao dien tu - Dang Cong san Viet Nam)

The history of Dong Cuong Temple

Dong Cuong Temple has existed for a long time. According to historical documents, it was built at the latest in the Le Dynasty and was developed from an ancient temple (in the center of Quy Hoa Camp) in the Tran Dynasty. The temple and the surrounding area are related to Ngoc Thap Temple and Hung Temple (Phu Tho).

Dong Cuong Temple maintains many cultural rituals of the Mother Goddess religion (Source: Den mau Dong Cuong)

As the folk tales tell, Mau Thuong Ngan was Princess La Binh, the daughter of Son Tinh and My Nuong. La Binh always followed her father to govern the forests, mountains, rivers and streams of the upper mountains. Wherever she stopped, she taught people to grow rice, grow fruit trees, and build houses. After her parents became immortal, Princess La Binh was named Princess of the Upper Mountains, taking charge of governing 81 forests and mountains.

Princess La Binh - Mau Thuong Ngan (Source: Nguyen Tan Nguyen)

Besides Mau Thuong Ngan, Dong Cuong Temple is also a place to honor the local ethnic minority leaders who made great contributions to the resistance war against the Mongol-Nguyen invaders such as Ha Dac, Ha Chuong, and Ha Bong.

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Architectural Structure

Duong Cuong Temple’s buildings form the word ‘Ding’ (丁), like a T-shaped structure, including two main worshiping halls and a sanctuary.

• The main hall

The new main hall was built on the old foundation (1995-2002) following a folk structure named ‘3 gian 2 chai’ (three compartments and two lean-tos). This is a sacred space for the practice of worshipping Mau Thuong Ngan. 

Visitors can come in to offer incense and behold some valuable historical artifacts. There are 4 altars in the Front Hall and a set of 8 precious objects that are associated with Confucianism. 

Tourists offer incense at the main hall (Source: Den mau Dong Cuong)

• The sanctuary

The sanctuary holds two statues of Mau Thuong Ngan and Quan Hoang Bao (the offspring of Ha Dac, Ha Bong). It includes an upper room connected to the middle room of the main worshiping hall, built in a slanted roof style, poured with cement, and covered with Huong Canh fish-tail tiles.

The sanctuary (Source: Den mau Dong Cuong)

Dong Cuong Temple Festival

The Dong Cuong Temple Festival is held in January with many traditional rituals. In particular, the participation of ethnic minorities in the Van Yen region brings a unique and diverse color. 

The festival begins with sacrificing a buffalo to Mau, which is an official ritual maintained for generations in Dong Cuong. Then comes the procession of the statue of Mau Thuong Ngan across the river. This ritual is only held once a year to burn incense and commemorate General Ha Dac at the Ghenh Ngai Temple on the left bank of the Red River. After the procession, the Mau statue is carried back to the temple to perform the incense offering ceremony. 

Dong Cuong Temple Festival is celebrated in January (Source: Den mau Dong Cuong)

Dong Cuong Temple Festival is also organized with many cultural activities and folk games such as throwing con, singing then, wrestling, tug of war, singing cheo, performing traditional dances, etc. that attract thousands of people and tourists to participate.

Many people participate in the festival (Source: Den mau Dong Cuong)

In addition to the January festival, Dong Cuong Temple also organizes a new rice festival in the lunar September. Some highlighted activities are practicing the Mother Goddess religion; performing costumes used in Mother Goddess worshipping rituals; carrying sacred water in the Red River; and exhibiting paintings and photos of religious ceremonies. This occasion Introduces and promotes the images of Van Yen people and products to domestic and foreign tourists.

Practice the Mother Goddess worship ceremony (Source: Den mau Dong Cuong)

How to get there

Dong Cuong Temple is located on the left bank of Thao Den River, Dong Cuong Commune, Van Yen District, Yen Bai Province. Tourists can travel here in many ways.

• Bus: Take a bus to Van Yen, Yen Bai at major bus stations such as My Dinh or Giap Bat bus station. Passengers will stop at Mau A bus station in Van Yen, then continue to take a bus to Dong Cuong Temple, about 14km away. Estimated travel time is 3 hours and 30 minutes.
• Train: Take the Ha Noi - Mau A Station route. Then catch a bus to Dong Cuong Temple. This may take 5 hours.
• Car: Follow the Hanoi – Lao Cai Highway, then turn right off the highway onto Highway 163. Follow Highway 163 to Dong Cuong temple. Travel time is about 3 hours.
• Motorbike: Follow the QL32C to Gioi Phien, Yen Bai City, then take Highway 163 to Dong Cuong Temple. The route will take around 4 hours.

Conclusion

Situated in a place with beautiful landscapes, Dong Cuong Temple is a sacred and beautiful ancient relic of Yen Bai Province that you should visit once. Contact Asia King Travel now to schedule your trip to Northwestern splendid attractions!

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