Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site invested 100 billion for restoration

In 2025, the project "Preserving the historical and cultural relic site of Con Son - Kiep Bac associated with tourism development" with a budget of 100 billion VND from the central budget for the period 2021-2025 will be implemented.

Echoes of history

During the Tran Dynasty, the Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site belonged to Phuong Son district, Lang Giang route. During the Le Dynasty, it was changed to Phuong Nhon district, Bac Giang province, and later Kinh Bac town. The Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site is now in Chi Linh city, Hai Duong province, about 70 km from Hanoi .

This relic site is divided into two parts: Con Son and Kiep Bac. In which, the Con Son scenic relic site includes Ky Lan mountain and the adjacent Ngu Nhac mountain, which is one of the three centers of the Truc Lam Zen sect during the Tran Dynasty (Con Son - Yen Tu - Quynh Lam). Kiep Bac Temple leans against Tran Rong mountain, in front of Luc Dau river. The Con Son - Kiep Bac complex is adjacent to Phuong Hoang mountain range (in the territory of Cong Hoa and Van An communes) and Rua mountain (in the Northwest), forming a land that gathers all four sacred animals, five mountains, and Luc Dau river. That is the miraculous arrangement of nature for the Con Son - Kiep Bac - Phuong Hoang scenic relic site with Chi Linh river and mountains.

Panoramic view of Con Son scenic relic site. Photo: Hai Duong Newspaper .

This is a historical land that still echoes with glorious victories through many eras, especially in the three times the Tran Dynasty army and people defeated the Yuan-Mongol invaders in the 13th century and in the 10-year resistance war of the Lam Son army against the Ming army in the 15th century. This is also a legendary mountain area, with wonderful landscapes, ancient relics, associated with the life and career of Tran Hung Dao and Nguyen Trai, two outstanding national heroes who brought glory to the country, along with many cultural celebrities of the nation such as Tran Nguyen Dan, Phap Loa, Huyen Quang.

Con Son - the cradle of Vietnamese culture

Con Son historical site has a special position and importance to the history and culture of Vietnam. Here, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism coexisted and developed over many centuries, but all are imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity. This identity leaves its mark through each existing construction, in underground cultural layers during archaeological excavations, as well as contained in books, in remaining legends, in worship rituals, in extremely rich festival activities.

In the past, Con Son was a place for wandering, seclusion and self-cultivation of famous people, representing the soul, spirit and quintessence of Vietnamese culture in many different historical periods. Tran Nguyen Dan - Grand Chancellor, poet and great calendarist of the Later Tran Dynasty returned to Con Son to build Thanh Hu Dong to retire in the last years of his life.

During the early Le Dynasty, the national hero and world cultural celebrity Nguyen Trai lived many times and for many years, living in harmony with nature and creatures in Con Son - "home mountain", finding here a soul mate and a source of abundant poetic inspiration. Le Thanh Tong, the wise king and Tao Dan general (during the early Le Dynasty), the poet Cao Ba Quat (during the Nguyen Dynasty)... all came here to find traces of Uc Trai, visit the scenery, write poems, and leave behind valuable poems. In February 1965, President Ho visited Con Son. He visited Thach Ban, Thanh Hu cave and read the stele in front of Hun pagoda, with sacred respect and special sympathy for the ancients.

Today, Con Son relic site still preserves cultural vestiges of the Tran Dynasty and subsequent historical periods such as Con Son Pagoda, Ngoc Well, Tien Chessboard, Stone Table...

Kiep Bac - where "dragons rise, tigers lie down"

About 5 km from Con Son, Kiep Bac is a famous place on Luc Dau Giang. This place has the shape of "dragon rising, tiger lying down", has "four virtues, four spirits", the shape of mountains and rivers is dangerous but harmonious, majestic, open and elegant.

At Kiep Bac, the water of four rivers from upstream converges, flows into the Thai Binh River and Kinh Thay River, bringing fertile alluvium downstream to deposit. In addition to their familiar names, these four rivers all have an additional Chinese name with the word "virtue" after them, such as the Duong River (Thien Duc), the Cau River, also known as the Nhu Nguyet River (Nguyet Duc), the Thuong River (Minh Duc), the Luc Nam River (Nhat Duc), the main stream downstream is called the Thai Binh River. The ancients considered Luc Dau Giang to be the confluence of four great virtuous streams in the universe, bringing peace, meaning bringing prosperity to the people.

Kiep Bac Temple. Photo: Bac Giang Newspaper.

Kiep Bac has very convenient waterways and roads. From Kiep Bac, it is easy to go to Thang Long, up and down, downstream, and out to sea, so this is a strategic location, a "decisive battle point" that both the army and people of Dai Viet as well as the Northern invaders need to occupy during the wars.

The center of the Kiep Bac historical relic site is Kiep Bac Temple, an ancient temple worshiping Saint Tran - Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan - a national hero, outstanding military strategist, and commander-in-chief of the Dai Viet army and people in the resistance war against the Yuan-Mongol invaders.

According to the Project "Preservation of Con Son - Kiep Bac historical and cultural relic site associated with tourism development" approved by the People's Committee of Hai Duong province, the Kiep Bac temple area will be renovated, including: restoration of Vien Lang, Vien Lang lake (Ngoc lake) with items such as bridge to Vien Lang, ceremonial gate, dragon screen, screen, flagpole, stele house, incense burner...; dredging Ngoc lake, embanking the lake, Vien Lang embankment, planting trees... For the Con Son pagoda area, water will be pumped, mud and trash from Ban Nguyet lake will be dredged, trees will be planted, walking paths will be built around the lake; parking lot will be built in the southwest of Ban Nguyet lake...

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/di-tich-con-son-kiep-bac-duoc-dau-tu-100-ty-tu-bo-post269115.html