Lang Song Minor Seminary: An attractive destination

Locals call the Lang Song Minor Seminary the Lang Song Church or Long Song Church. The minor seminary trains young children (elementary school students) to become long-term servants in the church, unlike the major seminary (which trains people aged 18 and older).

Lang Song Minor Seminary. **Photo: TNĐ**

The Lang Song Seminary was founded by Bishop Stephen Cuénot Thể between 1841 and 1850 to train priests for the churches. The printing press there was established in 1864 and operated until 1935. Its publications served religious, educational , and communication needs, contributing to the development of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script in various formats.

In 1922, the Lang Song printing house printed 18,000 periodicals, 1,000 copies of various books, and 32,000 other publications. The newspaper "Lời Thăm" (The Visit) alone was published twice a month, with 1,500 copies per issue, and distributed throughout Indochina.

Currently, according to the documents displayed here, there are 239 surviving books from the printing house stored in the national library. This can be considered an extremely valuable resource, marking Binh Dinh's history in the development of the Vietnamese national script.

Lang Song Village is not only rich in cultural heritage and stories but also an interesting tourist attraction for visitors from near and far. From Quy Nhon City, after crossing seven bridges (from Ha Thanh 1 to Ha Thanh 7), you will reach Lang Song Seminary. The church has been renovated several times but still retains its red roof, a testament to its historical significance.

The architecture consists of two buildings on either side, a kitchen at the back, and a large church in the middle of the entrance, set against a backdrop of lush green grass and birds singing among ancient trees. The cool, green surroundings combined with the antique charm of Gothic architecture make one feel as if they are somewhere in Europe hundreds of years ago.

I clasped my hands together to show my respect and gratitude to our ancestors, those who pioneered the land, enlightened the people, and preserved the culture for generations of Vietnamese people. A nun greeted me, then took me on a tour of the church grounds, which spanned over 2,000 square meters, and told me about the history of the Quy Nhon diocese. And I gained much insight from this emotionally charged trip.

Before leaving, I added "River Village" to my son's list of places to visit this summer. Surely, we'll have peaceful summer afternoons here, listening to the wind blowing from the fields.

I will tell my child about the journey of the Vietnamese alphabet and teach them gratitude towards the generations who built and preserved it, so that today, we can understand more deeply the land that we love and are so deeply connected to.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/tieu-chung-vien-lang-song-diem-den-hap-dan-post327922.html