Unique customs of worshipping water deities

With its vast sea area and numerous rivers and streams, Quang Ninh has a relatively unique folk belief system of worshipping water deities.

Statue of Queen Mother in the Queen Mother Temple. — Statue of Queen Mother in the Queen Mother Temple in Quang Yen town.

Quang Ninh province has a large river system concentrated in the west, a coastline in the southeast, and a mountainous region in the northwest with short, steep rivers, home to ethnic minority communities. Due to these characteristics, most of the village tutelary deities worshipped are water gods concentrated in the area along the Bach Dang River, specifically in the Quang Yen and Dong Trieu regions.

The custom of worshipping the deity Linh Lang is found in four districts of the former Dong Trieu region, with a total of approximately 13 relics at the head of the Da Bach river branch. The main deity of the temple is usually Linh Lang Dai Vuong from the Hung Dynasty, a member of the Hong Bang lineage, the second lineage of the Bach Viet people. However, the number of relics dedicated to the deity Quy Minh Dai Vuong is greater than that of Linh Lang, with 25 locations. Most of these sites do not have legends about Quy Minh, but are usually associated with the deity Cao Son from the time of Tan Vien Son Thanh's war against the Shu Kingdom.

For example, in Cam Pha district, Giap Khau village worships Quy Minh Dai Vuong, a revered deity. Meanwhile, Thai Binh hamlet in Cam Pha commune worships Trung Thien Long Mau, Tam Giang Thuy Khau Ba Ai Dai Vuong, and Tuan Hai Dai Vuong, while Phu Binh hamlet in Cam Pha commune worships Long Mau Thuong Dang Than and Tuan Hai Dai Vuong. My Son communal house on the Ha Coi river (Hai Ha district) worships the tutelary deity Van Canh, who guards the river mouths, and Quy Minh Dai Vuong, a revered deity.

The Mother Goddess Temple viewed from above. — The Mother Goddess Temple in Quan Lan commune, Van Don district, viewed from above.

Around the Mằn Mountain historical site (Ha Long City), there are temples dedicated to three snake deities: Ông Dài, Ông Loang, and Ông Cộc. According to legend, these three snake deities sacrificed themselves to protect the people. The temples of these three snake deities are all located in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities: Ông Cộc Đồng Hang (nhong waterfall area, Hoành Bồ ward), Ông Loang Đồng Cài (Cài village, Đồng Lâm commune), and Ông Dài Đá Trắng (Đá Trắng village, Thống Nhất commune), all within Ha Long City. The spiritual structures at the foot of Mằn Mountain also include shrines dedicated to Quý Minh Đại Vương, Long Hải Sơn Thần, Đệ Nhị Long Vương, Tam Vị Long Vương, and Long Mẫu Tôn Thần (deities governing the waterways).

The relics dedicated to sea deities in Quang Ninh are concentrated in the Bach Dang estuary area and Ha Long Bay. Among them, a significant portion is dedicated to the legend of Nam Hai or Dai Hai Pham, referring to General Pham Tu Nghi of the Mac Dynasty. The Ba Men Temple in Ha Long Bay worships the Goddess of the Sea, with festivals reflecting the unique religious beliefs of Quang Ninh fishermen who make their living at sea. The village of Trang Y, Dai Dien commune, Ha Mon district (now Dai Binh commune, Dam Ha district) worships the Cua Hai River God, Long Vuong, and the Great King of Cua Hai, Khanh Thien Dai Vuong. In ancient Mong Cai, the village of Quat Dong in Ha Mon district worshipped the Water Dragon King, while the villages of Binh Ngoc and Tra Co in Ninh Hai district worshipped Ngoc Son, the guardian deity of the sea. The village of Ninh Duong in Van Ninh district worshipped the Great King of the East Sea, Tran Quoc Tang.

Among the water deities, in Dong Trieu City and Dam Ha District, there is the worship of Ha Ba, while some places worship the deities of Hai Te, Hai Khau, Thuy Chung, Thuy Phu Diem Vuong, and Long Cung. Notably, in Hang Son (Uong Bi City), there is the worship of Bat Hai deity, whose legend tells of a water god reincarnated as a student to help pray for rain and alleviate drought.

In Quang Ninh province, there are several places dedicated to the worship of the Holy Mother, whose manifestations are often associated with the generals of the Tran dynasty (revealing divine assistance) during the resistance against the Mongol invaders at the mouth of the Bach Dang River. One example is the Queen Mother who transformed into a traitor, advising Tran Hung Dao on a plan to ambush the enemy on the river at Yen Giang. The Cap Tien Temple (Van Don district) worships Co Be Cua Suot, believed to be the daughter of Hung Nhượng King Tran Quoc Tang.

The Phong Coc communal house (Quang Yen town) and the Quan Lan communal house (Van Don district) worship the tutelary deities, the Four Holy Mothers. Also in Quan Lan, there is a temple dedicated to the Three Holy Mothers, including the Thoai Phu Mother. The Ben Duoi shrine in Vi Duong village, Lien Vi commune, and the Mother Goddess temple in La Khe village, Tien An commune, also worship the Lieu Hanh Mother, Thoai Mother, and Thuong Ngan Mother. The Thien Hau Holy Mother temple in Tra Co (Mong Cai city) worships a statue of a goddess who drifted ashore from the sea. The Cai Lan temple (Ha Long city) worships the Thoai Phu Mother (also known as the Third Mother or the Thoai Phu Goddess), the daughter of the Bat Hai Long Vuong, the Water Kingdom of Dong Dinh.

Another noteworthy point is the Trung Thien Long Mau temple within the Cua Ong temple complex in Cam Pha City. In some places, the deities are human figures, but they are all considered embodiments of the Holy Mother. The mother of the three snake deities mentioned above was a mortal woman with the surname Hoang, but she is considered an embodiment of the Thoai Phu (Water Mother) deity, worshipped at the temple at the foot of Mount Mann.

The White Stone Temple is located at the foot of Mount Mann.

In general, the worship of water deities is closely related to the image of the Water Mother, one of the sacred mothers in the Three Realms Mother Goddess worship of the Vietnamese people. At the same time, it is also related to the natural laws of rivers and originates from the agricultural cultivation and rice-based civilization. The worship of water deities has enriched the intangible cultural heritage of the ethnic groups in Quang Ninh.

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