About the temple of the first prize winner Vu Due

As one of nearly 50 first-class scholars of our country, Vu Due was born into a farming family in Trinh Xa village, Son Vi district, Son Tay town, now Vinh Lai commune, Lam Thao district. He was a shining example of the tradition of studiousness, love for the people, patriotism, selflessness for a greater cause, and a loyal and devoted mandarin of the Le dynasty. The name of first-class scholar Vu Due is engraved on the stone stele of the Temple of Literature.

Since childhood, the first-ranked scholar Vu Due was famous for his diligence, intelligence, and studiousness. At the age of 7, he was already proficient in Confucianism, Medicine, Philosophy, and Sociology, and could write Tang poetry and couplets, so people in the area called him "The Seventh-Year-Old Prodigy". At the age of 22, he passed the royal examination, Canh Tuat year, 1490, the 21st year of the Hong Duc reign of King Le Thanh Tong.

After passing the imperial examinations, he served as an official for a short time and then retired to his hometown to live in seclusion and open a school at the village entrance, like many other Confucian scholars of the time, “Advancing as an official, retiring as a teacher”. His students were people from the surrounding areas of Son Vi prefecture, Hac Tri prefecture, Son Tay town, Hung Hoa town... and descendants of families who had known him during his years working in the officialdom.

Students visit and learn about the life and career of the first-ranked scholar Vu Due.

During more than 28 years of teaching in his hometown, many classes of students taught by Mr. Vu Due participated in and passed the exams. Among them, two students passed the imperial examinations and one student passed the doctoral exam. All three students were from the same old Son Vi district, Son Tay town as him. They were Bang Nhan Nguyen Man Doc from Dong village, Xuan Lung commune; Tham Hoa Nguyen Nhu Thuc from Mac village, Cao Xa commune and Doctor Nguyen Trong Dat from Mao Pho village, Luong Lo commune, Thanh Ba district.

The temple of Trạng Nguyên Vũ Due is currently located in Zone 11, Trịnh Xá Village, in front of the dike and the Red River. Previously, his temple was built in 1522 (right after his death) on the banks of the Red River. Later, due to riverbank erosion, the temple was moved inside the dike by the people. In 2001, Trạng Nguyên Vũ Due's temple was recognized as a provincial historical relic by the Provincial People's Committee. Every year, the people of Trịnh Xá Village and descendants of Trạng Nguyên Vũ Due hold a festival at the temple of Trạng Nguyên Vũ Due (a ceremony at Trạng Nguyên Vũ Due's temple) and hold an incense offering ceremony to commemorate his death anniversary.

The descendants of the first-ranking scholar Vu Due always offer incense, flowers, and gifts to commemorate him on important occasions of the year.

Comrade Nguyen Dinh Luan - Vice Chairman of Vinh Lai Commune People's Committee said: The temple of Vu Due is not only a place to honor the famous person but also a placeto educate the tradition of studiousness and patriotism for the younger generation and affirm the historical and cultural values ​​of the site. Continuing the tradition of studiousness of the famous person Vu Due, later generations have always strived to study and work. Many people have become successful, have a comfortable life, always actively participate in contributing and supporting local activities and movements, joining hands to build a new, rich and civilized countryside.

Promoting the tradition of studiousness of the first prize winner Vu Due, the movement to encourage learning, encourage talents, and build a learning society in families, clans, and the whole commune is increasingly developing. Schools in the district also often choose the temple of the first prize winner Vu Due as a destination for students to visit, learn about history, learn more about his background, career, life, and times, as well as spread his studiousness spirit to students.

Ms. Dao Thi Thu Ha - Vice Principal of Vinh Lai Kindergarten (Vinh Lai Commune) shared: Visiting and experiencing historical sites in the district, including the temple of the first prize winner Vu Due, is part of the school's educational program. Through this, it helps students understand more about the historical sites where they live, fostering pride, love for their homeland and country, and respecting the good traditional values ​​that their ancestors left behind, contributing to improving the quality of comprehensive education for students.

Vu Due Scholarship Fund awards teachers and students with high achievements in studying and teaching in Lam Thao district in the 2023-2024 school year.

Always remembering the merits and being proud of the Trạng Nguyên, in recent years, Lam Thao district has invested in expanding, renovating and upgrading the entire surrounding area, and at the same time building a number of other auxiliary items of the temple thanks to the joint efforts of descendants in the family and businesses, individuals... In the district, there is also a school named after him - Vu Due Secondary School (formerly Lam Thao Secondary School) with a long tradition and proud academic achievements of generations of students here.

At the same time, with pride in the historical and cultural traditions of the district - a land of talented people, gathering many scholars and patriots, the district has also established the Vu Due Scholarship Fund to encourage and promptly reward students who are children of the district with excellent academic achievements, talented in the fields of physical education, sports, arts, scientific research and award scholarships to students in difficult circumstances, encourage and help them materially and spiritually so that they can develop their talents in various fields.

The first prize winner Vu Due is a shining example, a source of pride not only for the descendants of the Vu family in Trinh Xa village but also for the people in the region with the place name Lam Thao - land of rice, land of literature.

Thu Huong

Source: https://baophutho.vn/ve-den-tho-trang-nguyen-vu-due-233426.htm