The Upper Temple was built on the summit of Hung Mountain.
Throughout the country, there are currently 1,417 temples dedicated to King Hung and his wives, children, and generals from the Hung Dynasty era. Phu Tho province alone – the center of the Hung King worship tradition – has 326 such sites. The worship takes place in villages and communes across the districts of Cam Khe, Doan Hung, Thanh Ba, Ha Hoa, Tam Nong, Thanh Son, Yen Lap, Thanh Thuy, Lam Thao, Phu Ninh, Phu Tho town, and Viet Tri city. The most concentrated worship area is the Hung Temple complex, comprising the Lower, Middle, and Upper temples on Nghia Linh mountain. This land, considered "sacred and home to outstanding people," was chosen by the Hung Kings as the capital of the Van Lang State – the first capital of the Vietnamese people.
The "Legend of Hung Kings" recounts: "In ancient times, the King traveled far and wide but could not choose a suitable place to establish his capital. He came to a region where three rivers converged, flanked by Tan Vien and Tam Dao mountains, with hills and mountains near and far, winding streams and ravines. The landscape resembled a crouching tiger, a dragon bowing, a general shooting a crossbow, and a galloping phoenix. Amidst these lush green hills, a mountain suddenly rose up like a mother elephant lying among her calves. The King ascended the mountain and looked in all directions, seeing three sides of alluvial deposits, and all four sides covered with green trees, fresh flowers, and sweet grass. The land was both undulating and winding, wide and flat, narrow and deep. The King rejoiced, praising it as a land suitable for all people, strategically advantageous for defense, with a stable foundation, capable of establishing a nation for generations to come. King Hung established his capital there, naming it Phong Chau Citadel. This citadel stretched from the confluence of the Bach Hac River to the areas around Nghia Linh Mountain..." This is the area of present-day Viet Tri City.
In Viet Tri, on each site such as Trung Vuong, Tien Cat, Duu Lau... there are still traces of the King's workplace; Lau Ha village where the King's wife and children lived; where King Hung the 18th built a pavilion to choose a husband for Princess Ngoc Hoa; the King's vast, lush betel garden... Each place name, each relic, reminds us of the stories and figures from the early period of nation-building under the Hung Kings.
With its distinctive characteristics as the cradle of the Vietnamese nation, Viet Tri is becoming a spiritual gathering place for the Vietnamese people. Every spring, the homeland of the Ancestors resounds with spring songs, and crowds flock to festivals, visiting Hung Temple and other historical sites dedicated to the ancestors who founded the nation. The Lai Len Temple in Kim Duc commune is the birthplace of Xoan singing. Legend says this is where the Hung Kings taught Xoan singing to the villagers. Through the ups and downs of history, the Xoan singing festival in the Xoan singing villages has been preserved and passed down by the community with the intention of always honoring their ancestors and preserving these intangible cultural values.
Tien Cat Village, also known as Ke Gat, is where King Hung XVIII built a pavilion to choose a husband for Princess Ngoc Hoa. Today, within the Van Lang Park complex in Phu Tho province, a golden bridge with a husband-choosing pavilion has been built, a highlight for the festival city that connects with the roots of the Vietnamese nation.
Along the strip of land from the river confluence to Hung Temple, many historical complexes associated with the Hung King era still exist. The Hung Temple National Special Historical Site, located in the two communes of Hy Cuong and Chu Hoa, includes the temples: Thuong Temple, Trung Temple, Ha Temple, Thien Quang Pagoda, the tomb of the 6th Hung King, Gieng Temple, Mau Au Co Temple, and Lac Long Quan Temple. Further downstream, in the ancient commune of Hung Lo, also known as Kha Lam Trang or An Lao, lies a complex of architectural structures: an ancient shrine, Hung Lo communal house (Xom communal house), An Lao Pagoda, the altar of the God of Agriculture, the Confucian temple, and the Yen Lao house. Legend has it that “King Hung and his princess, riding a red horse, along with their courtiers, often toured the area, sightseeing and hunting. They stopped to rest at Kha Lam Trang, where they were welcomed by the elders and the people. The king and his subjects were delighted. The king saw that the land was fertile, the trees grew lush, and there was a naturally formed auspicious spot with sacred energy rising from the earth. The king considered this place a sacred land that would surely produce talented people, and he advised the people to reclaim the land and build their homeland…” To commemorate the benevolence of King Hung, the people here erected a temple and a horizontal plaque inscribed “Tham Thien Tan Hoa” (meaning King Hung participated in the divine work to help the people) to offer incense to their ancestors for generations to come.
The village of Bạch Hạc, also known as Bạch Hạc Tam Giang, Bạch Hạc Từ, or Bạch Hạc Phong Châu, has its origins in ancient times. The name Bạch Hạc (White Crane) originated from a large, thousand-foot-tall sandalwood tree in the area, whose branches and leaves were lush and abundant. White cranes flew to the tree to build their nests, covering the entire area in white. The Tam Giang Temple and Đại Bi Pagoda are located at the confluence of the three rivers Thao Giang, Đà Giang, and Lô Giang. The Tam Giang Temple is dedicated to the legendary historical figure of the Hùng Vương era, Vũ Phụ Trung Dực Uy Hiển Vương, whose given name was Lệnh Thổ. It is also the site of some of the most significant festivals in the ancestral land: the boat racing competition, the "Cướp Còn" (a traditional game involving snatching a ball), and the rice cooking competition.
Tien Temple is a sacred temple located in Tien Cat ward. It is dedicated to the Ancestral Mother, also known as Bach To Mau, the Queen of King Kinh Duong Vuong, the mother and foster mother of King Lac Long Quan, and the grandmother of the Hung Kings, born from a hundred eggs. After Lac Long Quan inherited the throne from his father, the Mother Dragon was taken to heaven by her two sworn sisters. Lac Long Quan, remembering his mother's kindness, ordered the people to build a temple in her honor at Tien Cat.
Located southeast of the city, Trung Vuong commune was formed from the villages of the former Lau Thuong commune, a land steeped in legends about the Lau Thuong and Lau Ha palaces of the Hung Kings during the founding of the Van Lang kingdom. Lau Thuong communal house is dedicated to Tan Vien Son Thanh, the Trung Sisters, and Mr. Ly Hong Lien, who contributed to education and taught the people the art of mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. Besides Lau Thuong communal house, Trung Vuong commune also has Lan Huong communal house dedicated to the three Great Kings of Do Chau; Thien Co temple dedicated to the teacher couple Vu The Lang, entrusted by the 18th Hung King with the education of the two princesses Tien Dung and Ngoc Hoa; and the tombs of three scholars from the time of Hung Due Vuong, sons of the teacher couple who served the Hung King. Towards the north, every year on the 1st day of the 6th lunar month, the people of what is now Minh Nong ward eagerly celebrate the rice planting ceremony (Ha Dien), a festival honoring the Hung King for teaching the people how to plant rice. Van Phu commune still holds the festival of snatching cotton and throwing nets at Van Luong temple, where the King slaughtered a pig to feast his troops. The people built a temple and annually organized a festival reenacting the old story to commemorate Saint Tan, while also practicing hunting skills and participating in games to improve their health for production and protecting their homeland...
Throughout thousands of years of history, along with thousands of stories associated with landmarks, proverbs, poems, and songs praising the homeland, all serve as evidence of the "thousand-year-old civilization" of the Van Lang capital during the nation-building period. With its unique and distinctive values, in 2012, UNESCO officially inscribed the Hung King worshiping belief in Phu Tho as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
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