The 6.5kg red copper book, which time has turned a mossy grey colour since its creation in the 15th century under the Le Dynasty, is one piece of the many layers of folk culture that can be found in the northern province of Ha Nam.

The four-page book, made with two sheets of copper, is 45cm long, 18.5cm wide and 5cm thick. There are 527 Chinese and Nom words etched into the pages. They tell the story of the construction of the Cau Khong Bridge over the Long Xuyen River in 1472. According to the legend, it was built to connect the Red and Chau Rivers.

However, the book is not a simple historical journey about King Le Thanh Tong’s victory over the Champa in the south of Vietnam. It is also legend of the construction of the bridge.

The details found within the book have made famous as the King’s prophetic dream. The book says that after the King defeated the Champa in 1470 he stopped to sleep along the Long Xuyen River and dreamed about a giant general who held a yellow flag with his feet placed on opposite banks of the river. The general asked the King to allow him to provide protection for the King over the river. When the King woke up he decided to build the bridge.

The bridge was destroyed in 1952 at the end of the war after standing for nearly 500 years. After the destruction of the bridge, the book moved from its home to a new temple within the Han Nom Institute, a local school responsible for teaching history to Bac Y District junior students.

According to an historian, the book contains holy details, making it special. Historians also say the book is a good source of history from 536 years ago.

Nguyen Van Thuy takes care of the copper book at a small local pagoda in Bac Ly Commune, but is concerned about who will take over his job when he is too old.

Thuy does not keep the book in his own house, but he has protected it for about 30 years wherever it was.

Thuy said that every 6th day of lunar March an offering to the Cau Khong Genie (the general from the King’s dream) is organised to give local people a chance to see the book.

History tells us that the book has been kept in a temple since it was made. The original temple was built in a very unique style, located in the middle of the bridge, which was built with 21 two-metre long covered rooms.

Tiled-roof bridges were later Le Dynasty (1428-1788). They were widely constructed to facilitate travel and transport while serving as markets and trading points. While perfecting the old structural models of royal palaces, pagodas and so on, people also built communal houses to serve as multi-purpose public utility structures and religious institutions.

Thuy said that among the 12 copper books in Vietnam, the Cau Khong Book is the oldest and heaviest.

At 82-years-old, Thuy is concerned about who will look after the book when he is gone. “There are about ten old people like me in the village. Most of the younger people move for work, and the village now is full of new comers,” he says.

“I have asked the local government to rebuild the Cau Khong Temple to protect the history and to be a safe location for the book but they have yet to answer,” Thuy says.

VietNamNet/VNS