A commune in Thanh Hoa is insisting that King Le Du Tong (1679-1731) of the Le Dynasty be reburied where his coffin was found, instead of another location planned by his descendants.

The king should be reburied at Xuan Giang Commune’s Bai Trach Village, where his body was discovered in a coffin in 1958, residents said in a complaint sent to several high-ranking agencies of the government and the Party last month.

“Reburial means to bring him back to where he rested,” Do Thi Kinh, wife of Do Van Luong, who discovered the coffin, told Thanh Nien.

Under the plan prepared by the descendants of the Le Dynasty (1428-1788), the king’s mortal remains will be moved from the National History Museum in Hanoi to Ban Thach Village in Xuan Quang Commune on December 26.

A representative from the Le family said both villages belonged to the Le’s hometown before the French colonialists divided them during their rule between 1887 and 1945.

However, they chose Xuan Quang because some of Le Du Tong’s royal descendants – King Le Hien Tong (1497 – 1504) and King Le Chieu Thong (1786-1788) – are buried there.

Xuan Quang also has the advantage of having a large area already been zoned as a historic site for royal tombs, said Truong Quoc Dinh, chairman of the People’s Committee of Tho Xuan District, which manages Xuan Quang and Xuan Giang communes.

Authorities of Tho Xuan District and Thanh Hoa Province are yet to reach any conclusion on the reburial location, but they have already held meetings with related agencies to discuss the issue.

Under a decision by the central government, the Thanh Hoa People’s Committee is supposed to choose the location, and cooperate with the Le family and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in holding the reburial ceremony.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien