VietNamNet Bridge – A serene, almost sacred, atmosphere envelops the mountainous scenery of Ve Linh Commune in Soc Son District, 30km north of Ha Noi’s centre, where legend has it Saint Giong flew back to heaven on his horse after defeating foreign invaders.

Thanksgiving: A procession carries gifts to commemorate Saint Giong at the temple during a local traditional festival, which is held between the 6th and 8th day of the first lunar month.

Colour abounds in the area, turquoise blue lakes - believed to be the footprints of Saint Giong’s horse - contrast against the palate of green mountains, hills and trees that mingle softly with the local bamboo, said to be coloured yellow from fire from Saint Giong’s horse. White stones intersperse the soft colours, giving the place the look of a painting.

An eco-tourism complex is planned for this most historic of places, covering 270 ha, and will include a golf course if you have had your fill of history.

Nguyen Van Lam, director of the Soc Temple Tourism and Relics Management Centre told me it was difficult to balance the preservation of historic sites with the need to promote the area and build tourism infrastructure. “We have found that not selling entrance tickets, but encouraging tourists to donate whatever they see fit, is the best way to fund the preservation of historic sites here.”

He said the area attracts around 15,000 visitors per year.

Holy centre

At the centre of the planned tourism project is Soc Temple, one feels free from the hustle and bustle of city life where, and you can almost hear history calling in the wind.

The temple complex was built in the pre-Le Dynasty (980), and has altars to worship Saint Giong, his mother, and local gods and godesses. It was last restored in 1992 and was recognised as a national historic relic in 1962.

The most important feature of the temple buildings is the main altar, made from a mixture of clay, sugarcane juice, paper and lime It is unique in Viet Nam and forms the shape of the mountain ranges surrounding the complex. Seven statues are worshipped at the temple. The statues are standing, a rare sight in Viet Nam as Nguyen Vu Dai, a temple guard, explains, “Standing statues are quite rare as most of local temples worship sitting statues.”

The back of the altar opens into a cave, that can be explored if you enter from the left and exit from right.

“Going from left to right symbolises going in by the father gate and out by the mother gate,” said Dai, “the cave represents the resting place of all Vietnamese ancestors.”

Stopping in the middle of the cave and looking towards the statue of Saint Giong, visitors should take a deep breath to receive the “holy” air from the back of the statue.

“You will get the strength of Saint Giong and live longer,” Dai said.

Leaving the temple complex I travel further afield, trekking up a hill I notice a stone stele recording the history of Saint Giong, and the days festivals in his honour are held.

Mid way up Hon Da Trong Mountain there is a big white stone, cleft in two, that locals believe is Saint Giong’s armour, at the peak I admire the view and am told a statue of Saint Giong will be placed in time for the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of Thang Long-Ha Noi in 2010.

“I have chosen an image of an 18-year-old boy with strong arms and legs for the statue,” said sculptor Nguyen Kim Xuan, the creator of Giong’s statue, “As there is no model for the heroic figure, the statue should symbolise the strength of Vietnamese people to maintain peace and wipe out invaders.”

The finished work will be 40m tall and weigh 50 tonnes.

As I contemplate the history of this place and my origins, I come to hope that others will come here to the magic of Ve Linh Commune.

(Source: Viet Nam News)