Swords found at the Trung Thien Shrine, which experts say was likely built over a hundred years ago

Historians have recently rediscovered a shrine in Hanoi that has been virtually abandoned for generations.

A caretaker said nearly no one had visited the temple in decades. The shrine was once a place where people gathered to try to communicate with Tran Hung Dao and other deities via mediums.

Tran Hung Dao, whose birth name was Tran Quoc Tuan, led Vietnam armies to repel two major invasions by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty in 1285 and 1287. His most remembered victory was at Bach Dang River in 1288 when he wiped out the Mongol army using wooden stakes planted in the riverbed to impale enemy ships at low tide. As a member of the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) royal family, Dao also served as chancellor and advisor for the court until he died in 1300. Dao was bestowed with the title “The Saint Tran” and worshipped as a demigod immediately following his death.

Findings

Experts still debate when the shrine was built, but judging from items found inside, they agree it must be at least 100 years old.

The shrine is home to five swords, a set of parallel sentences (a form of traditional Chinese poetry), and several copies of decrees by the Nguyen Kings, dating back to the 19th century. The documents authenticate the structure as an official shrine.

Other documents found at the shrine indicate that villagers donated 1,000 square meters of rice paddies to the shrine in 1951. Locals still farm rice on the land.

“No private shrine has been found with architectural qualities as superb as Trung Thien Shrine’s,” said Nguyen Van Thuc, an expert from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Heritage Department who is part of a team surveying the historical value of Trung Thien.

Nguyen Hai Ke, dean of the history faculty of Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said the Dai Tu area had been a cradle of len dong (spiritual medium rituals) since the 16th century.

Len dong ceremonies, also known as hau dong, have long been a custom in Vietnam. Len dong practices feature psychics as mediums who are said to communicate with spirits and deities through colorful rituals held in many shrines throughout the country.

The activity has long been criticized as superstitious but many scholars say it is also an inseparable part of Vietnamese culture.

Ke said that as Tran Hung Dao was one of the most revered figures in Vietnamese history, it was likely that Trung Thien was a major len dong center for years.

Reported by Y Nguyen