Nguyen Cong Tru Temple Festival: Commemorating the Reclaimer of Kim Son Region

Nguyen Cong Tru Temple is located in Quang Thien commune, Kim Son district, Ninh Binh province, right next to National Highway 10, about 2km from Phat Diem town. This place was recognized as a National Historical and Cultural Relic in 1992.

The unique and rare feature of this temple is that it was built from the very three-compartment house where Nguyen Cong Tru lived and worked in Lac Thien hamlet. Remarkably, the temple was built by the people of Kim Son into a Sinh Tu (Living Temple) in 1852, while he was still alive.

• Architecture: The temple is designed in the shape of the Chinese character 'Dinh' (T-shape), with a 5-compartment Front Hall and a 3-compartment Sanctuary. The central compartment of the Sanctuary houses the altar of Nguyen Cong Tru, highlighted by a valuable antique white porcelain incense burner depicting two dragons facing the moon. The two side compartments house the ancestral tablets of the 62 original recruits who joined him in land reclamation.
• History: After his death, the Sinh Tu was renamed Truy Tu Tu (in 1882) and underwent multiple repairs and restorations. His statue was not completed until the early 21st century, when it was brought to be worshipped at all three temples in Ninh Binh, Thai Binh, and Ha Tinh.

Nguyen Cong Tru Temple in Kim Son is a unique National Historical Relic built from his actual residence during his lifetime, demonstrating the people's deep reverence for this great reclaimer.

Nguyen Cong Tru Temple Festival is the largest and most sacred event for the people of Kim Son, expressing deep reverence and gratitude to the founder.

• Time: The festival takes place over 3 days, from the 14th to the 16th day of the 11th lunar month annually, coinciding with the death anniversary to commemorate the passing of Reclamation Envoy Nguyen Cong Tru.
• Purpose: To remember the merit of reclaiming land, encroaching on the sea, establishing hamlets, and building the Kim Son homeland. At the same time, this is an occasion to preserve national cultural identity, enrich spiritual life, and educate traditional moral values.

Nguyen Cong Tru Temple Festival is not only an occasion for the descendants of Kim Son to pay tribute to the founder, but also a beautiful spiritual cultural feature, contributing to preserving the fine traditions of the homeland.

The festival is divided into two main parts: the solemn Rituals section and the lively Festivities section, clearly reflecting the coastal delta culture.

Ritual Part: Solemn and Unique 

The ritual part is conducted solemnly, safely, and decorously, including main rites such as:

• Incense offering ritual: Conducted at Nguyen Cong Tru Temple with the participation of hundreds of ritual groups from villages across the district.
• Worship ceremonies: Over the 3 days, the announcement ritual (Te Cao Yet), the main memorial ritual (Te Chinh Ky), and the thanksgiving ritual (Te Ta) take place in sequence according to traditional customs.
• Unique feature: A special aspect is the participation of both non-Catholics and Catholics with their own distinct rites, showing unity and harmony within the community of the new Kim Son land.

Festivities Part: Distinctive Coastal Culture

The festivities section is a space for people to socialize and enjoy various activities deeply imbued with riverine and folk culture:

• Boat racing on the Vac River: This is an indispensable activity, a characteristic feature of festivals celebrated by coastal delta residents.
• Ca tru singing: The Ca tru singing contest attracts many artisans. This form of folk music is closely associated with Nguyen Cong Tru (who made significant contributions to the art of Ca tru). Songs written by him are performed by locals with the Dan Day lute and simple wooden clappers.
• Folk games: In addition, the festivities also feature many traditional folk games such as cockfighting, pot breaking, along with modern sports.

Nguyen Cong Tru Temple Festival is a harmonious blend of solemn, highly unifying rituals and lively festivities rich in coastal culture, creating a unique and meaningful traditional festival.

The festival is an occasion to recall the arduous yet monumental land reclamation process by Nguyen Cong Tru. Kim Son was officially recorded on the map of Vietnam in 1829.

• Establishment of Kim Son: The dyke construction and land reclamation were carried out on muddy, saline soil amidst countless difficulties. After more than a year, Kim Son district was established with 7 cantons and 63 villages, hamlets, and settlements.
• Irrigation Construction: He excavated the An River connecting the Vac River with the Can River to supply fresh water, while constructing a herringbone-patterned canal system over 100km long for irrigation, desalinization, and soil washing.
• Achievements: Since then, Kim Son has undergone 7 rounds of dyke building, expanding nearly 30km into the sea, becoming a fertile and prosperous land where local residents prosper through rice cultivation, sedge farming, and aquaculture.

It can be seen that the festival vividly highlights Nguyen Cong Tru's monumental legacy in building dykes, establishing settlements, and constructing irrigation systems, transforming Kim Son into the rich and fertile new land it is today.

The Nguyen Cong Tru Temple Festival, therefore, goes far beyond the meaning of a mere commemorative event. It is a living epic, bringing together deep gratitude, a unique spirit of unity between non-Catholics and Catholics, and the distinctive riverine cultural values of the Kim Son region. The arduous yet majestic journey of land reclamation and coastal expansion by Reclamation Envoy Nguyen Cong Tru not only created a prosperous "Golden Mountain" region on the map of Vietnam, but also forged an immortal spiritual heritage. The festival serves as a proud and eternal reminder of the moral tradition "When drinking water, remember the source," deeply inscribing the founder's contribution so that his great legacy endures forever alongside the development of Kim Son.