Hung Kings Memorial Temple

A temple shaped like a Lac bird on a hilltop in the National History and Culture Park, where the City holds the Hung Kings' Commemoration

In the National History and Culture Park in Long Binh Ward, the Hung Kings Memorial Temple is one of two historical and cultural structures built here, alongside the Temple of Le Thanh hau Nguyen Huu Canh. Construction began on 21 April 2002 and the temple was inaugurated on 4 April 2009. It stands on a 21 m hill, considered the highest point in the City. With a built area of more than 5,000 m², the temple has a modern, open architectural style characteristic of the South: the whole structure takes the form of a stylised Lac bird spreading its wings to fly north, expressing the devotion of the people of the South to the nation's founding ancestors and their roots. The temple has three parts: the ceremonial courtyard, the worship courtyard and the festival courtyard. The ceremonial courtyard is the main space, with nine shrines honouring the founding ancestor King Hung, the Lac Hau, the Lac Tuong, King An Duong Vuong, the Trung Queens, Tan Vien Son Thanh, Phu Dong Thien Vuong, and two shrines to the Lac people. At two corners of the worship courtyard, 54 stone columns are arranged in the shape of hands cradling a bronze-drum house below, symbolising the unity and solidarity of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups. The festival courtyard below is where festival activities take place. The grounds include an exhibition room of nearly 200 m² with images, documents, artefacts, scale models and maps on the park's master plan, the Hung Kings era and the Dong Son culture, and places of worship of the founding ancestors, most notably the Hung Temple complex in Phu Tho. Visitors can pass through the Square, the Ceremonial Gate, the Bamboo Path and the Stele House before climbing up to the temple. The temple is where the City holds the annual Hung Kings' Commemoration on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month, with a Ceremony following traditional rites and a Festival featuring the "Proud Descendants of the Fairy and the Dragon" camp, banh chung wrapping and cooking contests, art performances, folk games and calligraphy displays, honouring the "Worship of Hung Kings", recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

English text: machine translation from the Localis platform — proper names kept in Vietnamese.