The Ba Trieu Temple is a Buddhist temple at Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa province in the north central Vietnam. The temple is dedicated to the semi-legendary national heroine Ba Trieu (248AD).
Undergoing several restorations and embellishments, the spiritual architecture of the site has still maintained many original artistic values constituting a Vietnamese ancient village.
The Ba Trieu Temple, in particular, was upgraded through the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties (10th -19th centuries). In 1979, Ba Trieu Temple was ranked as a national historic-cultural relic. Later in 1996, the Phu Dien communal house got the same status.
“Viet Nam Su Luoc” (A Brief history of Vietnam) – a history book written in the early 20th century by Vietnamese historian Tran Trong Kim, described Lady Trieu, who was born in 226, as a strong, brave and smart person.
She was quoted as saying “I only want to ride the wind and walk the waves, slay the big whales of the Eastern sea, clean up frontiers, and save the people from drowning. Why should I imitate others, bow my head, stoop over and be a slave? Why resign myself to menial housework?”
In 248, Lady Trieu led her troops to fight against Ngo invaders. When she went to battles, she usually wore yellow tunics and rode a war-elephant. She proclaimed herself “The Lady General clad in Golden Robe”.
Because of the lack of troops, she could not manage a long war and was defeated. She fled to Bo Dien commune (now Phu Dien commune, My Hoa district) and then committed suicide.
Later, the Nam De (Southern Emperor) of the early Ly dynasty ( 1010-1225) praised her as a brave and loyal person and ordered his followers to build her a temple, and gave her the title “Most Noble, Heroic and Virgin Lady”.
The Ba Trieu Temple festival is scheduled to be held from April 9 to 11 (from the 21st day to 23rd day of the second lunar month) featuring a series of rites and traditional activities.
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