Ba Trieu Temple – A place where history, spirituality and national pride converge

Ba Trieu Temple (Trieu Loc commune, Thanh Hoa) today, in the middle of Thanh Hoa's mountains and rivers, is both a sacred place of worship and a spiritual and cultural tourist destination that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.

Immortal historical mark in sacred complex

In the history of fighting against foreign invaders, the name of Lady Trieu always shines brightly along with the Trung Sisters. In 248, from Thanh Hoa land, Lady Trieu gathered an army, raised the flag of uprising against the Ngo dynasty, creating a historical earthquake.

Although the uprising was not successful, her steadfast and indomitable spirit became an immortal symbol. Later generations honored her with the following verses: “The sun and clouds blend into the pine mountains/ Lady Trieu’s footprints shine in history.”

To commemorate her merits, the people built a temple at the foot of Gai mountain, built a tomb on Tung mountain, and at the same time honored her as the Goddess of Phu Dien ancient village.

In particular, since the reign of King Ly Nam De (542–548), she was conferred the title of “The most heroic and talented lady” by the royal court. The later Le and Nguyen dynasties continued to confer the title, considering her a goddess of fortune.

Today, the historical, cultural and architectural relic site of Ba Trieu Temple is located on an area of 3.8 hectares in Trieu Loc commune.

The complex includes: Ba Trieu Temple, Ba Mausoleum, the tombs of three generals of the Ly family, Ban The Temple, Phu Dien Communal House, and De Tu Temple. All blend ancient architecture and beautiful natural landscapes.

Among them, Ba Trieu Temple is the most prominent item, built in the style of "inner public, outer private", including many interconnected works: from the outer gate, lotus pond, screen, middle gate, lower yard, inner gate, to the front hall, middle hall, and back palace.

Front hall: 3 compartments, 2 wings, one of three main shrines. Middle hall: 5 compartments, 2 curved roof floors, where the large plaque “Long live the Holy Palace” and parallel sentences praising the heroine are placed.

The harem: the highest position, leaning against Gai mountain, a wooden structure with 3 rooms and 2 wings. The middle room has the throne, Lady Trieu's tablet and precious objects such as a bronze hat, a pair of bronze shoes, a bronze bell, a bronze sword...

Ba Trieu Temple - A place where history, spirituality and national pride converge - photo 2 — Ba Trieu Temple Festival - a typical cultural and spiritual meeting place of Thanh land

The two side rooms worship her father and mother. The space of the back palace is solemn and brilliant thanks to the elaborately carved arched doors and many horizontal lacquered boards and parallel sentences inscribed with her merits.

In addition to the temple, the mausoleum of Lady Trieu on the top of Tung Mountain also bears a strong historical mark. Before 2005, the mausoleum was built of bricks with a three-storey tower 3.5m high.

After the restoration project, the entire structure was converted to monolithic stone, retaining the ancient appearance but more durable and majestic. The parallel sentence carved on the stone "Giang son huu chu/ Phong nguyet vo bien" still affirms the immortal spirit of Ba Trieu.

With its outstanding historical, cultural and architectural values, in 2014, the Prime Minister ranked Ba Trieu Temple as a special national monument, demonstrating the monument's stature in the nation's historical process.

From sacred place of worship to spiritual cultural tourism center

Ba Trieu Temple is not only a place to commemorate the immortal female general but also a major cultural and religious center of the community.

The Party Committee, government and people of Trieu Loc commune always pay attention to preserving relics, while maintaining festivals and folk games associated with village life such as Mac dynasty games, rice cooking competitions, tug of war, chess, palanquin processions and ceremonies.

In particular, Phu Dien village also preserves many valuable Nom documents recording historical events and traditional rituals.

Thanks to that, Ba Trieu Temple has become a destination rich in identity, attracting a large number of tourists. In 2024 alone, the relic site welcomed more than 70,000 visitors, including tens of thousands of students participating in pilgrimages to the source. This is not only a journey of gratitude but also an opportunity to educate the younger generation about tradition.

Ba Trieu Temple - A place where history, spirituality and national pride converge - photo 3 — Ba Trieu Temple Festival - a place to remember and pay tribute to national heroine Trieu Thi Trinh

To enhance the value of the relic, Thanh Hoa is implementing many new plans. Notably, the project to build a statue of Ba Trieu on the top of Gai Mountain combined with the mausoleum on Tung Mountain, creating a synchronous and magnificent complex. At the same time, a house displaying documents and artifacts is also planned to be built to serve research, sightseeing and study.

Mr. Truong Hoai Nam, Deputy Director of the Center for Historical Research and Cultural Preservation of Thanh Hoa, said: “The Relic Management Board has digitized documents, bringing the image of Ba Trieu Temple closer to the public. We proactively coordinate with many schools and agencies to spread the value of the relic, turning this place into a red address in the journey back to the source.”

It can be said that the combination of restoration, infrastructure investment with the preservation of traditional beliefs and festivals has turned Ba Trieu Temple into a unique spiritual and cultural tourist attraction of Thanh Hoa. This is both a place to pay tribute to the ancestors and a living testament to the vitality of Vietnamese village culture.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/den-ba-trieu-noi-hoi-tu-lich-su-tam-linh-va-niem-tu-hao-dan-toc-168612.html