Preserving the memorial site of cultural celebrity Le Quy Don in association with tourism development

When culture and art combine with tourism, the space to commemorate famous people is always a potential tourist destination. On that journey, in the peaceful rice countryside, the memorial site of cultural celebrity Le Quy Don in Doc Lap commune (Hung Ha) is an important destination on the journey of tourists from all over the world, especially schools in and outside the province. This is not only a place to preserve historical and cultural vestiges of the scholar Le Quy Don but also a valuable resource for educating the younger generation.

Báo Thái Bình•14/04/2025

Memorial site of cultural celebrity Le Quy Don in Doc Lap commune (Hung Ha).

Destination on the travel itinerary

Le Quy Don's real name is Le Danh Phuong, his courtesy name is Doan Hau, his pen name is Que Duong, born on July 5, Binh Ngo year, August 2, 1726 in Dien Ha village, Son Nam Ha town, now Dong Phu village, Doc Lap commune (Hung Ha). Le Quy Don passed the provincial exam at Son Nam school in 1743 at the age of 17, then passed the Hoi exam and the Dinh exam with the title of Tam Nguyen Bang Nhan in 1752. During his 32 years as an official, he changed positions 20 times, holding many important positions in education and diplomacy. This was a condition that gave him many opportunities to interact with social reality and people's lives to collect, synthesize, and distill a lot of knowledge for future generations. The scholar Le Quy Don made outstanding contributions in the fields of science, culture and education, helping to shape and develop many aspects of Vietnamese knowledge in the 18th century. He left behind many valuable research works, most notably the books: Dai Viet Thong Su, Phu Bien Tap Luc, Kien Van Tieu Luc, Van Dai Loai Ngu... with content on diverse topics from history, geography, philosophy, culture, natural science, military, economics, reflecting his profound understanding and spirit of constant research and learning. He was also a dedicated educator. Le Quy Don's life and career are shining examples of patriotism, studiousness and constant dedication to the country's culture and science.

With its cultural and historical values, the memorial site of the cultural celebrity Le Quy Don was ranked as a national monument in 1986. The memorial site includes the following works: the ancestral hall of the cultural celebrity Le Quy Don, the tomb of Le Trong Thu (Le Quy Don's father), and Le Quy Lake. The ancestral hall includes a five-room worship hall, a central hall, and a three-room sanctuary. Local people often call this place the Bang Nhan Le Quy Don ancestral hall. Mr. Le Quy Tu, the 8th generation descendant of the cultural celebrity Le Quy Don, is currently taking care of the memorial site every day. Mr. Le Quy Tu shared: According to the genealogy, the ancestral hall was built by Mr. Le Trong Thu, nearly 300 years ago. The central hall and the sanctuary are still kept in the original architectural style of the past. With the attention of all levels and sectors, the memorial site is increasingly spacious, convenient for welcoming visitors from all directions to visit and travel. For groups of visitors here, I always personally welcome them and introduce information to meet their needs of learning about traditions and history. In addition, every year at the memorial site, the local government and the Le Quy family always organize ceremonies to commemorate the birth and death of the famous Le Quy Don.

Students at Le Quy Don Library in the memorial area.

Contribute to educating the younger generation

Offering incense with students at the memorial site of the cultural celebrity Le Quy Don, teacher Bui Thi Phuong, teacher of Le Quy Don Primary and Secondary School (Hung Ha) said: every month, the school's students come here to listen to stories about the life of the celebrity, read many useful books in the library, in addition, they also help the grandparents clean up so that the relic is always clean and beautiful, the pride of the homeland. Regularly visiting the memorial site makes each student of the school understand more, attach to and appreciate the cultural celebrity, appreciate traditional values and always be determined on their learning path. Following the example of the scholar Le Quy Don, the school's teachers are also more enthusiastic in class hours to impart useful knowledge to students, accompanying them on the journey of discovering knowledge.

The Le Quy Don Cultural Celebrity Memorial Site plays an important role in history and culture education in schools because it is a place to honor the great contributions of the scholar Le Quy Don to the science, culture and education of Vietnam. At the same time, it is also a symbol for generations of students and people to be proud of the history and traditions of their homeland. The memorial site has become a red address for schools in and outside the province to organize extracurricular activities and field trips for students. Through the visit, students have the opportunity to directly interact with historical artifacts and better understand the life and career of Le Quy Don. Thereby, arousing love for the homeland, nurturing patriotism and national pride, helping the young generation have great spiritual motivation to strive to study and improve themselves.

These days of April, the Vietnamese delegation attended the 221st session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris (France), including the content of submitting to UNESCO to recognize the scholar Le Quy Don as a World Cultural Celebrity. The children of the Le Quy family in particular, the people of Thai Binh province and the whole country in general are even more proud of the place where the famous scholar in history was born and raised, the place that preserves the vestiges associated with the life of an outstanding cultural celebrity. The memorial site of the cultural celebrity Le Quy Don is becoming an attractive destination for tourists, contributing significantly to promoting the image of the land and people of Thai Binh to domestic and international friends.