Preserving Quang Nam for a hundred years

It is not called a communal house, but this is a place for people from Quang Nam who are far from home to return to. In the center of Phan Thiet is the only place, "Quang Nam Dong Chau Tuong Te Hoi " at 7 Phan Dinh Phung (Phan Thiet City). "Every year, on the occasion of Thanh Minh festival, the day before is the traditional festival at Quang Nam Dong Chau Tuong Te Hoi. Especially, every year, people from Quang Nam who work far away, or wherever they are, come back to burn incense to remember the merits of their ancestors who created the foundation".

**The place of the ancestors' pioneering**

Quang people are hard-working and diligent, so this is where the first Quang Nam immigrants set foot in Phan Thiet to reclaim land and build villages. Far from home, but in the hearts of every Quang Nam child in a strange land, the soul of their homeland is still attached to them. In 1933, Mr. Phan Bo, Mr. Huynh Dinh, Mr. Nguyen Hien and Mr. Dang Thuan initiated and Mr. Huynh Duy Dat was responsible for supervising the construction of "Quang Nam Dong Chau Hoi" on a 511.5 m2 plot of land in Duc Nghia Hamlet - Chau Thanh Commune, Phan Thiet (now No. 7 Phan Dinh Phung, Duc Nghia Ward, Phan Thiet City). "Quang Nam Dong Chau Hoi" is the meeting hall of Quang Nam compatriots. Thus, until today, of all the compatriot associations in Binh Thuan, only Quang Nam has a meeting hall.

Burn incense to remember ancestors

Ms. Dang Ba Huyen Uyen - Vice President, said: The Assembly Hall was just renovated last year. Although small, because at that time, what the predecessors did was too great. The main room worships the ancestors and descendants with two ancient parallel sentences written in Han script. The room on the left worships the four founders of the Assembly Hall. The room on the right worships the ancient people of Quang. The Assembly Hall "Quang Nam Dong Chau Hoi" or also known as "Quang Nam Dong Chau Tuong Te Hoi" is a gathering place for people of Quang origin to remember their grandparents and ancestors who came here to make a living; a place for people far from home to meet and share information about their hometown; at the same time, it connects the cultural values of the land of "Ngu Phung Te Phi"; a place where the village and neighborhood are more closely connected through mutual support in life.

Mr. Nhi said: “In the past, whenever the day of the ceremony came, I had to take my father here to burn incense and meet with fellow countrymen. When my father passed away, I continued. It was not only to burn incense in memory, but also an opportunity to visit each other, support each other, and share with each other to remember our homeland.”

Although it is not a village temple, every year on the occasion of spring and autumn, the ancient Quang people living in Duc Nghia still prepare offerings, first to remember their ancestors, then to preserve the spirit of their homeland. On the occasion of Thanh Minh festival, nearly ten generations of Quang people who were born and raised in Duc Nghia - Phan Thiet, gather at the Assembly Hall to offer incense to their ancestors, visit and wish them well . At the same time , every year, scholarships are given to children in the whole Phan Thiet city with the sole purpose of encouraging and motivating the studious spirit of Quang people .

Images of learning promotion activities

And here, after each generation passes away, there will be a new generation of descendants who will continue to offer incense in memory. “Quang Nam Dong Chau Tuong Te Hoi ” may not have many gongs and drums, but the flame of compatriots reminds those who are far from home to preserve traditional cultural values, beliefs, cuisine, etc. Smart, hard-working , and no matter where they go, no matter how far they drift, they always remember their roots, which is what “Quang Nam Dong Chau Tuong Te Hoi ” is doing. preserved for more than a hundred years until now.