Cam Palace on Dinh Cong land

The Phu Cam relic is located in Cam Truong 2 village, Dinh Cong commune (Yen Dinh). The palace leans against the Voi mountain complex, faces the Cau Chay river, about 1km from Bong intersection. Coming here, visitors not only find peace of mind, but also immerse themselves in the peaceful beauty, watch the Cau Chay river flow gently in the dry season, fiercely in the flood season and listen to the village elders tell stories about the Phu Cam relic.

Cam Palace on Dinh Cong land The relic of Phu Cam was renovated and decorated.

According to legend, during the reign of King Tran Thanh Tong (1258 - 1278), in Cam Truong 2 village, Dinh Cong commune, natural disasters and epidemics occurred, causing many difficulties in the lives of the people. In the village, there was a couple, Mr. Hoang Trung and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Phuong, who were well-off economically and often helped families in the commune who were facing many difficulties and hardships. They had been married for a long time but still had no children. Mr. Trung discussed with his wife to set up an altar to pray to heaven and earth for a child. After setting up the altar, they bought offerings to worship heaven and earth. On the third night after setting up the altar, Mrs. Phuong dreamed of a large golden dragon turning into a pheasant flying into the house, passing by her bed. When she woke up, she felt strange movements in her body and from then on she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl with lips as red as vermillion, skin as white as snow, and bright eyes, and named her Bach Hoa. When she grew up, the girl was exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, virtuous, and specialized in helping the poor in the village. Since Bach Hoa was born, no natural disasters occurred, the crops were always bountiful, and the people here lived a prosperous and happy life. At the age of 21, Bach Hoa took a boat out to the river to sightsee, when suddenly heavy rain and strong winds sank the boat, taking Bach Hoa with them. A few days later, her body drifted to the riverbank, and people retrieved it for a funeral and built a temple to worship her on the bank of Cau Chay River in Cam Truong 2 village (later the temple to worship Bach Hoa was called Phu Cam).

When the Yuan-Mongol invaders invaded our country, the king directly led the army, moving by water to fight the enemy. When arriving at Phu Cam, where Bach Hoa was worshiped, a storm suddenly arose, preventing the king's boat from moving. Seeing this, the king went into the temple to burn incense. After burning incense, the sky and earth became peaceful, the river was calm, the king's fleet set sail towards the enemy. In this battle, the king won a great victory. On the way back to the capital, the king went to Phu Cam to offer gifts, burn incense, give the people money to repair Phu Cam and issue a decree to confer the title of god.

In 1935, the Cam Palace relic was restored and embellished by the villagers with contributions of labor and money. The Cam Palace relic was built in the architectural style of three palaces, one front hall, two horizontal houses, next to two secondary palaces, in front of the second palace there were mountains, rivers, sky, clouds, birds, animals, flowers and leaves. This relic was considered to have the most beautiful scenery in the Bong intersection area at that time.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhan, a resident of Cam Truong 2 village, has made many contributions to preserving and promoting the value of Phu Cam relic. He said: In the 60s of the 20th century, Phu Cam was damaged, and the villagers no longer had a place for spiritual activities. At that time, seeing Phu Cam relic become ruins, everyone in the commune felt sad and regretful.

In 2015, with the support of philanthropists, local people, and children working far from home, the Phu Cam relic was restored and embellished on the old foundation with an area of 7,000m2, with a total investment of more than 100 billion VND. Currently, the Phu Cam relic site is spacious, the natural landscape is airy, the guest house and parking area are invested synchronously, very convenient for people to visit and sightsee. Every year on the 10th of January (Bach Hoa's birthday) and the 13th of June (Bach Hoa's death), incense offerings are held at the Phu Cam relic to commemorate her contributions. In 2019, the Phu Cam relic was recognized by the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee as a provincial-level tourist destination.

Vice Chairman of Dinh Cong Commune People's Committee Nguyen The Hung said: Phu Cam relic is a place of spiritual activities for many people in and outside Yen Dinh district. To preserve and promote the value of the relic, Dinh Cong commune has strengthened management and prevention of relic encroachment; ensured security - order, safety for visitors; renovated and embellished the landscape, green, clean, beautiful campus...

In the coming time, the commune will continue to pay attention to introducing and promoting the value of the relic on mass media; connecting the relic with tourist attractions inside and outside the district; mobilizing all resources to invest in building infrastructure... Thereby, contributing to building Phu Cam relic into a spiritual tourism destination.

Article and photos: Xuan Cuong

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