La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep (1723-1804, Kim Song Truong commune, Can Loc, Ha Tinh) was famous not only for his military talent, helping King Quang Trung defeat 290,000 invading Qing troops in the spring of 1789, but also for leaving behind many valuable cultural heritages.
Statue of King Quang Trung and La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep (left)
Mat Village - a sacred land that produces talented people
One day in October 2023, we went to the old Mat village, now Luy hamlet, Kim Song Truong commune (Can Loc), the hometown of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep. 300 years have passed since his birth, but this place still bears the image and name of La Son.
Nguyen Thiep was born in Mat village, Nguyet Ao commune, Lai Thach canton, La Son district (Duc Tho prefecture), now Luy village, Kim Song Truong commune. His hometown is located in the middle of a field on the La riverbank, considered a good land, with many fields and a large population. Nguyet Ao village is surrounded by mountains. To the southeast is Nhac Sac mountain, this mountain is often mentioned by La Son Phu Tu in his poems. To the northeast of Nguyet Ao is Hong Linh mountain, which contains many legends and famous landscapes in Hoan Chau region... Along with Truong Luu village (Kim Song Truong commune), Tien Dien village (Nghi Xuan)..., Mat village, Nguyen Thiep's hometown, is also famous for its many studious and successful people.
A corner of Luy village (Kim Song Truong commune, Can Loc) today.
Nguyen Thiep was born into a family with a tradition of mandarin examinations, many of whom achieved high results such as: Doctor Nguyen Bat Lang, Doctor Nguyen Hanh (Nguyen Thiep's uncle)... Nguyen Thiep's mother was a daughter of the Nguyen Huy - Truong Luu family. Therefore, from a young age, his parents and uncle took care of his education. With his intelligence and studious nature, at the age of 20 (1743), Nguyen Thiep passed the Huong exam with the highest score.
After many family events, he retired to his hometown to live in seclusion. It was not until the Hoi examination in the year of Mau Thin (1748) that Nguyen Thiep took part in the examination and passed the Tam Truong exam. He was appointed by King Le as Anh Do's instructor, then Thanh Chuong district chief. However, in 1768, Nguyen Thiep asked to resign from his position and live in seclusion on Bui Phong mountain (in Nam Kim commune, Nam Dan, Nghe An) today.
La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep Temple, a national historical relic in Luy village (Kim Song Truong commune, Can Loc).
From the time Nguyen Thiep was born and grew up in Mat village until he became an official, he had 34 years of attachment to his hometown Can Loc. The landscape of the homeland of Hong mountain - La river as well as the cultural tradition and people have shaped the intelligence, talent and personality of Nguyen Thiep. This has been shown in the verses of La Son Phu Tu in Hanh Am Thi Cao.
Currently in Luy village, next to the temple of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep which has been recognized as a national historical relic, there is also a garden where his family lived. Here, the clan also built a separate church called Hanh Am (the nickname of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep).
Descendants of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep offer incense at Hanh Am temple, in the family garden, in Luy village (Kim Song Truong commune).
Mr. Nguyen Van Thai (head of the Nguyen family, 8th generation descendant of Nguyen Thiep in Luy village) said: “Mr. Nguyen Thiep had only one wife, Mrs. Dang Thi Nghi (from Nghi Xuan, sister of the wife of Doctor Nguyen Khan, brother of the great poet Nguyen Du). They had 9 children (5 boys, 4 girls), besides the first son who died early, the remaining 4 sons settled down in different regions.
Among them, the youngest son who grew up in his hometown has reached the 9th generation. Every year on the occasion of Nguyen Thiep's death anniversary on December 25, in addition to holding a ceremony at the temple, descendants from all over the country also gather at the ancestral land to burn incense for him.
Sung Chinh Institute on Bui Phong Mountain
Leaving Mat village, the birthplace of La Son Phu Tu, we headed northwest about 20 km to find Bui Phong mountain (the hermitage of Hanh Am Mr. Nguyen Thiep). Crossing Tho Tuong bridge over the clear La river, through Truong Son commune (Duc Tho) to Nam Kim commune (Nam Dan, Nghe An), Bui Phong mountain stands out on the Thien Nhan range. Here, next to the tomb of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep and his wife, there are also traces of the house during the time Nguyen Thiep lived in seclusion from 1768-1804.
La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep tomb on Bui Phong mountain (Nam Kim commune, Nam Dan, Nghe An).
In the incense smoke of posterity, the grave of Nguyen Thiep and his wife, deep in the forest, seems to remind us of a hermit who did not care about fame and fortune but was deeply concerned about the country's affairs. Mr. Nguyen Tung Linh - Head of the Department of Cultural Management (Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Tinh) expressed: "Every time I come here, I admire more and more the spirit and talent of La Son Phu Tu.
What is special is that despite not caring about fame and fortune, in the face of worldly turmoil when foreign countries invaded, at an old age, the son of the homeland of Hong Mountain - La River was still ready to assist the king in destroying the enemy. His talent, integrity, dignity and dedication left many lessons for posterity, including love for the homeland and country.
The relic of Sung Chinh Institute where La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep was assigned by King Quang Trung to be the director of the institute, taking care of educational reform.
Next to the mausoleum is the house of La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep, which is also the Sung Chinh Institute, which was established by King Quang Trung. The house still has many traces such as: the house foundation, some parts of the wall built of monolithic laterite, the crescent-shaped screen in front of the house gate... The Sung Chinh Institute has an area of over 100 m2, consisting of 3 parts: the main house, the yard, and the porch. In front is a crescent-shaped screen built of stone and mortar. The house faces Dai Tue mountain range in the North, with its back leaning against Hoang Tam peak (the highest peak of Bui Phong mountain) in the South. According to Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Quang Hong (Faculty of History, Vinh University), the direction and structure of the house show that La Son Phu Tu was a master of feng shui.
This is where, after retiring (since 1768), Nguyen Thiep lived a life of poverty, not caring about fame or fortune. He and his wife and children farmed, read books, wrote poetry, and taught. However, Nguyen Thiep's reputation for his outstanding talent still spread far and wide throughout the country. Kings and lords invited him to work many times with generous treatment, including two times Nguyen Hue sent invitations but Nguyen Thiep refused.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Hong (right, Faculty of History, Vinh University) and Mr. Nguyen Tung Linh (Head of Cultural Management Department, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ha Tinh) rediscovered the vestiges of Sung Chinh Institute.
At the end of 1788, when Le Chieu Thong led 290,000 Qing troops to invade our country, King Quang Trung went from Phu Xuan to the North to fight the enemy, and Nguyen Thiep agreed to support him. Thanks to the advice of Nguyen Thiep and other talented people, Nguyen Hue quickly defeated the Qing invaders, reclaiming the country's mountains, rivers, and borders in the spring of Ky Dau (1789).
After the country was at peace, Nguyen Thiep was appointed by the king as the Chief Examiner of the Provincial Examination in Nghe An, and then was assigned to hold the position of Director of the Sung Chinh Institute on Bui Phong Mountain. Here, Nguyen Thiep devoted all his heart and soul to translating Chinese books into Nom, implementing educational reform measures, and training talented people. Although it only existed for a short time, the Tay Son Dynasty was assessed by researchers as having many outstanding achievements, including the educational reform carried out by La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep.
In addition to Nguyen Thiep's tomb and the vestiges of Sung Chinh Institute, on Thien Nhan mountain range there is also Luc Nien citadel, a citadel built by Le Loi and Lam Son's army, which is also closely associated with the life of La Son Phu Tu when he came here to live in seclusion.
Part of the remaining wall of the Chongzheng Institute, on Bui Phong Mountain
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Hong expressed: “Nguyen Thiep is an outstanding celebrity, his talent and dedication to the nation in many fields such as politics, military, literature, geography... are immense. That shows that it is necessary to conduct research to honor, preserve and promote the heritage value of La Son Phu Tu. One of the necessary tasks at present is to restore and renovate relics and heritages that still have traces such as Vien Sung Chinh, where he spent many years working and contributing.”
Leaving Bui Phong mountain on an autumn afternoon, when the rays of sunlight gradually disappeared behind Thien Nhan range, La Son Phu Tu mausoleum, Vien Sung Chinh relic, Luc Nien citadel..., we thought about our ancestors. It has been 300 years since La Son Phu Tu Nguyen Thiep was born and more than 200 years since he passed away, but the contributions of the sage to the country and his talent and personality still shine forever in the hearts of the nation.
Angel
Source
![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs Government Conference with localities on economic growth](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/2/21/f34583484f2643a2a2b72168a0d64baa)
Comment (0)