About the land of learning

Over thousands of years, the flame of the tradition of studiousness has always been passed down through generations of children of the "land of rice, land of literature". From the "well-deserved" symbols of learning such as Trang Nguyen Vu Due, Bang Nhan Nguyen Man Doc, today, the work of encouraging learning and talent always receives special attention from the Party Committee, the government of Lam Thao district and the whole society to become a bright spot in the homeland of the Ancestors.

Homeland of Dong village - Xuan Lung today

Symbol of studiousness

When talking about the symbol of Confucianism in the land of "rice, land of literature", it is impossible not to mention the first-ranked scholar Vu Due. He is the only first-ranked scholar of Phu Tho province, the leader among the 13 loyal generals of the Le dynasty. First-ranked scholar Vu Due was born in the year of the Cat 1469, in Trinh Xa village, Vinh Lai commune, Son Vi district, Lam Thao prefecture, Son Tay town (now Vinh Lai commune, Lam Thao district, Phu Tho province).

When he was young, Vu Due was called Vu Nghia Chi, and was known as a child prodigy. At the age of 7, he could read, write, and compose poetry. At the age of 20, he passed the provincial examination. In the Canh Tuat examination, the 21st year of the Hong Duc era under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong, he passed the royal examination. The name of the royal examination winner Vu Due is engraved on the stone stele of the Temple of Literature. He served the country from the time of King Le Thanh Tong through the reigns of the following kings: Hien Tong, Tuc Tong, Uy Muc, Tuong Muc and Chieu Tong, holding many positions from Tham phu, Lai bo Thuong thu, Dong cac dai hoc si, Trinh y binh van, Thieu bao, Tuoc Trinh Khe hau...

During the reign of King Le Chieu Tong, the country declined. General Mac Dang Dung usurped power and took the throne. The country was lost, and he could not bear it and committed suicide on August 16, 1522. He was a shining example of the tradition of studiousness, love for the people, patriotism, and selflessness for a greater cause. He was a loyal and devoted mandarin of the Le Dynasty, a Confucian scholar who ranked first among 26 Confucian scholars of Phu Tho province. Currently, in Trinh Xa village, Vinh Lai commune, people have built a temple to worship Trang Nguyen Vu Due.

Temple of Doctor Vu Due in Vinh Lai commune, Lam Thao district.

Dong village (Xuan Lung commune, Lam Thao district) is also known to the world as a symbol of the tradition of studiousness. Over the 1,000-year history of Confucianism, Dong village has produced 205 people who passed the exams in different ranks with 4 major exams, 21 intermediate exams, 122 minor exams, the rest were Confucian students. When mentioning the tradition of exams in Dong village, we must mention Bang Nhan Nguyen Man Doc. Bang Nhan Nguyen Man Doc was born into a family with a tradition of literature, etiquette and courtesy under the Nguyen Tam Son clan. In the Mau Dan exam, Quang Thieu 3, Le Chieu Tong dynasty 1518, he passed the Bang Nhan exam.

When the military general Mac Dang Dung usurped power, King Le Chieu Tong had to temporarily leave Thang Long Citadel and flee to Thanh Hoa. Here, the king drafted a secret edict calling on high-ranking mandarins to assist the court. The first-ranking mandarin Nguyen Man Doc and other loyal mandarins responded to the call and went to Thanh Hoa together. The king and his subjects met at Lac Tho (now Nho Quan, Ninh Binh). Mac Dang Dung heard the news and sent generals to lead troops to attack and a major battle broke out in Cam Thuy. After that, he dressed neatly in his hat and robes and paid his respects at the Le Dynasty's mausoleum in Lam Son and then committed suicide. He was repeatedly granted royal edicts by the Le and Nguyen dynasties and posthumously awarded the title of Tiet Nghia Dai Vuong - posthumous name Nha Luong, a superior god of fortune. His descendants have been "primbed" with the word "Trung" since then.

Continuing the shining tradition

The proud tradition of the fathers' generation has inspired many studious children of Lam Thao. The work of promoting learning, talent, and building a lifelong learning movement in the district has always received special attention from all levels, sectors, and organizations inside and outside the locality. Up to now, the district has 12 commune and town learning promotion associations; 14 affiliated learning promotion committees; 447 branches and learning promotion committees under commune and town learning promotion associations with 30,300 members.

In addition, the work of mobilizing fund building and supporting education development has been actively launched by the association for promoting education from district to grassroots. The fund for promoting education in communes and towns has a balance of nearly 10 billion VND. The fund for promoting education of the first prize winner Vu Due, Lam Thao district has a balance of over 7 billion VND.

Temple of Bang Nhan Nguyen Man Doc in Xuan Lung commune, Lam Thao district.

Promoting its former position, Dong - Xuan Lung village today is still famous for its great studious families Nguyen Tam Son, Nguyen Ba Nganh, Nguyen Dinh... with many famous people who have achieved great success. Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc - Chairman of the Nguyen Ba Nganh Family Council said: “The Ba Nganh family has more than 200 households with more than 4,000 people living in Xuan Lung commune. Promoting the family's tradition of studiousness, generation after generation, descendants in the family all have people who took the Ba Tai and Cu Nhan exams, worked as officials in the Confucian era, trained to become officials, and became good people in society. Every year, the family has 10-15 children who pass university entrance exams, are university valedictorians, and win excellent student awards at all levels; many individuals in the family are excellent students, university students, and Party members who have been awarded at all levels”.

Nowadays, the lifelong learning movement has also spread to many places in the district. Tu Xa commune has the Hoang Thi Duc family in zone 12 with a tradition of studiousness with many children passing exams and holding high positions in society. In 2021, the Hoang Thi Duc Scholarship Fund was established and received many contributions and support from organizations, individuals, and children of the homeland. The scholarship fund contributes to encouraging and rewarding students who are children of the commune with excellent academic achievements, talented in the fields of physical education, sports, arts, scientific research... and awarding scholarships to students in difficult circumstances, helping them materially and spiritually so that they can develop their talents in various fields.

Awarding excellent students in the 2022-2023 school year from the Vu Due Scholarship Fund.

Comrade Cao Xuan Hai - Chairman of Lam Thao District Association for the Promotion of Education said: “In the coming time, the association will continue to promote propaganda and mobilization work to build learning models in the area in conjunction with campaigns to build advanced new rural areas, model new rural residential areas, civilized urban areas, cultural criteria, clean and strong Party Committees. At the same time, the work of developing association organizations and improving the quality of association activities, in which families, clans, and residential communities are the core. The work of mobilizing and supporting the fund "Encouraging learning, encouraging talent of the Vu Due champion" is promoted, striving for 100% of association levels in 2024 to have funds and scholarships to encourage learning; increase the number of residential area branches, clan association boards to launch funds and scholarships to encourage learning".

The work of encouraging learning, encouraging talents, and building a learning society is a major policy that has been actively implemented by localities in the province. From the glorious tradition of examinations, Phu Tho people, especially the young generation today, are being inspired to study, creating a high-quality human resource, contributing to the cause of building an increasingly prosperous homeland and country.

Thuy Trang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/ve-mien-dat-hoc-225402.htm