Vie
Like many Vietnamese villages, the villages in Quang Ninh still preserve many god-worshipping customs, including angels and human Saint, reflecting the rich folk beliefs of the ancient Quang Ninh people.
Most of the wards and communes of Dong Trieu Town worship Tan Vien Son Thanh, Cao Son Dai Vuong and Quy Minh Dai Vuong. Along Yen Tu mountain, Loi Am out to Thien Thai (old Hoanh Bo), But Son (Cam Pha) to Nam Son (Ba Che), Bac Cuong (Tien Yen), Dai Chi, Van Ninh are Yen Lap villages, Yen Cu, Tieu Dao, Van Yen, Truc Vong, Xich Tho, Yen Tho, Quang Hanh, Cam Pha, Duong Huy, Ha Gian, Quat Dong, Quat Doai, Ninh Duong, Thac Mang, Xuan Lan all worship Tan Vien Son saints, Cao Son Dai Vuong and Quy Minh Dai Vuong.
Tan Vien Son Thanh has been worshiped by many villages in Quang Ninh since ancient times. Cao Son Dai Vuong and Quy Minh Dai Vuong are both brothers of Tan Vien Son Thanh – the ancestral mountain of Vietnam. These mountain Saint represent the fairy breed, which is 50 children who followed Au Co’s mother to explore the forest.
As for the waterways along the Kinh Thay, Bach Dang, Cua Luc, Cua Sut, Ba Che, Tien Yen rivers to Thac Mang, Ninh Duong, are the villages of Mao Khe, Yen Khanh, Yen Lap, Van Yen, Truc Vong, Yen My, Quang Hanh, Cam Pha, Ba Che, Tien Yen, Van Ninh, Tra Co all worship water Saint such as: Linh Lang Dai Vuong, Dong Hai Dai Vuong, Nam Hai Dai Vuong, Ong Coc, Ong Dai, etc. make a prince. In particular, the old Cam Pha commune also worshiped Trung Thien Long Mau as a god. These Saint represent the dragon breed, which is the 50 children who followed their father Lac Long Quan to the sea.
Due to the important terrain, the leading land shielding the northeast towards the sea of Dai Viet, most of the invasions of the North passed through Quang Ninh to enter the Bach Dang gate to reach the capital Thang Long. The people of Quang Ninh in the past were resilient with the army and people of the whole country to defeat all those invasions. Grateful to our ancestors, grateful to the national heroes who have contributed to the country and have virtues to the people, many villages in Quang Ninh in the past worshiped the Tran kings and generals of the Tran dynasty as village lords.
An Sinh Doc Trai commune, Trai Gang hamlet have 8 emperors of the Tran dynasty as tutelary emperors. Trieu Khe village honored King Anh Tong and An Sinh King Tran Lieu as tutelary emperors. The villages of Khoai Lac, Luu Khe, Yen Hung, Quynh Bieu, Trung Ban, Vi Khe, Cam Pha, Duong Huy honored Saint Tran Hung Dao as tutelary Saint. His four sons, Tran Quoc Nghien, Tran Quoc Uat, Tran Quoc Tang and Tran Quoc Hien are also worshiped in many places.
In particular, Quang Ninh has many places of worshiping the deity as a god. That is, the Saint are endemic to the local landscape. Sometimes these deities are transformed into national heroes. King Cua Luc is Hung Vu Vuong Tran Quoc Nghien, Dai Vuong Cua Suot is Hung Nhuong Vuong Tran Quoc Tang. The two Saint are Dong Hai Dai Vuong.
Ba Che village worships the mountain god, Ba Che river god. Tien Yen village worships the mountain god, the river god Tien Yen. Ha Gian village worships the mountain god But Son. The villages of Van Ninh, Tra Co and Binh Ngoc worship the god of Ngoc Son mountain, which is Tran Hai. Chau Mang Nhai worships Ban Canh Xa Tac Dai Vuong who is the god of land, the god of rice of Hai Ninh. Dong Linh village worships Haikou, the god. Quang Hanh village worships Cua Hanh god.
A special feature of Quang Ninh is the worship of the fairies – those who went ahead to open new reclaimed land to establish villages. Along with the Saint and goddesses are the royal decrees for the Saint or for the villages to worship those Saint. Among the nearly thousand ordinations of relics in Quang Ninh province, there are only 50 ordinations from the Le dynasty for the villages of Hoang Xa, Binh Luc, Bang Son, Trieu Khe, Vinh Tuy (Dong Trieu) and communes. Phong Luu (now Phong Hai and Phong Coc, Quang Yen town), the rest are ordinations under the Nguyen Dynasty for Saint and villages. No matter the ordination, it is all granted by the king, affirming the merits of the Saint with the people, with the country, allowing the village to worship. This is the highest degree granted by the feudal court to the Saint, and it is also a great honor for the villages to have this ordination.
The Saint are the crystallization of love for the homeland and the country of Quang Ninh people. The ancient Quang Ninh people relied on each mountain and river in their homeland to expect protection from the Saint, bringing peace to villages, healthy people, and a happy and prosperous life.
