Chau Doc is a sacred land with many pagodas and temples. In the Sam mountain area alone, there are over 150 pagodas, temples, and joss houses… scattered on the slopes and at the foot of the hills. And the mountain preserves stories from the time when the southern land had a fresh climate, windy winds, and gathered clusters of meaningful historical and cultural relics, making it an attractive destination in Chau Doc. Typically, there is Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Sam Mountain, next to Hang Pagoda, Tay An Pagoda, and The Lady Temple.
The legend of Mr. Thoai Ngo Hau and the story of opening up the border area
Thoai Ngoc Hau (Vietnamese Thoại Ngọc Hầu) (1761 – 1829) was the founder of the Nguyen dynasty in Vietnamese history. He was born on November 26, 1761, in An Hai village, Dien Phuoc district, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province (now An Hai Tay ward, Son Tra, Da Nang) during the Trinh – Nguyen war. In 1775, he followed his mother to the south to escape the war, settling in Thoi Binh village on Dai Island (now part of Vinh Long).
At the age of 16 (1777), he joined the Nguyen army, participated in the battles to retake the Gia Dinh citadel (1778, 1787-1789), and served as commander and envoy of the Binh Tay general, coordinating with Laos to fight the Tay Son army.
In 1802, Nguyen Anh unified the country. He was appointed envoy to command the troops and sent to conquer the North Citadel, defend Lang Son, and finally defend Dinh Tuong (1808). In 1816, he was summoned to the capital, Hue, and tasked with guarding Vinh Thanh town.
In addition to his great contribution to helping Gia Long Emperor unify the country, Thoai Ngoc Hau is also remembered by the people of Chau Doc and An Giang for his merits in opening up the land, reclaiming land, and establishing hamlets. His construction projects have great economic and transportation value, transforming the frontier wastelands into prosperous places.
Overview of Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb
Speaking of Thoai Ngoc Hau’s contributions to the land of An Giang and the entire Southern region, they are truly great and indescribable. He gathered the people, cleared the land, and developed agriculture.
Under his management, deserted areas and unvisited forests became lush fields where people gathered to live in peace and prosperity. In particular, his greatest contribution to the South was organizing the construction of two strategic canals, the Thoai Ha canal and the Vinh Te canal, which were extremely important for transportation and trade at the time.
Many other old creeks were expanded, creating the basis for the later economic and cultural development of the local area. The local people established the Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb to express their admiration and gratitude to a figure who contributed to building and reclaiming land.
At the temple, there are also the Thoai Son stone stele and oil trees hundreds of years old, which create the unique beauty of this architecture. Currently, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb has been awarded a gold plaque by the Vietnam Union of UNESCO Associations and is among the Top 100 impressive destinations.
Architecture of Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb
The entire mausoleum area is a harmonious architectural block. The tomb is surrounded by thick, sturdy cast walls higher than a person’s head. In front are two large semicircular doors, following the architectural style of ancient mausoleums, with two opposing rows of tureens on either side.
To enter the tomb, you must go through 9 laterite steps transported from the East. In front of the tomb is a large yard; inside, there is a replica of the Thoai Son stele. The middle area is tombs and a temple, and on both sides are two rows of anonymous graves.
The first square has the tombs of Mr. Thoai’s two wives on both sides: the main wife, Mrs. Chau Thi Te (Vietnamese: Châu Thị Tế), and the second wife, Truong Thi Miet (Vietnamese: Trương Thị Miệt). The second wife’s grave is lower to show respect.
In the middle is the grave of Thoai Ngoc Hau. In front of each grave there is a screen, and at the foot of the grave is an inscription.
In addition, on both sides of the mausoleum grounds, there are tombs of many different shapes: oval, elephant-shaped, peach-shaped, hat-shaped… These are all anonymous tombs of courtiers and relatives. Tribesmen, villagers, and militiamen died while participating in digging the Vinh Te canal. Legend has it that the grave shaped like a peach and a hat was the main peach in the theater troupe that performed for him when he was still alive.
Next is his temple, built extremely majestic and splendid, with its back leaning against the rolling cliffs, creating an extremely majestic.
In the temple, the decoration is extremely sophisticated. In the middle of the temple is a 2m-high bust of Thoai Ngoc Hau, adorned with crowns and belts as in court, looking out to the Vinh Te canal, creating a very solemn atmosphere.
In the temple, there are also countless other valuable treasures, such as horizontal panels, tureens, epitaphs, orations, and majestic poems praising the merits of predecessors, evoking the glorious time they spent colonizing and expanding the land. Right next to his temple is a gallery where you can visit to learn about anecdotes associated with him.
Places to visit near Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb
Near Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, there are many places to visit: Tay An Pagoda, Hang Pagoda, The Lady Temple… Further down the mountain, there is Huynh Dao Pagoda – a unique dragon pagoda on the water. Visitors can combine tours to visit the entire cluster of these locations on the same day.
On the remaining days, visitors can take advantage of Chau Doc market – the kingdom of fish sauce; Chau Doc floating fishing village; Chau Giang Cham village or Da Phuoc Cham village… A little further away, there is Tra Su Melaleuca forest, Lau pagoda, and Banh Xeo pagoda. These are all outstanding attractions of An Giang tourism that you should not miss.
Source: collected by An
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