The temple and tomb of Nguyen Dinh Chieu is an important historical and cultural architectural complex, honoring the patriotic poet, teacher and physician Nguyen Dinh Chieu. This relic site is not only the resting place of him and his family but also a spiritual destination, attracting many tourists and locals to visit and pay their respects.
General information about Nguyen Dinh Chieu temple and tomb
The Nguyen Dinh Chieu temple and tomb is located in an area of about 1.5 hectares (about 15,000 m²) surrounded by many trees, creating a peaceful and solemn space. With location in a quiet rural area on the riverbank, it quite easily accessible from Ba Tri Town and about 40 km east of Ben Tre City.
The temple and tomb was built by the local people in 1972 to commemorate Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chieu (1822–1888) – a patriotic poet, exemplary teacher and physician who made many contributions to community.
Initially, the tomb of Mr. Do Chieu and his wife was just a simple earthen grave; in 1958, the local government restored the tomb with cement and brought the remains of his daughter (poet Suong Nguyet Anh) back to be buried next to her parents in 1959.
In 1990, the temple and tomb was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a National Historical and Cultural Relic, and in 2016 it was ranked as a Special National Relic.
This place has great cultural and historical significance, is the pride of the people of Ben Tre, and is also a spiritual tourist destination educating the young generation about patriotic traditions. Every year, on July 3 (the anniversary of Mr. Chieu’s death), the relic site often organizes a solemn memorial festival with many cultural activities that attract a large number of visitors come.
- Open daily from 7:00 to 17:00.
- Entrance ticket: free
- Location: Hamlet 3, An Duc Commune, Ba Tri District, Ben Tre Province.
Outstanding architecture temple and tomb of Nguyen Dinh Chieu
The architectural complex of the temple follows the traditional Vietnamese style, including the main items: the three-entrance gate, the stele house, the old temple, the new temple and the tomb area.
The three-entrance gate is built in the style of a double-roofed boat (two overlapping roofs in the shape of a boat), covered with dark red yin-yang tiles imitating antiquity. On the gate are elaborate patterns and reliefs; the large, sturdy red-painted pillars create a majestic entrance.
A look in front of three-entrance gate
Passing through the gate is a large brick-paved yard, with many ornamental trees (cycads, kumquats, bonsai…) planted on both sides and surrounded by rows of green poplar trees providing shade, creating an airy, solemn space.
Inside, the stele house was solidly built (completed in 2002) about 12 m high, with two tiled roofs, and the outside is decorated with stylized patterns.
In the middle of the stele house is a large stone stele engraved with an article praising the merits and a summary of Nguyen Dinh Chieu’s biography so that visitors can understand his life and career.
The old temple (built in 1972) has a square architecture with two brown tiled roofs, an area of 84 m², and is currently used to display images and documents about the anti-French movements in the late 19th century.
The old temple
The most prominent is the new temple (built 2000–2002) which is about 21 m high, with a majestic architecture with three layers of blue yin-yang tiled roofs curved at the corners. Inside the main hall is a bronze bust of Mr. Chieu (1.6 m high) and a memorial tablet.
inside the new temple
On both sides are his famous couplets:
Cho bao nhieu dao thuyen khong tham
Dam may thang gian but chang ta
The couplets can be translated as follows:
Carrying virtue, my boat never sinks
Striking the wicked, my pen never bends
The couplets is carved, expressing the poet’s spirit and humanitarian ideology. Behind the main hall is a tomb area on a high ground, including the tombs of Nguyen Dinh Chieu, his wife Le Thi Dien, and the tomb of poetess Suong Nguyet Anh located separately next to it.
The graves of the old man and old woman are placed side by side, sharing a simple cement tombstone engraved with Sino Vietnamese characters, with their name in front. The tomb is a harmonious blend of traditional architecture and lush green landscape, exuding solemnity and respect for the great poet of the nation.
Source: collected by An
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