The land of heroes

      About 86 kilometers west of HCMC, Ben Tre Province is a tranquil land of coconut trees and rice fields. This is a promising land to develop green tourism thanks to green strips of coconut and fruit gardens. Besides beautiful landscapes, Ben Tre is also well-known as a land of patriots, including Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Nguyen Thi Dinh, Phan Thanh Gian and Vo Truong Toan. These people made a great contribution to the country’s revolution against the French and the American.
Leaving HCMC behind with noise, dust and smoke, we travel to the tranquil land with desire to understand the country’s history. And the heroes’ temple is a destination which we cannot miss.
The temple and tomb of Nguyen Dinh Chieu belong to An Duc Commune, one kilometer from Ba Tri Town of the province. The place was built in 1972 to memorize Chieu who is well-known for his nationalist and anti-colonial writings against the French the southern part of Vietnam.
In 1843, Chieu got a high-school diploma at Gia Dinh examination compound. When he was 25 years old, he went to Hue City for studying and waiting for a royal official examination (in 1849), but he could not take the examination because he heard that his mother passed away. On the way to his motherland for observing the interval of mourning, he felt so sorrowful for the death of his mother that he fell ill and become blind. And then, he spent the rest of his life writing the patriot poems, including master piece like Luc Van Tien and many poems praised of troops fighting the French army. He also helped the poor by teaching children and giving traditional medicine at free of charge for them.
Chieu’s temple is divided into three components, including central chamber, mid temples and the last one. Visitors can see a stone stele engraved with a poem to pride Chieu’s great contribution and recite his sorrow life. At the mid-temple, we can see Chieu’s bronze statue which makes a strong impression due to its majesty. Chieu and his family’s tombs are located at the temple.
On the way to Nguyen Dinh Chieu’s memorial temple, we continue to visit the temple of Nguyen Thi Dinh built in her home village in Phong Dien Hamlet, Luong Hoa Commune, Giong Trom District, Ben Tre Province.
Covering 353 square meters and designed with Orient architectural features intermingled with modern style, it is a commemoration to General Nguyen Thi Dinh, the country’s only female general to devote her life to fight for the freedom, independence and happiness of the Vietnamese.