Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Temple

The Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Mausoleum is the burial and worship site of the poet Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, together with his wife, Mrs. Lê Thị Điền, and his daughter, the female poet Sương Nguyệt Anh. The heritage site is currently located in Hamlet 3, Ba Tri Commune, Vĩnh Long Province, and was classified as a Special National Monument by the Prime Minister of Vietnam at the end of 2016.

In 1862, after the Huế court signed the Nhâm Tuất Treaty, ceding the three eastern provinces of Southern Vietnam—Biên Hòa, Gia Định, and Định Tường—to France, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu moved his family from Cần Giuộc to Ba Tri (then part of Vĩnh Long Province). At that time, Ba Tri was considered a remote area, still covered with wild forests and sparsely populated. He built a thatched house in An Bình Đông Village (now part of Ba Tri Town). There, he continued to teach and provide traditional medicine to the people. In addition, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu maintained contact with poets Phan Văn Trị, Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt, and especially corresponded frequently with Trương Định. During this period, Nguyễn Đình Chiểu composed many elegiac poems upon hearing of the passing of acquaintances and friends, such as when Trương Định fell in battle (1864), Phan Thanh Giản committed suicide by poison (1867), and the insurgent leader Phan Ngọc Tòng died in action (1868). Two works, "Văn tế nghĩa sĩ trận vong Lục tỉnh" (Funeral Oration for the Fallen Patriots of the Six Provinces) and "Ngư Tiều y thuật vấn đáp" (Fishermen and Woodcutters' Medical Questions and Answers), were also written during this time. Nguyễn Đình Chiểu passed away on the 24th day of the 5th lunar month, year Mậu Tý (3 July 1888). According to legend, on the day of his funeral, the entire field of An Bình Đông Village was covered in the white of mourning scarves.

The Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Mausoleum complex was originally located in An Bình Đông Village, Bảo An District. Later, An Bình Đông Village merged with the neighbouring Vĩnh Đức Tây Village to form An Đức Village (later renamed An Đức Commune), so today the mausoleum is situated in An Đức Commune, near Ba Tri Town. This land originally belonged to Mr. Nhứt Xược, a trusted student of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, and was personally chosen by the poet before his death.

In the early period, the graves of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu and Mrs. Lê Thị Điền were simple earth graves, surrounded by laterite stones. In 1958, the government of the Republic of Vietnam renovated the couple's graves with cement. A year later, the grave of the female poet Sương Nguyệt Anh was also reinterred here from Mỹ Nhơn Village. In 1972, the authorities built a temple to Nguyễn Đình Chiểu within the mausoleum complex.

On 27 April 1990, the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) recognised the mausoleum complex as a national-level historical and cultural monument. From 2000 to 2002, the site was expanded, with the construction of new temple buildings and a stele house. On 22 December 2016, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 2499/QĐ-TTg, classifying the Tomb and Memorial Site of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu as a Special National Monument.

The Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Mausoleum complex covers a total area of 14,187.9 m², comprising key structures: the tomb area, the old temple, the new temple, and the stele house.

The tomb area is currently located behind the memorial site. The graves of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu and Mrs. Lê Thị Điền were renovated in 1958, situated on a raised platform and sharing a single cement headstone in the centre at the head of the graves. The stele is inscribed with the words "Nguyễn Đình Trọng Phủ chi mộ" (the grave of Nguyễn Đình Trọng Phủ), with two smaller lines on either side indicating the dates; on the outermost sides of the stele are two parallel sentences (câu đối). At the foot of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu's grave is the character "Nhật" (日, Sun), while Mrs. Lê Thị Điền's grave is inscribed with the character "Nguyệt" (月, Moon).

The grave of the female poet Sương Nguyệt Anh lies separately beside the couple's graves, with the stele bearing the inscription: "Female poet Sương Nguyệt Anh, birth name Nguyễn Ngọc Khuê, lived to 58 years old, passed away on the 12th day of the 12th lunar month, year Tân Dậu 1922" along with two verses: "A torn parasol still calls itself a parasol/ A gold-plated umbrella is still called an umbrella." However, the date "Tân Dậu 1922" is considered inaccurate, as according to the Nguyễn family genealogy (Gia phả dòng họ), she died on the 12th day of the 12th lunar month, year Canh Thân. The back of the stele is engraved with the poem "Khóc cô mẫu" (Weeping for Aunt) composed by Mrs. Nguyễn Thoại Long, daughter of Mr. Nguyễn Đình Chiêm (who called Sương Nguyệt Anh 'aunt'), with the following content:

However, later on, the poem was covered over due to whitewashing. According to Mrs. Âu Dương Thị Yến (granddaughter of Mrs. Nguyễn Thoại Long), the first and last lines of the poem should be swapped for accuracy. Mr. Vũ Hồng Thanh, a member of the Union of Science and Technology Associations of Bến Tre Province, assessed that this is quite a good poem, and even if the first and last lines are swapped, it still fits.

The temple was built in 1972 on an area of 84 m². Its architecture consists of two-tiered roofs, covered with yin-yang tiles in brown. The roof ridge is decorated with stylised dragon and cloud motifs. In the centre is an altar made of concrete faced with ceramic tiles. The two main columns are embossed with two verses: "No matter how much doctrine is loaded, the boat is never overloaded/ No matter how many villains are stabbed, the pen is never crooked" from the work "Dương Từ – Hà Mậu", written in calligraphic style. The temple's interior displays images and documents about the leaders and the anti-French movement in Southern Vietnam at the end of the 19th century.

The new temple was built between 2000 and 2002 in the style of trùng thiềm điệp ốc (overlapping roofs and multi-tiered halls). The temple is 21 m high, constructed of reinforced concrete, with blue yin-yang tiled roofs. The entrances are decorated with stylised motifs such as lotus flowers, scrolls, pens, and foliage, while the ceiling features embossed bronze drum patterns. This temple has two floors: the lower floor displays images of leaders, locals, and visitors, while the upper floor houses a bronze statue of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, 1.6 m tall and weighing 1.2 tonnes. Four main pillars are adorned with four wooden parallel sentences (liễn) intricately carved with floral patterns, including two verses from "Dương Từ – Hà Mậu" similar to those in the old temple. Additionally, there is a parallel sentence by Mr. Nguyễn Văn Châu, a resident of Bến Tre, praising him: "Humanity and righteousness shine like the sun and moon/ Literature radiates like the Khuê star." On either side of the poet's statue are two relief panels: the left depicts him reading the funeral oration for the fallen patriots of the Six Provinces at Đập Market, while the right shows the first battle led by village teacher Phan Ngọc Tòng, who led the uprising with rudimentary weapons at Giồng Gạch when the French occupied Ba Tri on the night of 17 November 1868.

The stele house was also built between 2000 and 2002 of reinforced concrete in traditional architectural style, 12 m high, with two-tiered tiled roofs. The exterior is decorated with stylised floral motifs, while the interior features embossed images of the four sacred animals (tứ linh). At the top of the roof is an embossed brush symbol. In the centre stands a monolithic green stone stele, measuring 2.65 m x 2.7 m x 1.8 m. The front of the stele is engraved with a eulogy praising the poet's merits, while the back summarises his biography.

Every year on 1 July and 3 July (the birth and death anniversaries of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu), the authorities of Bến Tre Province and Ba Tri District organise a traditional folk cultural festival called the Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Festival, with many activities such as free traditional medicine consultations, cooking competitions, tug of war, pot breaking, photo exhibitions, Đờn ca tài tử (Southern amateur music) festivals, costume contests of characters from the story "Lục Vân Tiên", poetry recitals, lion dances, martial arts competitions, and more.

On the evening of 30 June 2022, at the Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Mausoleum, UNESCO Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the authorities of Bến Tre Province jointly organised the 200th birth anniversary celebration of the great figure Nguyễn Đình Chiểu (1822–2022). Attending the ceremony were President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, former Presidents Nguyễn Minh Triết and Trương Tấn Sang, former Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, and former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân.