Incense Offering to Commemorate Left Chancellor Tran Nguyen Han and Inauguration of Dong Ho Temple

On the morning of April 13, Son Dong Commune organized an Incense Offering Ceremony to commemorate the 597th death anniversary of Left Chancellor Tran Nguyen Han and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the Dong Ho Temple.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Trinh Dinh Dung — former Member of the Party Central Committee and former Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Nguyen Hai Trung — Deputy Minister of Ethnology and Religion; and Mr. Nguyen Khac Hieu — Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho Provincial People’s Committee, along with a large number of local residents.

Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Hieu offers incense at Dong Ho Temple.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hai Trung, Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Hieu, and delegates perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Dong Ho Temple.

Left Chancellor Tran Nguyen Han was born in Son Dong, Lap Thach (now Son Dong Commune, Phu Tho Province). During a historical turning point for the nation, he chose the path of righteousness, alongside Nguyen Trai, to assist Le Loi in the Lam Sơn Uprising. Their victory opened an era of long-term independence and autonomy for the country.

He is celebrated as a polymath—proficient in both literature and martial arts—and a brilliant military strategist. As a founding father of the Later Le Dynasty, he played a pivotal role in shaping the Lam Son military art. Historical records highlight his “besiege the citadel, destroy the reinforcements” strategy and his innovative use of homing pigeons for military communication, earning him the title of the Patron Saint of Vietnam’s Signal Force. In 1428, King Le Loi appointed him as the Left Chancellor.

The restoration of Dong Ho Temple, dedicated to Tran Nguyen Han, was funded through both state resources and social mobilization, fulfilling the people’s aspirations to preserve local cultural heritage.

Delegates perform the flower and incense offering ceremony to commemorate the 597th anniversary of the Left Chancellor’s passing.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman Nguyen Khac Hieu highly praised the proactive spirit of Son Dong’s authorities and people in socio-economic development while maintaining traditional values. He requested relevant departments to collaborate with Son Dong to further research and systemize the historical and military values of Tran Nguyen Han.

He also emphasized the need for digital transformation in heritage preservation, improving the quality of festivals toward a more solemn and civilized direction, and linking “return to the roots” tourism with local promotion.

Leaders of the Department of Education and Training and Son Dong Commune hand over decisions on school renaming.

During the ceremony, Son Dong Commune officially announced the decision to rename Son Dong Primary School to Do Khac Chung Primary School, and Son Dong Secondary School to Tran Nguyen Han Secondary School.

Duong Chung