Ninh Hiep, just 20km from the centre of Ha Noi, is no ordinary village. It resonates with a colourful history woven deep into the fabric of north Vietnamese culture.

In the past, the village was the cradle of culture in Kinh Bac (an old name for the region to the north of Ha Noi). The village houses 23 relics of historical and cultural interest, including communal houses, temples, pagodas, shrines and places of worship. Five of them have been designated national heritage sites by what are now the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The village is made up of five hamlets, specialising in a trade. Each hamlet has its own temple dedicated to worshipping their patron saint. The biggest pagoda is Nanh Pagoda, also knows as Ca (eldest) Pagoda. It has had a rich history.

It once belonged to the royal family, and was also a place of refuge of members of the Bac Ky Party Committee (the Committee of the Indochinese Communist Party for north Viet Nam).

The pagoda was also a popular spot for Party leaders Truong Chinh, Hoang Van Thu, Hoang Quoc Viet and Nguyen Luong Bang and other famous revolutionaries in the war against the French in the run up to the August 1945 Revolution.

Another pagoda, also an official piece of national heritage, is Ninh Giang. The building is a special piece of architectural work with nine lean-tos.

Ninh Hiep also houses several shrines, all of them with stone idols. The shrines are dedicated to Duke Nguyen Tho Truong who served the Le dynasty.

Pit of lime

Ninh Hiep is known to have produced many high-ranking scholars in the past. Under the Tran and Le dynasties (13th - 16th centuries), seven natives of the village got doctorates, and eight were conferred the title of Duke. One royal physician and two deputy royal physicians worked in the Court.

Education has traditionally been taken very seriously. According to one folk story, a young man from Ninh Hiep excelled in his studies and became a mandarin at the Court. But after an envious courtier imposed an injustice on scholar Duke Nguyen Tho Truong, the mandarin was so appalled he jumped into a pit of lime and died.

From then on all scholars from Ninh Hiep, whatever academic level they attained, refused to serve as mandarins. Instead they followed careers in medicine, with many herbalists from the village travelling across the region to work.

The Kieu Temple in Ninh Hiep was built to worship Ly Nuong, a celebrated herbalist who created a trade in processing medicinal herbals in the village. Every year on the 18th day of the first lunar month, a great number of Ninh Hiep natives return to the village from different parts of the country to attend his death anniversary.

Legend has it that in the 11th century, a girl called Ly Nuong was so pre-occupied with making herbal remedies that she gave no thought to finding a man.

One day, as she headed to the forest to pick medicinal herbs, Ly Nuong met a white-haired and healthy elderly woman. The woman stopped her and told her she was a very warm-hearted person and very talented in treating patients.

The old woman then handed Nuong a book, saying she should learn it by heart so she can teach future generations her skills. Nuong was convinced that she had been visited upon by a fairy.

The young woman tried her utmost to study the book and travelled far and wide to help the sick.

One day, after treating a patient who was seriously ill, Nuong sat down to rest under a big tree in Phu Ninh Hamlet (present-day Ninh Hiep). She stretched out and surveyed the country scene, with local people working diligently on the land. She decided to set up home there, and continued to teach younger people her knowledge.

When she died, local people honoured her as "Great Mother" and the ancestor of the village. They built the Kieu Temple to worship her.

Apart from medicinal herbs, another one of Ninh Hiep’s trade is weaving, especially the area’s special Nanh fabric. The craft is linked to the life of three queens who were native to the village: the first of which was Queen Chieu Phi who was a beloved wife of King Le Hien Tong. The village still houses her tomb.

Second queen

Her daughter, Princess Le Ngoc Han (1770-99), who later married King Quang Trung, became the second queen of the village. The third one was Princess Ngoc Binh, who was adopted by King Le Hien Tong. Following the fall of the Tay Son dynasty, Princess Ngoc Binh became the third wife of King Gia Long, founder of the Nguyen dynasty beginning in 1802.

The canvas and leather goods industry was established in 1905 by a former army corporal, Cai Ngu, who won the gold medal at the National Fair in Ha Noi in 1913. It is said that most of the workers in Ha Trung Street (in central Ha Noi) which specialise in this trade have family origins in Ninh Hiep.

The identification of Ninh Hiep people with their cultural traditions is the foundations of the traditional craft village. With this in mind, village authorities have initiated a programme to promote education, aiming to have one university graduate per 40 inhabitants.

To this end, a teacher’s club has been established bringing together all teachers in the locality, retired or in service, to serve as consultants to the local authorities in "increasing the knowledge of the public and for children’s education". The village also set up an Education Promotion Council and a Committee for Childcare.

The authorities have supported activities to preserve and develop the local cultural heritage. These include collecting, copying and translating ancient records such as royal honours, stele literature, and making an inventory of antiques. Sixty objects are of particular value, including bronze drums, bronze arrows, and presents from King Gia Long and King Tu Duc.

The village has held conventions on hosting traditional wedding ceremonies and funeral rites. Locals have also taken part in a programme on socio-cultural management.

Thousands of travellers including traders visit Ninh Hiep every month, according to an official of the village: "They come not only to buy cheap and quality fabric, but also to discover the hidden charm of our ancient temples and pagodas”.

(Source: Viet Nam News)