Hung Kings Temple Special National Historic Sanctuary Phu Tho

Category: Special National Historic Sanctuary & Ancestral Roots | Location: Hung Temple Historical Complex, Hy Cuong, Viet Tri, Phu Tho

Perched majestically atop Mount Nghia Linh at an elevation of 175 meters in Hy Cuong commune, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho province, the Hung Kings Temple Complex stands as the supreme sacred spiritual sanctuary of the Vietnamese people. This holy ground marks the ancient royal capital of Phong Chau of the Van Lang kingdom—the earliest organized state in Vietnamese history founded over 4,000 years ago, where 18 legendary generations of Hung Kings laid the civilizational foundations of the nation. The Special National Historic Site encompasses a succession of revered temples terraced along ancient shaded stone steps climbing the mountain: Ha Temple (Lower Temple, where Mother Au Co gave birth to the mythical hundred eggs), Trung Temple (Middle Temple, where kings and councilors deliberated national affairs), Thuong Temple (Upper Temple atop the summit, reserved for imperial celestial sacrifices), the Mausoleum of the 6th Hung King, and Gieng Temple (Well Temple) at the base where royal princesses combed their hair by jade waters. The Hung Kings Temple embodies the revered cultural philosophy of "Remembering the water source when drinking" (Uong nuoc nho nguon). Every year on the 10th day of the third lunar month, the National Ancestor Day draws millions of pilgrims from across the globe to the ancestral capital to offer traditional square sticky rice cakes (Banh Chung) and round rice cakes (Banh Giay), honoring the historic pledge: "The Hung Kings founded the nation; we must unite together to safeguard it."