Ung Temple and Festival

Ung Temple, situated in Phu Ung village, Phu Ung commune, An Thi district, is dedicated to General Pham Ngu Lao. Pham Ngu Lao is a famous general of Hung Dao Vuong - Tran Quoc Tuan – General Commander of the Tran dynasty's national army. He made great contributions to the national resistance war against the Mongol invaders and the fight against Southern and Ai Lao enemies.

Ung Temple was built on the former platform of Pham Ngu Lao family’s house. However, unfortunately, the temple was destroyed by the French colonialists in 1948. At present, there remain the temple platform's vestige and two copper pillars on two sides. The temple was restored in 1990 and it includes a five-compartment ancestor-worshipping house and a three-compartment sanctuary.

In the Ung Temple complex, there are a mausoleum of Pham Tien Cong - Pham Ngu Lao's father; Nhu Mau Temple, which is dedicated to Pham Ngu Lao's adoptive mother and a temple of Princess Tinh Hue – Pham Ngu Lao's daughter. The complex also has a temple worshipping Vu Hong Luong – a mandarin of the Le dynasty. Vu Hong Luong Temple's stone sculpturing architecture dates back to the post-Le period in the 17^th century.

Ung Temple's traditional festival is held from 12nd to 15^th January (In lunar year) to commemorate the day when General Pham Ngu Lao went to battle to defend the nation. Before the August Revolution, the Imperial court used to send its mandarins to take part in the offering ceremony. In recent years, the An Thi District People's Committee has undertaken responsibility for organizing the incense-offering ceremony.

Previously, vat cu – a game founded by Pham Ngu Lao – was organized on an area outside Ung Temple during festive days. It is said that Pham Ngu Lao held vat cu for his soldiers to play in order to improve their health and encourage their spirit. Cu was a ball painted in red color and made of wood. The playing field was a wide area divided into two parts (Eastern and western part) by a horizontal line. There were three holes in the field: one in the middle of the line, one in the eastern part and the remainder in the western part. The game required two teams, each of which had eight players and one leader. All the players wore headband and loincloth in two different colors. Before playing game, the teams stood in two queues to observe rituals in front of the temple gate. The referee put the ball into the hole in the mid-field and then waved his hand to start the game. The two teams tried to take the ball and put it into the hole in the rival's field to become the winner.