Hai Phong city

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Relic of the Mac dynasty in Hai Phong


Relic the Mac dynasty has been known as Mac Castle in Hai Phong, the first coastal city of Vietnam.

Mac Dynasty in Hai Phong

Mac Dang Dung (1483 – 1541) was born in Co Trai village, Ngu Doan commune, Kien Thuy province, Hai Phong city. He was the 7th generation grandchild of famous first doctoral candidate Mac Dinh Chi of Tran dynasty. Earned living by fishing but he was stronger and smarter than other normal people. He excellently passed the guardian tournament of Le Uy Muc king then became the Material art first rank.

Mac Monument in Hai phong

In June 1527, Le Cung Hoang king abdicated, Mac Dang Dung became the King. Following the Tran dynasty, after ruling 2 years, he handed over to his eldest son (Mac Dang Doanh) then came back the motherland to build up the Mac castle.

Mac dynasty - The country is in security

According to the legend, since the Mac dynasty, the merchants and the passers-by go on the road with bare hands, there are no pirates at night, buffaloes and oxen go in liberty outside of the house and one has to count them only once by month; one cannot know whether these animals have brought forth young ones or not. During years, one does not pick up fallen things on the road, the gate has not to be locked at night, the crops are good and the country is in security.

On the cultural front - Exams are organized

There have been new developments under the Mac: Exams are organized regularly once every three years and have selected great intellectuals to serve the court of Mac, such as Nguyen Binh Khiem, Giap Hai, Nguyen Du… According to statistics, during more than 60 years of reign, the Mac have organized 21 exams Hoi, selected 460 doctors of different classes and 40 doctors-champions among 46 doctors-champions in 800 years of the history of exams in Chinese characters of our country. The exams under the Mac have a great number of candidates. The first exam organized in the 3rd year Minh Duc (1529) has until 4000 candidates, among which are numerous children of the mandarins of the Le. The stele, registering the names of doctors of this exam, reports that the Mac have rewarded more generously than usually the newly received doctors. And the reputation – the Mac venerate the confucianists – lasts a long time after. In the XIX th century, the author of Giap Ty nien bieu still mentions it.

Development of the communal houses and the culture of communes

Besides, the art in the time of Mac has also developments among which the most typical are the communal houses, opening the road to the strong development of the architecture of the communal houses and of the culture of communes in following centuries. So far, the survival of certain communal houses of the time of Mac is the nearly thorough and complete survival of the architecture of the Mac…

Thus, with the arising of Mac Dang Dung and the dynasty of Mac on the political stage, the history of the Vietnamese people of the first half of the XVI th century has had positive facts, marking a development on many points of view and leaving precious lessons to the history of future times. Mac Dang Dung and the dynasty of Mac deserve to be acknowledged in history.

500 years old scimitar, the unique weapon in Monument of Mac dynasty

unique weapon in Mac Hai PhongMac Temple in Hai Phong

According to contemporary historians, there are only 02 weapons in Asia that’s protected and worshiped (The scimitar of first King of Tong dynasty and the scimitar of Mac dynasty first king). It’s more than 500 years old, one of  the two most heavy scimitar in the world (the original weight is about 32 kg).

Source: https://haiphongtours.vn/