Quan Cong Temple

Quan Cong Temple, Hoi An

Located at 168 Tran Phu Street and was built in 1653, Quan Cong Temple (Ong Pagoda) was recognized as a “National Historic and Cultural Site” on 29 November 1991. This temple was constructed by the Minh Huong people (Chinese immigrants) together with Viet people.

This temple is dedicated to Quan Cong, a prominent mandarin of the Han Dynasty, who lived in the time of “Three Warring Kingdoms“. He was known for his loyalty, sense of justice, integrity and compassion. So it makes sense that one of Hoi An’s most magnificent temples was erected in his honor. After many times restoration in (1753, 1783, 1827, 1864, 1904 and 1966), the temple’s original structure has been kept almost the same.

The structure is composed of three parts: front hall, open yard and back hall (sanctuary).

The statue of Quan Cong is nearly 3m high. The face is red with phoenix-like eyes and a long beard. The two hands are clasped together. On the right, stands the statue of Quan Binh and on the left side, the statue of Chau Thuong, a civilian mandarin and a military mandarin, as well as Quan Cong’s fostered children. They stand in a posture that shows that they are ready to die for their master.

The temple contains about 30 horizontal lacquered boards (Hoanh Phi), over ten pairs of parallel sentences, many and Tang poems written by famed intellectuals, which teach patriotism, loyalty, piety, moderation and righteousness.

This place was the religious centre of the tradesmen in the port of Hoi An. There is a legend that Quan Cong Temple was the place that witnessed and built the faith for tradesmen to make contracts in their transactions.

Open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m, this temple attract a lot of believers and tourist from all the country and international visitor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *