Stories of the Tô Lịch River, Nùng Mount, and the God Long Đỗ Chính Khí

A section of the Tô Lịch River in Hà Nội’s inner city

One branch of the Red River flowed from Hà Khẩu (present day Hàng Buồm Street in Hoàn Kiếm District) across Chợ Gạo (Rice Market) in the Old Quarter towards the north of Hà Nội. Another branch flowed across Bà Gia Hương (now Phú Thượng in Tây Hồ District) and Nghĩa Đô. The first branch joins the Tô Lịch River then turns west across Cầu Giấy and there is a confluence called Hồng Tân at the Bưởi Market. The Tô Lịch flowed within Hà Nội, eventually joining the Nhuệ River. At first, the river had different names such as Tô Lịch, Lương Bái, Địa Bảo and Lai Tô. In Việt điện u linh (a collection of tales of the gods of the Việt Kingdom) it says that the river was named after the Long Đỗ district chief, Tô Lịch, who lived in a house beside the river. His family was not rich but they led a moral life. It was a custom at that time for the king to recognize his dutiful subjects; one year the people lost their crops and Tô Lịch donated all his family’s food to the village. In gratitude, the hamlet was named Tô Lịch Hamlet, and the river flowing by his house was named the Tô Lịch River. After he died, the inhabitants of this region built a temple to honor him as the god of the river.

On the river's left bank there is a mountain called Nùng Sơn which is flat on top and not very high. When the hamlets around Nùng Mountain and the Tô Lịch River became populated, the Tô Lịch Temple on Nùng Mount was changed to worship thần thành hoàng¹. Nùng Mount was believed to be a bridge between heaven and earth for the people of Long Đỗ so its name was changed to Long Đỗ Mount. The temple once used to worship Tô Lịch became a temple dedicated to Thành Hoàng Long Đỗ Chính Khí (the righteous tutelary god of Long Đỗ). Legend has it that, after quelling uprisings and insurgencies by residents in Tống Bình (Hà Nội now), Chinese Governor Kao Pien used magic to prevent power from leaking from huyệt đế vương (the graves of deceased kings) and long mạch (a layer of earth which is supposed influence a man's fate), but he was unsuccessful.

Right after Kao Pien build the La Thành Citadel it rained very heavily and the rampart collapsed. Kao Pien saw a stranger in a ragged coat on the back of a red dragon which floated in mid air for a long time before it vanished. He was so impressed that he set up an altar to worship this apparition, but it reappeared and said “Don’t be mistaken. I am not a ghost. I am Long Đỗ Vương Chính Khí.” Then the god disappeared in a gust of wind. Thinking that ghosts and devils were not easy to expell, Kao Pien set up an altar, cast an iron statue of the god, and used amulets to control it. After he said some magic words the sky darkened and it began to rain heavily. He then named the god Đô Phủ Thành Hoàng Thần Quân (Tutelary God of the Capital Citadel).

The White Horse God worshipped at Bạch Mã Temple in Hàng Buồm Street

King Lý Thái Tổ (974 – 1028) had a different experience when he was building the citadel. The god advised him in a dream that if he encountered any obstacles while building the citadel he should follow the steps of a white horse. The citadel collapsed in the early stages of construction and a white horse appeared galloping north from the Long Đỗ Temple across the Citadel. It turned to the east and finally returned to the temple. The king ordered his soldiers to kill cattle in honor of the god and named him Thăng Long Thành Hoàng Đại Vương (Great Lord Spirit of Thang Long). From 823 to the time when the Lý kings built the Citadel the tutelary spirits were renamed three times. According to Việt điện u linh, in 823, when building La Thành, Chinese Governor Li Yuanxi, constructed a temple to worship the god of the Tô Lịch River and named him as the tutelary spirit but the god did not help him. Later, Kao Pien also elevated Tô Lịch to the status of Thành Hoàng Thần Quân but again there was no apparent response. During the Lý and Trần Dynasties, the two gods were combined into one and called Long Đỗ Chính Khí, (later, Bạch Mã, which means white horse), and were worshipped on Nùng Mount. Bạch Mã Temple has been a symbol of the sacred tutelary spirit of Thăng Long and its surrounding villages. 

In the Lê Dynasty the king built Kính Thiên Palace as a bridge between heaven, earth, and the king, and the temple for Bạch Mã was moved to Cửa Đông (the eastern door of the Citadel on Hàng Buồm Street) to protect against ghosts and demons. It has been called Bạch Mã Temple since then and because the god guards Cửa Đông, the temple became very powerful. Over the years there have been several serious fires on the street but the temple has never once been burned. During the fires the wind turned the flames towards the temple but, strangely, when they got near to the temple another wind always came up and turned them away.   

Trần Quang Khải (1241–1294), a head mandarin during the Trần Dynasty, composed a poem in Chinese about the event:

  The fame of the Great Lord  resounds everywhere

  frightening ghosts and devils;

  The temple has never caught fire,

  It stands firm during the storms.                    

  The Great Lord is able to repress the evil spirits 

  And drive off the invaders;

  Expel the enemy from the north!

  Help make this a country of eternal peace.