Trich Sai ancient village

Trich Sai is one of six ancient villages in the Ke Buoi area that is within the Buoi commune, Tay Ho district, Hanoi. It has preserved its traditions and rich culture while also developing as a part of Thang Long-Hanoi. 

In the Ke Buoi area, Trich Sai is situated on alluvial soil along the banks of the Thien Phu and To Lich rivers. The Thien Phu River silted-up during the years of the Ly and the Le dynasties and today it actually consists of many small ponds.

A bit of history

Trich Sai village has a long history and in the village there are many old pagodas, temples and shrines. Village elders say that in ancient times, what is now called West Lake (Ho Tay) was known as Dam Dam Lake, and it was surrounded by forests that sheltered many kinds of animals, including the legendary nine-tailed fox. At that time, the people of Trich Sai village made their money by selling the trees that they cut down and the forest animals that they killed. They also caught fish, snails and oysters in the lake. Along with the villages of An Thai, Bai An and Ho Khau, Trich Sai was famous for its silk cloth. Legend has it that in the time of King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497), the king sent one of his concubines, a Cham girl named Phan Thi Ngoc Do, and 24 maids to Trich Sai village. This concubine taught villagers how to grow mulberry trees, raise silkworms and weave silk. The silk cloth made by the Trich Sai villagers became famous and was sold locally and exported. While the people of Trich Sai long ago ceased weaving silk, local people are aware that silk was once the pride of Trich Sai village on the shore of West Lake. 

Historic relics

Historic relics such as communal houses, pagodas, temples and shrines still exist in Trich Sai which are said to date back to the Ly Dynasty.The Thien Nien Pagoda, which is recognized as a historic relic of national importance, was built in the time of King Ly Nam De (451-455). The pagoda is part of a complex on Thap Bat Hill that was built to honor two of King Ly Nam De’s daughters who were killed by a monster.In his time, King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497) had temples built in Trich Sai village for his concubines to worship Buddha.

For ages people have gone to the communal houses of Trich Sai and Vong Thi villages to worship a man named Muc Than who had foiled an attempt by the great tutor Le Van Thinh to kill King Ly Nhan Tong one day when the king was taking a stroll around West Lake. People from the two villages even now go to these communal houses every year on the sixth day of the ninth lunar month to commemorate the death of Muc Than. 

In Trich Sai village there’s a small pagoda called the Gia Hoi Pagoda. Legend has it that one day two daughters of King Ly Nam De, Van Phuc and Van Loc, went to Long Do Mountain in Trich Sai village by the West Lake to kill the legendary nine-tailed fox that was a danger for local people. The two daughters could not kill the animal themselves and so they asked a female magician named Van Tho for help. The creature disappeared but performing this difficult bit of magic killed poor Van Tho. King Ly Nam De promptly built a temple to worship her. When the two daughters of King Ly Nam De, Van Phuc and Van Loc, died, the temple was renamed Phuc Loc Tho and people were told that they could worship all the three women here.

There’s also a temple in Trich Sai village where people worship Phan Thi Ngoc Do, and many old houses still exist in the village. In more modern times, Trich Sai villagers have shown themselves to be true patriots by fighting against the French and the Americans.

Today’s Trich Sai village is a part of modern Vietnam but its cultural and historical values remain unchanged, and this makes the ancient village on the edge of the old Thang Long imperial city different and special.