The land where Xuan Son was naturalized: Imbued with historical culture, more than 1,300 relics

Not only is it Xuan Son's second "hometown", this place is also a province that owns a treasure trove of culture, relics and heritage. Nam Dinh is the cradle of the most prosperous feudal dynasty throughout our country's history.

After the end of the ASEAN Cup 2024 tournament, Nguyen Xuan Son is the name that received a lot of attention from fans. Nguyen Xuan Son is a naturalized player, his foreign name is Bezerra Fernandes Rafaelson, 27 years old. He has made his name in the history of Vietnamese football when he became the first naturalized player to play for the Vietnamese team in an official tournament. Not only that, with his talent, Xuan Son also won the double title of Top Scorer and Best Player of the ASEAN Cup 2024.

Previously, on October 15, 2024, he was given a decision to naturalize as a Vietnamese citizen at the Department of Justice of Nam Dinh Province. After receiving the decision, Xuan Son emotionally stated: "My whole family is living in Vietnam. To me, this is my second homeland. I am truly happy to become a Vietnamese citizen.

I would like to thank General Secretary and President To Lam, leaders of Vietnamese ministries and agencies, Nam Dinh Province, and Nam Dinh Steel Club for supporting me to make my dream come true. I promise to strictly comply with Vietnamese laws and do my best to contribute to Vietnamese football."

Currently, Xuan Son's family is living in Nam Dinh City. The 27-year-old plays for the Nam Dinh Steel Club. Not only is it Xuan Son's second "hometown", Nam Dinh is also a province steeped in culture, relics and heritage.

Home to more than 1,300 monuments

Nam Dinh is located in the center of the southern region of the Red River Delta, the birthplace of the Tran Dynasty - the most prosperous dynasty in the feudal history of Vietnam. This is a land rich in relics and heritage. The whole province of Nam Dinh has more than 1,300 relics, including two special national relics (including the historical and architectural relics of Tran Temple and Pho Minh Pagoda and the architectural relics of Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda).

If Tran Temple represents the worship of Father, Phu Day is associated with the worship of Mother. Tran Temple has a ceremony to open the seal on the night of January 14, Phu Day is associated with Vieng market which meets once a year.

Nam Dinh has a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, which is the practice of worshipping the Mother Goddess of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese people, dozens of national intangible cultural heritages such as Ca Tru singing, Chau Van rituals of Phu Day festival, Tran Temple Festival, Keo Hanh Thien Pagoda Festival, Cat Dang lacquer craft, Nam Dinh pho...

Nam Dinh province has three main religions: Buddhism, Catholicism and Protestantism. More than 800 pagodas are spread throughout the province, the oldest of which is Thap Pho Minh Pagoda, located in the Tran Temple - Thap Pagoda Special Historical and Cultural Relic Complex. This is a pagoda that worships both Buddha and Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong - the third king of the Tran Dynasty.

Nam Dinh has more than 660 churches. Bui Chu Diocese is located entirely in the area of 6 districts south of Dao River of Nam Dinh province, concentrating most of the number of parishes and parishioners in the province. Craft villages in Nam Dinh city are also rich. This place gathers nearly 100 traditional craft villages, including many famous ones such as Tong Xa bronze casting, La Xuyen wood carving, Co Chat silk reeling, Cu Tru weaving, Vi Khe bonsai...

Homeland of the most prosperous feudal dynasty in our country

According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, in 1225, under the arrangement of Tran Thu Do, Ly Chieu Hoang abdicated the throne to her husband Tran Canh, opening the Tran Dynasty - the most prosperous feudal dynasty in our country. Tran Canh ascended the throne and took the title Thai Tong. Tran Thai Tong was the second son of Tran Thua, his mother's family name was Le, from Tuc Mac village, now in Loc Vuong ward, on the outskirts of Nam Dinh.

Since 1239, King Tran Thai Tong had built a palace in his hometown of Tuc Mac, to facilitate his visit to his hometown. In 1262, the retired Emperor Tran Thai Tong came to this palace to organize a banquet for the people and upgraded the village to Thien Truong prefecture. He also built Trung Quang palace, where the abdicated kings lived, and built a separate palace for the reigning kings when they visited the retired Emperor.

More than 700 years have passed, and the old palace no longer exists. Today, the Tran Temple relic site consists of three main structures built on the foundation of the old palace: Thien Truong Temple (or Thuong Temple), Co Trach Temple (or Ha Temple) and Trung Hoa Temple. Thien Truong Temple worships 14 Tran Kings; Co Trach Temple worships Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan and his family; and Trung Hoa Temple worships bronze statues of 14 Tran Dynasty emperors and tablets of the council of mandarins.

Many special festivals

Tran Temple Festival is one of the festivals held on a large scale and attracts a large number of visitors from all over the country. Tran Temple consists of three outstanding architectural works: Thien Truong Temple (Upper Temple), Co Trach Temple (Lower Temple) and Trung Hoa Temple.

The seal opening ceremony at Tran Temple began around the 13th century during the Tran Dynasty in 1239. This was the ancestral ceremony of the Tran family. Also at Thien Truong Palace, the Tran Kings held banquets and conferred titles on officials who had contributed to the country. Since the Mongol invasion, the festival was interrupted and was not reopened until 1269 by King Tran Thanh Tong.

Since then, the Tran Temple Seal Opening Ceremony has taken place on the full moon of the first lunar month, usually at night from 11pm on the 14th of the first lunar month to dawn on the full moon of the first lunar month. Mr. Nguyen Duc Binh - Head of the Tran Temple and Thap Pagoda Relic Management Board - told Tien Phong that the Tran Temple Festival in 2024 will welcome about one million visitors, and nearly 300,000 seals have been distributed. This year, the Tran Temple Seal Opening Night took place in heavy rain, but visitors from all over the country still stayed up all night, waiting in the rain to distribute the seals.

It has become a tradition that on the 7th and 8th of January, tourists flock to Nam Dinh to attend the Vieng fair. According to ancient beliefs, this fair has the meaning of "buying luck and selling bad luck". Legend has it that when two generals were marching to Nam Giang, their horses' hooves were damaged and they had to stop. Taking advantage of the fact that Van Chang village was famous for its traditional blacksmithing, they asked the villagers to reforge the horseshoes and weapons they brought with them. While waiting, the two generals ordered their soldiers to set up an altar to announce the victory.

People from all the neighboring communes and villages brought buffaloes and cows to slaughter in Van Chang village to celebrate. From that event, the people of Nam Truc district took the night of the 7th and the morning of the 8th of January as the first spring meeting to commemorate the two generals. Vieng market is also an opportunity for people to exchange experiences in raising livestock, growing crops and displaying and selling products from traditional craft villages. The word Vieng in Vieng market means "to return", "together", gathering together, having fun. Visitors to Vieng market do not need to bargain. People believe that if sellers do not overcharge and buyers do not bargain, it will bring luck and convenience to both parties.

A Westerner traveled to Nam Dinh to eat Xuan Son banana cake and was shocked by a strange thing. Hoa Chỉ08:16:54 11/02/2025A Western guest traveled all the way to Nam Dinh to enjoy the fried banana cake that Xuan Son loves. He was delighted with the scene he witnessed when he arrived at the cake shop in Nam Dinh.