The late, talented, Vietnamese General Nguyen Van Thoai, also known as Thoai Ngoc Hau and whose hometown was Da Nang, has always been highly praised and respected for his creativeness in reclaiming land, founding villages, and promoting economic development and border protection.  The Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple in honour of him is located at 15 Ha Thi Than in Son Tra District’s An Hai Tay Ward.

Thoai Ngoc Hau Temple

Thoai Ngoc Hau was born on 26 November 1761 in An Hai Village, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam Province (now called An Hai Tay Ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang).  He was one of the meritorious officials during the reign of Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyen Dynasty.  The General became actively involved in founding new villages and building canals and embankments in the southern region.  He himself founded An Giang Province’s Thoai Son Village (now called Thoai Son District) and directed the digging of the over 100km of Thoai Ha and Vinh Te canals in the province, which assisted the trading activities of the residents.

Good mandarin Thoai Ngoc Hau visited his hometown in An Hai Village in 1827, 2 years before his death.  During his stay in the village, he directed the construction of the Ha Than market and appealed for donations from the general public to restore worshipping houses for ancestors. 

The Deputy Secretary of the Son Tra District Party Committee, Mr Phan Minh Hai, remarked that Son Tra District boasts great potential for promoting the development of tourism and marine economies.  He noted that the late General’s descendants can learn from his valuable experiences in promoting economic development and border protection. 

Deputy Secretary Hai suggested that Son Tra District should focus on ensuring political stability and enhancing public consensus to protect the national boundary, and enhancing a fleet of fishing vessels not only to help local fishermen earn their livings but to protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over its sea and islands.

A corner of Son Tra District

Son Tra District has established a twinning relationship with An Giang Province’s Thoai Son Village.  The Chairwoman of Thoai Son District People’s Committee (PC), Ms Le Kim Binh, affirmed that the late General’s cultural and spiritual heritage has been passed down through many generations, especially his spirit of hard-work, special emotional attachment to his hometown, creative thinking, and kindness. 

Over the past 2 centuries, the great achievements of the late General have acted as a bridge in boosting the bilateral relationship between the 2 districts, providing a focus on promoting cultural exchanges and economic cooperation.

To mark the 15^th anniversary of the signing of the twinning agreement in 2001, 200 million VND from Son Tra District’s budget has been spent on rebuilding a bridge named Son Tra in Thoai Son District’s Bac Son Village. 

The Chairwoman of Son Tra District PC, Ms Tran Thi Thanh Tam, remarked that the bilateral relationship between the 2 districts would be lifted to new heights in future years for the benefit of their people, like the late General’s ardent wishes when he was alive.