Binh Dinh province located in the southern part of the Central Viet Nam. This beautiful province is not only known as a land of traditional martial arts but also known as the birthplace of King Quang Trung, leader of the Tay Son uprising at the end the 18th century.
Binh Dinh has a museum which displayed objects dedicated to this national hero. This museum is a landmark attracting both Vietnamese and foreign tourists all over the world.
Quang Trung museum was built exactly in village which Quang Trung used to leave, Kien My Village, Kien My Village is located 40km west of Quy Nhon City. Museum was inaugurated in 1978 and it is one of the largest museums in Vietnam dedicated to Vietnamese national hero. In the museum, the Tay Son shrine which worships heroes of the Tay Son movement was the first stop for visiting. This shrine was built on the site of the former home of the three founding brothers of the Tay Son movement, it includes 10 altars. In the center are the ancestral altar and an altar dedicated to the three brothers. Those two sides are reserved to worship the military leaders of Tay Son. Finally, there is an altar dedicated to the Nguyen dynasty.
There are two amazing things which can be found outside of the shrine are tamarind tree and 300-year-old well. Tamarind tree symbolizes the vitality of the movement of the Tay Son movement in the nation while the old well continues to give clear and fresh water. There is a story about this well: “In the past, this well had no walls. These laterite walls have recently been added. Previously, all people in the hamlet used water from this well. This laterite is easy to find in the region and helps purify water. The citadel of the Emperor is also made of laterite”.
And most important thing of every museum is exhibition house. This house features more than 11,000 documents and objects dedicated to Tay S?n and King Quang Trung. The exhibition helps visitors better understand the glorious period of history and the outstanding King of the nation. There are many objects which being showed such as a drum made of elephant leather of the central highlanders who participated in the Tay Son movement as well as official seals, royal recognition certificates, family annals of military officials, bronze bells, ancient coins and especially the ancestral tomb stele of Tay Son. This is the tomb of the paternal grandfather of the three Tay Son brothers was found in 1990 by chance by residents of Phu Lac, the home village of the Tay Son brothers’ mother. Dragons are carefully engraved on the stele.
Martial arts and military drum playing performances are considered the two intangible heritages of Tay Son. Visitors can learn more about the arts in this museum.
Three Tay Son brothers (Nguyen Lu, Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue), especially the national hero Quang Trung Nguyen Hue were the leader of peasant insurrections in the late 18th century turning them into a national movement wiping out foreign invaders sustainably defending national independence from 1788 to 1802. Coming to the museum, visitors could see with their own eyes objects and hear explanations of the history and development of the Tay Son movement. The Quang Trung Museum is not only historical site but also is tourist attraction in Binh Dinh province. This is a must-see destination for anyone wishing to learn about the tradition of Vietnamese people.