Nhi Chau Communal House in Hai Duong Ward

Legend has it that Mai Ngo and Mai Do were twin brothers. In 1287, as Mongol forces invaded Dai Viet for the third times. The two brothers met the King, introduced themselves and volunteered to join the resistance campaign. Impressed by their determination, King Tran Nhan Tong appointed the elder brother as Left General and the younger brother as Right General.

During the resistance campaign, King Tran Nhan Tong led his forces overland, while the two brothers commanded naval forces, coordinating attacks against the enemy. The Mongol forces were defeated.

Following the victory, the King held a banquet to commend the troops and rewarded the two generals. After receiving the royal grants, the two generals submitted a petition seeking permission to return home to visit their parents’ graves, which was approved.

Tragically, while travelling by boat along the Ham Giang River, a sudden storm struck with high waves. The elder brother was swept to the northern bank, then known as Vu La Village, now part of Nam Dong Ward, while the younger brother drifted to the opposite bank, then called Nhi Chau Village, now Hai Duong Ward of Hai Phong City.

After escaping the disaster, the elder brother hosted a banquet for the villagers. He later visited his younger brother and then passed away. From that time onward, the villagers of Nhi Chau established a communal house to honor the two generals, Mai Ngo and Mai Do, as the village’s tutelary deities.

The Nhi Chau communal house and pagoda complex is located in Residential Quarter No. 3, Hai Duong Ward, Hai Phong City (formerly Nhi Chau Ward, Hai Duong City, Hai Duong Province). In recognition of its outstanding historical and cultural values, the complex was classified as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic by the former Hai Duong Provincial People’s Committee on November 1, 2005.

Hai Phong News