The Great Emperor

In the later half of the eighth century, the rule of the Tang dynasty in Vietnam began to weaken. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Phung Hung, the head of Duong Lam land (presently Duong Lam commune, Ba Vi district, Ha Tay province) launched an insurrection capturing the Tong Binh citadel (Hanoi) and regained sovereignty for the country. After Phung Hung’s death, his son honoured him as Father - the Great Emperor, and temples to worship him were built in a number of places such as Quang Ba (Hanoi), Trieu Khuc (Ha Tay), and others.

In the later half of the eighth century, the rule of the dynasty in Shang An began to weaken. The war between local governments and the court which culminated in the An Lu Shan and Shu Zen Min rebellion engulfed the Tang dynasty in ruin. However, the foreign commander-in-chief and dominator enhanced their power in Annam and imposed a lot of taxes at their own will. In 767, Gao Zheng Ping, officer of Vu Dinh highland area (in Northern Vietnam) assisted Zhang Po Yi, the governor of Annam to defeat the invasion of Javan troops in Chu Dien. Later, he was assigned to rule Annam. He did his best to exploit the wealth of our people by imposing heavy taxes. In an unidentified year of the Ta Li dynasty (766-779), when the people’s hatred was growing and the troops in Tong Binh were rioting, Phung Hung, the head of Duong Lam land (presently Duong Lam commune, Ba Vi district, Ha Tay province) made use of the opportunity and launched an insurrection against the authorities.

Very few historical records on Phung Hung exist today. It is only known that he was born into an eminent family in Duong Lam. In the distant past, Duong Lam used to be a hilly area of deep jungle and wild beasts.

Phung Hung, nicknamed Cong Phan, was the 7^th generation of Phung Toi Cai who had been to the palace of Tang dynasty in Tang Wu De's generation (618-626) to attend the banquet given by the king, and held the post of a hereditary mandarin in Duong Lam. Phung Hung’s father was Phung Hap Khanh - a virtuous man. In 772, Tang Kai Yuan, Phung Khanh Hap joined the uprising launched by Mai Thuc Loan. Later he went back home and enjoyed the pleasures of the country life. He lived a rich life from then and there were thousands of maids in his house (in accordance with Quang Ba stone stele).

As the story goes, Phung Hap Khanh got married to a woman from the Su family. His wife gave birth to a triplet of sons who were extraordinarily bright. When they grew up, they were strong enough to defeat buffalos and tigers. The first was Phung Hung, the second was Phung Hai (or Tu Hao by nickname) and the last was Phung Dinh (or Danh Dat by nickname). When the three of them were 18, their parents passed away.

Phung Hung’s dates of birth and death remain unknown. But according with an unidentified historical source, he was born on November 25, 760 (lunar year) or January 1, 761, and died on August 13, 802 (lunar year) or September 13, 802 with a life span of 41 years. Of the three brothers, Phung Hung was of special strength and staunch spirit. Historical sources and folk legend tell how he defeated buffalos and tigers in Duong Lam land. He once interfered and settled two strong buffaloes in fighting, and he was greatly admired by all the villagers. He killed a wild tiger on another occasion, keeping the village in tranquility. People in Duong Lam keep telling the legend these days.

Phung Hung was the first of the heroic sons of Duong Lam. He was also the first hero who captured Tong Binh, the citadel of the then domination regime and maintained national sovereignty for almost ten years.

In the initial days, the brothers of Phung family rose up and got control of Duong Lam and then led the righteous armies to capture a vast area around Phong Chau and built it into a stronghold against the invaders. Phung Hung named himself Do Quan, Phung Hai named himself Do Bao, and Phung Dinh named himself Do Tong, and each of them led his own troops to check sensitive positions. Gao Zheng Ping sent his troops to suppress the uprising, but victory was won to neither side. The situation dragged on for more than 20 years.

In April, summer of 719, Phung Hung led his troops to encircle Tong Binh citadel. Phung Hung’s troops, divided into five groups led by himself and four other generals: Phung Hai, Phung Dinh, Do Anh Han and Bo Pha Can, began to attack the citadel. Gao Zheng Ping’s army of more than 40 thousand troops (in accordance with Quang Ba’s stone stele) was deployed to counter the attack. Fierce fighting lasted for seven days with Gao Zheng Ping losing a lot of troops in the battle. At last he had to withdraw his troops in defence within the citadel. Getting too frightened, he fell ill and died. Phung Hung captured the citadel, took over the Domination Palace and ran the country for seven years before he died. No historical record tells anything about him in those seven years. After Phung Hung’s death, his son Phung An succeeded the throne and honoured Phung Hung as Father, the Great Emperor. An had been on the throne for two years before his rule again lost to the enemies. The national sovereignty which was newly regained and built only lasted nine years.

History and folk legends of Duong Lam say that although Phung Hung passed away, he was very miraculous. He often appeared among the people and helped those in distress. The villagers had such belief and built temples to worship him in Duong Lam. The legend goes so far that Phung Hung even helped Ngo Quyen to defeat the Nam Han invaders in the Bach Dang river. Therefore, Ngo Quyen built a very big temple to worship Phung Hung. The admiration to the national hero of the Phung family is clearly indicated through the building of temples to worship him in Quang Ba Pagoda (Hanoi), Trieu Khuc Pagoda (Ha Tay), and in the tombs in Dai Ang, Phuong Trung and Hoach An (Thanh Oai district, Ha Tay province).

Traces of Phung Hung’s tomb are found at the beginning of Giang Vo street (near Kim Ma bus station). When he died, he was buried near Tong Binh palace, and later his remains were repatriated to his home place. In memory of the national hero, the State named one of the roads in Cua Dong (East Gate), Hanoi after him: Phung Hung street.