Bao Mon Pagoda

Located in Bao Mon hamlet, Don Chau commune, Tra Cu district, Dom Bon Bak pagoda (Bao Mon pagoda) is a pagoda with many revolutionary achievements.

Located in Bao Mon hamlet, Don Chau commune, Tra Cu district, Dom Bon Bak pagoda (Bao Mon pagoda) is a pagoda with many revolutionary achievements.

Located in a strategic area bordering three districts of Tra Cu, Cau Ngang and Duyen Hai, so during the two resistance wars against the French and Americans, this was a fierce disputed area between us and the enemy. The enemy always took advantage of ethnic and religious issues and relied on pagodas to divide people and sabotage the revolution.

Right from the early days when the Don Chau Commune Cell was established, the Cell understood the enemy's intentions and went to pagodas to build bases. Regarding Bao Mon Pagoda, Comrade Secretary of Party Committee Tran Van Khoi discussed with senior monk Kim Nhieu Kem to choose the pagoda as a legal base of operation, a place to house cadres and at the same time mobilize monks to establish a Promotion Board. patriotic of the province, organized protests against conscription, demanding reduced rent and taxes.

The fact that the Education Department brought Mr. Tang Khe and Mr. Nga to Bao Mon Pagoda to teach in the years 1946 - 1950 was a good condition. Through classes, the two men propagated the Party's policies, explained the enemy's sinister plots, and educated young people in patriotism and revolutionary spirit. From these classes, many people later became revolutionary officers and soldiers.

In 1951, during the raid on Bao Mon hamlet and Mo Coi hamlet, Don Chau commune, the enemy shot and killed a number of officers such as Mr. Duong Thanh Bien, Mr. Tam Than, Mr. Thuoi, Mr. Tec, Mr. Quan,...the elder monk Kim Nhieu Kem. mobilized Buddhists to bring the bodies of officials to the temple for burial. As for Mr. Tech, when he was brought back to the temple, he regained consciousness. The senior monk organized him to be taken to Cau Ngang district military medical station for treatment. At the same time, the senior monk collected documents to hide. Later, during a raid by Commendo soldiers, the pagoda took some officials into the towers and the ceiling of the main hall to hide. Many revolutionary cadres in the resistance war against the French were sheltered, sheltered and sheltered by the pagoda such as: Mr. Ma Ha Son Thong, Son Phuoc Roth, Tran Lai, Thach Ngoc Bien, Tran van Khoi, Char Khieu, Tran Van Tet, Nam Chieu, Muoi Lanh,…

During the resistance war against the US, Bao Mon Pagoda continued to be a solid base of the revolution. Many secret vaults were made in the temple grounds, under the Buddha altar, on the ceiling of the main hall and right in the rooms of senior monk Kim Nhieu Kem, monk Kim Toc Chon, and Son Luong. Many historical events associated with the pagoda are known to many people such as:

On the occasion of the Donta holiday in 1960, under the direction of the Provincial Party Committee, thousands of people including monks, Kinh and Khmer people gathered at the pagoda and then marched to Tra Vinh to protest and demand that the provincial governor release Acha Pho. , Acha Luis Sa Rat, against the arrest and detention of patriots, against the repression of monks, demanding freedom to travel and study. The protest group divided into many ways to head to Tra Vinh. As for the Tra Cu wing, when going to Phuoc Hung, the province chief Le Hoang Thao sent forces to stop but could not stop the progress of the protest group. When the protest group arrived at Giong Luc Bridge, the panicked provincial governor directly came to command the suppression. The clash occurred and injured 10 people, but then the provincial governor also had to promise to release Acha Pho and Acha Lui Sa Rat and resolve many demands.

After the protest, the Provincial Monks' Committee and the Provincial Struggle Force Steering Committee organized a victory rally at the pagoda, with a parachute team performing to serve. When the enemy discovered it, they immediately sent the Marine Division to surround the pagoda, shot and killed Mr. Thach Sa Ray and took 21 monks to Tra Vinh, including senior monk Kim Nhieu Kem. The fire of the rally was fueled again, the people carried Mr. Thach Sa Ray's body to the district and province to fight. As for senior monk Kim Nhieu Kem, after many unsuccessful attempts to bribe and seduce, they forced the senior monk to go to Ba Xuyen Radio station to call on his fellow monks not to follow the Viet Cong. The elder monk firmly refused, and in the end they had to release the elder monk.

At the end of 1968, the enemy discovered guerrilla forces stationed at the pagoda, they sent troops to surround it and called for surrender. Faced with that difficult situation, with acumen, monk Kim Nhieu Kem sent the guerrilla squad down to spray water in front of the main hall, then with skillful and determined words, the monk explained to the enemy. This is a place of practice. As a Khmer, we must respect monks and temples. Faced with the monk's convincing arguments, the enemies could not find evidence and had to retreat in anger.

Preparing for the campaign to liberate the countryside and liberate Tra Vinh, in September 1974, comrade Thach Tua (Ba Tua) - Head of the Khmer Committee of Thousand Provinces discussed with senior monk Kim Nhieu Kem to bring a number of special forces officers from the province. disguised himself as a monk, so that the eldest monk could then use the temple's jeep to take "monks" Nguyen Thanh Cong (Ut Danh), Ba Trung, etc. to study the situation in Don Chau commune, Long Son commune, and Te. Nhi Truong commune. After nearly half a month of research and planning, we organized a fight against the enemy and quickly destroyed Don Chau and Long Son communes. Nhi Truong commune suffered heavy damage.

During the Ho Chi Minh campaign to liberate Tra Vinh, monk Kim Toc Chon - Head of the Provincial Transport Committee assigned monk Lam Ruong Son (Bao Mon Pagoda) and monks Son Song, Thach Suong, and Son Sa Ra to the provincial palace. The chief persuaded Nguyen Van Son, governor of Vinh Binh province, to call on the puppet army and puppet government to surrender, contributing to the overall victory of the resistance war against the US.

With the spirit of "All for the front line, all for the resistance", Buddhists and monks of Bao Mon pagoda contributed dozens of taels of gold, thousands of bushels of rice and many other items. There were 25 monks and Buddhists who heroically sacrificed their lives for the cause of national liberation. Particularly, Venerable Kim Nhieu Kem was awarded the Second Class Resistance Medal and Medal for National Development by the State. Bao Mon Pagoda was recognized as a provincial-level historical relic by the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province.

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Update day : 30/10/2023