History of Bac Giang Province

 

In fact, humans settled in Bac Giang since the Stone Age with stone instruments dating back 20,000 years found in the province. The settlers gradually developed into villages and communes.

In the fight for national independence, the province was regarded as a main bulwark of the country. The people of the province have always united in the national construction and defence, fighting against the aggression by Sung, Yuan, Ming, Tching dynasties (China), France, Japan and US. Besides patriotism, the people are industrious and creative, developing rich land and prosperous villages, cultural value and traditional crafts.

 

Bac Giang is also famous for its learning tradition. In the old times, the province had 57 Tien si (Ph.D) including three Trang nguyen  (First doctoral candidate) : Dao Su Bich, Doan Xuan Loi and Giap Hai. In the Le dynasty, Dr. Than Nhan Trung of the province was a member Hoi Tao Dan (Literature Club) one of the 28 poet stars headed by King Le Thanh Tong. Than Nhan Trung wrote the text of the Stone stele in the Temple of Literature with the famous phrase :”Virtuous and talented men are the stamina of the Nation”. Bac Giang has villages of Tien si such as Yen Ninh and Song Khe and learning villages as Yen Dung, Viet Yen, Hiep Hoa, Lang Giang.

 

Together with its strong learning tradition, Bac Giang is also well-known for its martial spirit generated from tradition of patriotism, labour and culture. Bac Giang’s people love martial arts for physical training, defending their homeland and nation. The martial spirit was also embodied in the revolt of national hero Hoang Hoa Tham against the French colonialists in late 19^th century.

The province is also rich in cultural tradition with annual festivals and ancient architecture such as pagodas and temples, statues and paintings.