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The War Remnants Museum (District 3) was originally Khai Tuong Pagoda, where King Minh Mang was born in 1791 during Nguyen Anh's escape from the Tay Son rebels.
Embarking on the Trail of King Minh Mang's Birth in Saigon
According to the Chronicles of Buddhism in Gia Dinh - Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City 1600-1992 published in 2001, Khai Tuong is a pagoda situated on a high hill in Tan Loc hamlet, Binh Duong province, formerly part of Gia Dinh. Initially, it was a small hermitage founded by Zen master Phat Linh - Y Nhac in 1744.
Khai Tuong and Tu An Pagoda nearby (currently located in Tao Dan Park) are two ancient pagodas in Saigon, famous for being the hiding places of King Gia Long from the Tay Son rebels. Among them, Khai Tuong Pagoda is the place where Prince Dam (King Minh Mang) was born.
In 1788, internal conflicts within the Tay Son dynasty provided an opportunity for Nguyen Anh to recapture Gia Dinh, consolidating his forces and establishing it as a political center for the Nguyen dynasty.
Two years later, as Gia Dinh was under construction, the royal family and officials had to reside in two nearby temples, namely Tu An Pagoda and Khai Tuong Pagoda. According to some records, on May 25, 1791, Second Queen Tran Thi Dang (Thuan Thien Cao Hoang Queen) gave birth to Nguyen Phuc Dam at the rear of Khai Tuong Pagoda.
After unifying the country and ascending to the throne, in 1802, King Gia Long renovated these two temples. As a gesture of gratitude, the king offered a 2.5m tall statue of Buddha Amitabha made of jackfruit wood, seated on a lotus throne, adorned with gold lacquer and gold leaf.
The book 'Overview of the History of Buddhism in Vietnam' by Van Thanh, published in March 1975, states: '... Khai Tuong Pagoda, Thon Hoat Lot, Binh Duong District, built in the year Tan Hoi (1791), now the foundation of the pagoda is the former Medical University, Tran Quy Cap Street, created by Nguyen Vuong Phuc Anh to commemorate the birthplace of Prince Dam (or Dam, the name of King Minh Mang).'
Similarly, researcher Vuong Hong Sen in the book 'Saigon in the Past' also believes, 'This pagoda has a historical connection to Prince Dam (later crowned as King Minh Mang), born during the chaos of the Binh Tay Son refugee crisis in 1791. In 1804, Cao Hoang remembered the old favor, to express gratitude for Buddha's protection during years of wandering, he presented the pagoda with a large wooden statue of Thich Ca Buddha, adorned with exquisite gold leaf.'
In 1820, King Gia Long passed away, and Minh Mang succeeded the throne. In 1832, after discovering the address where his parents had lived and where he was born, King Minh Mang allocated 300 taels of silver for the restoration of the pagoda and named it Quoc An Khai Tuong. At the same time, he invited 'monks to reside and granted fields for self-cultivation' to take care of the annual ritual ceremonies (Khai Tuong symbolizes spreading goodness evenly. It signifies that the king's birthplace is a blessed land, prosperous and expansive). Tu An Pagoda nearby was also honored with the title Sac Tu Tu An.
The scale of Quoc An Khai Tuong Pagoda from the outside to the inside includes a three-room two-roof bell tower; next is a three-room Buddha hall; on both sides are two long corridors connecting to the monks' quarters and the dining hall, all with a two-roof design. After completing the pagoda, twenty monks were invited to reside, and fields were granted for agricultural purposes to support the annual worship activities. This place has high-ranking monks leading the propagation of Buddhist teachings, protected by the royal court, making it a prominent temple, influencing a large population of Buddhists across the Southern provinces.
In 1859, French forces launched an attack on Gia Dinh. After capturing the city, they occupied Khai Tuong Pagoda and other major temples such as Tu An, Kim Chuong, Kiep Phuoc, Mai Son, establishing military defense positions to resist Vietnamese counterattacks.
Particularly at Khai Tuong Pagoda, French navy lieutenant Barbé was tasked with leading the troops to seize control. Barbé forcefully expelled the monks, placing the Buddha statue outside. On the evening of December 7, 1860, Vietnamese forces ambushed and killed Barbé as he rode on horseback from Khai Tuong Pagoda to Hien Trung Temple (now believed to be the intersection of Vo Van Tan - Tran Quoc Thao).
According to writer Son Nam, around 1867, Khai Tuong Pagoda became a male teacher training center. Thirteen years later, the pagoda was dismantled, and the school moved to a new location, Chasseloup Laubat School, completed around 1877.
During the dismantling, the horizontal board 'Quoc An Khai Tuong Pagoda' was transferred to Tu An Pagoda (now on Tan Hoa Street, District 6) for safekeeping. The statue of Buddha Amitabha had to be relocated multiple times and finally displayed in the National Museum of Saigon (now the Museum of Vietnamese History - Ho Chi Minh City).
In the aftermath, on the deserted pagoda grounds, the French built a mansion for officials in the ruling apparatus. Before 1963, it served as the University of Medicine, and after the overthrow of President Ngo Dinh Diem's regime, military advisors used it as their residence. After 1975, this place was repurposed as the War Remnants Museum.
According to Saigon Entrepreneur
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Reference: Travel guide from Mytour
MytourJuly 7, 2016
