In the 11th century, the army and people of Dai Viet – the name of Vietnam in the Ly Dynasty – waged a resistance war against the Song invaders, with the peak being a strategic fight during which General Ly Thuong Kiet set up a defence line along the Nhu Nguyet River, which is now the Cau River, in the spring of 1077 to prevent the enemy.

The defence line, over 10km long, traversed the areas which are now Tam Giang and Tam Da communes of Yen Phong district and Thi Cau ward of Bac Ninh city. Established basing on the local topography, the line was aimed to prevent 300,000 Song troops.

The fight on the Nhu Nguyet River was part of Ly Thuong Kiet’s combat strategy, which defeated the Song troops.

The Nhu Nguyet defence line is also believed to be the birthplace of the poem “Nam quoc son ha” (Mountains and Rivers of the Southern Country), which was considered the first declaration of independence of Vietnam.

Following the celebration, central and provincial officials and local residents attended a ceremony starting the construction of a temple dedicated to Ly Thuong Kiet. 

The project is set to cover more than 253ha of land with the temple stretching 8.7ha. The construction is scheduled to basically finish in 2017.