The Establishment of Nhi Phu Temple in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

A large migration from China's mainland and islands to Vietnam due to economic and political reasons took place in the 17th century. Along with the vicissitudes of Chinese history, the number of Hoa (Han Chinese) people coming to Vietnam had been increasing, mainly concentrating in Saigon-Cho Lon. Prominent among the dialect subgroups that first immigrated to Saigon-Cho Lon was the Hokkien Chinese group. There, they built the Nhi Phu temple, which represents important historical and cultural values of the Hokkien Chinese community’s immigration, formation, and development, along with their distinctive cultural identity. Through an analysis of historical data on the immigration of the Hokkien Chinese into Saigon-Cho Lon, the main subjects of worship, related temple relics, and linguistic data, the article discusses the time of the establishment of Nhi Phu Temple.