The tradition of Mother Goddess worship on Phu Quy Island has been shaped and preserved throughout the island’s long history, deeply connected with local legends, historical figures, and the cultural memory of early settlers. Below is an overview of the major Mother Goddess cults practiced by the island communities today.
The Cult of Princess Bàn Tranh
According to local legend, Princess Bàn Tranh was a Chăm princess exiled to the island after refusing an arranged political marriage. Accompanied by attendants, supplies, and farming tools, her fleet drifted for days before reaching the deserted shores of Phu Quy.
With extraordinary resilience and leadership, she led her people to:
- clear land for cultivation,
- develop farming and fishing practices,
- and establish the island’s earliest villages.
When the Princess passed away, the islanders buried her and built a shrine on the site—today known as the Temple of Princess Bàn Tranh or Miếu Bà Chúa. She is believed to provide spiritual protection for all villages on the island.
Princess Bàn Tranh is revered as a guardian Mother Goddess, honored as Bà Chúa Xứ by generations of Phu Quy inhabitants. The Nguyễn Dynasty granted her several royal decrees conferring the title Thượng Đẳng Thần (Supreme Deity).
Her worship reflects the island’s form of Mother Goddess belief, in which she is venerated as:
- the founding mother of agriculture,
- the first to bring crops and tools to the island,
- and the pioneer who transformed uninhabited land into a prosperous community.
The Cult of Lady Thiên Y A Na (Diễn Ngọc Phi)
Lady Thiên Y A Na Diễn Ngọc Phi is the Việt–Chăm syncretic form of the Chăm Mother Goddess Pô Inư Nagar, the divine Mother of the Land.
Her legend tells of:
- an orphan girl raised by an elderly couple in Khánh Hòa,
- her transformation into a sacred agarwood log during a storm,
- drifting to the North Sea where a prince discovered and married her,
- and her eventual return to her homeland to teach people agriculture, moral conduct, and survival skills.
After fulfilling her mission among humankind, she ascended to Heaven.
As Vietnamese migrants moved south during the historical expansion, they adopted and reinterpreted the Chăm worship of the Mother of the Land. On Phu Quy Island, Thiên Y A Na is revered in several temples. Rituals dedicated to her are performed annually with great solemnity. Nguyễn emperors also awarded her the title of Thượng Đẳng Thần.
The Cult of Cửu Thiên Huyền Nữ (The Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady)
Cửu Thiên Huyền Nữ—often known in Vietnamese folk belief as Mẹ Sanh or in Chinese mythology as the Mother Goddess of the Ninth Heaven—is a powerful feminine deity associated with protection, warfare, fertility, and the arts.
In ancient Chinese legend, during the era after Emperor Shennong, she appeared to assist the righteous leader Hữu Hùng Thị by:
- teaching military strategy,
- instructing him in building war chariots,
- and helping him defeat the cruel warlord Xuy Vưu.
After his victory, Hữu Hùng Thị became the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huỳnh Đế). Cửu Thiên Huyền Nữ is honored as his divine teacher, credited with:
- teaching sericulture (raising silkworms),
- introducing weaving and textiles,
- revealing celestial signs,
- and inspiring early writing systems.
She is venerated across East and Southeast Asia as a goddess of craftsmanship, protection, and the performing arts.
In Vietnamese folk belief, she is regarded as:
- a protector of women,
- a guardian against evil spirits,
- and the patroness of handicrafts, weaving, embroidery, music, and dance.
On Phu Quy Island, Cửu Thiên Huyền Nữ does not have dedicated temples. Instead, she is worshipped in auxiliary altars within certain communal shrines, revered as a spiritual guardian of women and the traditional arts.
