The Bach Ma Eunuch Temple in Phu My Village is a traditional Vietnamese folk architectural monument built in the late 18th century, associated with the migration of communities from the Central Coast to Phu Quy Island to reclaim land and establish new settlements. The temple is dedicated to Bach Ma Thai Giam (the White Horse Eunuch Deity) and honors the village’s early founders who contributed to land reclamation, community building, and the establishment of this sacred space. It continues to serve as an important spiritual and cultural hub for the local community.
The temple complex was constructed using materials common to the period—wood, brick, stone, and traditional lime-based mortars mixed according to inherited folk techniques, ensuring durability and cohesion. Its most distinctive feature lies in its traditional four-pillar frame and layered-roof architecture, crafted through meticulous joinery techniques that interlock wooden components into a sturdy structural framework. Artistic decorations appear throughout the monument in the form of relief carvings and motifs on roof ridges, gables, beams, brackets, altars, and horizontal lacquered panels.
The temple preserves a valuable collection of historical artifacts and Hán–Nôm documents, including five royal decrees (sắc phong) bestowed by various Nguyen Dynasty emperors upon the deity Bach Ma Thai Giam. Numerous ancestral tablets, couplets, and plaques also remain, reflecting the community’s history of migration, settlement, and cultural development in Phu My Village over the centuries.
Each year, the temple hosts two major ceremonial festivals:
- The Spring Offering (Tế Xuân), held in the middle of the first lunar month
- The Autumn Offering (Tế Thu), held from the eighth to the tenth lunar month
These rituals reinforce spiritual bonds between the community and the deity, embodying the deeply rooted Vietnamese tradition of honoring ancestors and remembering past benefactors. They also function as a cultural bridge between generations, ensuring the transmission of heritage and identity within Phu Quy Island and the wider Binh Thuan region.
In recognition of its historical and cultural significance, the Bach Ma Eunuch Temple of Phu My Village was officially designated as a provincial-level cultural–historical site under Decision No. 3380/QĐ-UBND dated December 6, 2018. This honor remains a source of pride for the people of Phu My Village.
