On january 5, Nguyen Ba Linh, director of the Ho Citadel Heritage Management Board and key relics of Thanh Hoa province, announced the suspension of Ms. Phuong. The decision was made following a meeting to clarify professional errors.

"This was a technical error by an individual, not intentional," Mr. Linh said.

The Lam Kinh Main Hall, where Ms. Phuong made the controversial statement. Photo: Le Hoang

The incident came to light after a video recorded by a visitor during a tour of the Lam Kinh Main Hall went viral on Facebook and TikTok. In her explanation of the historical events at the site, the tour guide mentioned the Tay Son dynasty with incorrect information, deviating from the content approved by authorities. The video sparked widespread debate and mixed reactions.

The Ho Citadel Heritage Management Board and key relics of Thanh Hoa province confirmed the incident occurred around april 2024, with the video only recently uploaded to social media.

In her statement, Ms. Phuong explained that during her historical presentation of the Lam Kinh relic and its related events, "due to a moment of distraction and the pressure of wanting to convey too much information in a short time, I stumbled over my words and made a very regrettable linguistic confusion."

According to the tour guide, she intended to express that a "fanatical, extremist" faction of the Tay Son army had engaged in acts of destruction at Lam Kinh. However, due to losing composure, she misspoke, mistakenly saying "Tay Son reactionary."

"This was a misstatement during the presentation, not a personal view or a lack of respect for the Tay Son dynasty - a dynasty with great contributions to the nation's history of fighting foreign invaders," the tour guide stated.

Ms. Phuong added that she deeply understands her statement caused a significant misunderstanding, distorted historical facts, and upset many people. The tour guide stated her readiness to accept all feedback and criticism to improve herself. Through this incident, Ms. Phuong also pledged to be more careful with her words and to tightly control the content of her explanations.

"I promise to study history more thoroughly to not repeat similar mistakes," she said.

Ms. Phuong is one of seven tour guides working at the Lam Kinh special national relic. She possesses full professional certification and qualifications. With 11 years of service at Lam Kinh, she was assigned tasks including artifact collection and tour guiding. In 2024, she completed a professional training course and passed the examination to become an official tour guide. She has consistently received positive evaluations for her professional expertise and had no prior professional violations.

A part of the Lam Kinh special national relic. Photo: Le Hoang

Nguyen Ba Linh, director of the Ho Citadel Heritage Management Board and key relics of Thanh Hoa province, emphasized that all tour guide content at Lam Kinh is carefully developed and thoroughly vetted by specialized departments before public dissemination. Ms. Phuong's error was identified as "not being in the script and entirely a personal mistake."

According to Mr. Linh, the incident prompted the unit to review and rectify all guiding activities at the relic site. Furthermore, they will continue to clarify and address the responsibilities of all individuals and organizations involved.

The Lam Kinh historical site is in Lam Son commune, about 50 km west of the former Thanh Hoa city. Historical records indicate Lam Kinh as the ancestral homeland of the Le dynasty, the birthplace of national hero Le Loi, and the origin of the 15th-century Lam Son uprising. After 10 years (1418-1428) of sustained resistance, driving the Ming army from the country, Le Loi ascended the throne in Thang Long - Hanoi. He adopted the reign title Thuan Thien and named the country Dai Viet, ushering in a period of independent and prosperous self-rule that lasted for nearly 360 years.

The Le dynasty constructed numerous grand temples and mausoleums in Lam Son to worship ancestors, serve as resting places for emperors, empresses, and also as a venue for important national ceremonies of that era. Lam Kinh was designated a special national relic in 2012.

Le Hoang