Unique water cave system in Tam Coc-Bich Dong

The caves are surrounded by the Ngo Dong River and rice fields stretching along the foot of the mountain, immersing people in nature. (Photo: Minh Duc/VNA)

Tam Coc-Bich Dong is a beautiful cave complex located in Trang An scenic spot - a key national tourist area of ​​Vietnam.

This is a scenic complex ranked as a special national monument by the Prime Minister of Vietnam and was ranked as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014.

Located in Ngu Nhac Son, Dam Khe village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province, the Tam Coc-Bich Dong scenic complex has a natural area of ​​up to 350.3 hectares, possessing a pristine natural landscape with a system of caves both on land and underwater, harmoniously combined with ancient religious architectural works, historical relics related to the Vu Lam palace of the Tran dynasty nearly 1,000 years ago.

Tam Coc - Ha Long Bay on land

In 2015, Tam Coc was included in the list of "beautiful but little-known places" voted by the Telegraph (UK).

In early 2018, Tam Coc continued to appear on Business Insider Magazine at the top of the list of 50 most attractive destinations on the planet with the image of the Ngo Dong River like a soft silk strip, stretching across the golden rice carpet, winding around limestone mountains.

Tam Coc is considered as Ha Long Bay on land. In ancient times, this area was the sea, over hundreds of millions of years, waves eroded and carved deep into the mountains, creating the cave masterpieces we see today.

To explore Tam Coc, visitors will travel by boat down the winding Ngo Dong River through rocky cliffs, water caves, and rolling rice fields at the foot of the mountains, each time of the year bringing a different color that overwhelms visitors.

Seen from above, Tam Coc looks like Ha Long Bay on land with limestone mountains silently rising above the water. (Photo: Minh Duc/VNA)

Tam Coc, meaning 3 caves, includes Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba. All 3 caves are formed by the Ngo Dong River flowing through the mountains.

Of the three caves, Hang Ca is the largest with a length of about 127m, passing through a large mountain, the ceiling is about 20m high.

When the boat enters the cave, visitors will clearly feel the cool clarity of the space here, with only the sound of the oars splashing the water gently and the boatman telling ancient legends about the myriad stalactites hidden in the cave.

After passing Hang Ca, the boat takes visitors about 1km more to reach Hang Hai. Hang Hai is 60m long and similar to Hang Ca, the air in the cave is very cool and pleasant with strange stalactites, carrying mysterious stories from the imagination of local people.

Hang Ba is quite close to Hang Hai, shorter, only about 50m long, the cave ceiling is also lower than Hang Ca and Hang Hai. Visitors sometimes have to bow their heads low to avoid hitting the rock ceiling above.

There are countless stalactites of various shapes in the caves. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

Boat trip to explore 3 water caves in Tam Coc   The tour lasts about 2 hours, including the outbound and return trips. After that, visitors will explore Thien Huong dry cave and visit Thai Vi Temple historical site.

In the past, Tam Coc mountain area was where the Tran Dynasty built Vu Lam palace during the resistance war against the Yuan Mongols.

Thai Vi Temple is a place to worship Kings Tran Thai Tong, Tran Thanh Tong, Generals Tran Hung Dao, Tran Quang Khai and Queen Tran Thi Dung, 2km from Tam Coc wharf.

Before entering the Temple, visitors will stop at Thien Huong Cave, a dry and bright cave located halfway up the mountain, about 15m above ground level.

Sunlight shining through the holes in the dome of Thien Huong Cave creates a colorful, impressive space. (Photo: Minh Duc/VNA)

The cave is about 60m high, 40m deep, and 20m wide. The top of the cave is hollow, so it is also called Sky Cave.

Nestled inside the cave is a temple dedicated to Queen Tran Thi Dung, wife of King Ly Hue Tong, who passed on the embroidery craft to the people of Ninh Hai commune.

Bich Dong - The second cave in the South

Located about 2km from Tam Coc wharf, Bich Dong consists of a dry cave located halfway up the mountain and in front is Xuyen Thuy Dong - a water cave through the mountain.

It is because of the unique beauty bestowed by nature, the combination of rock and water, that Bich Dong is known as "Nam Thien De Nhi Dong", meaning the second most beautiful cave in the South, after Huong Tich Cave in Huong Son area.

The entrance to Xuyen Thuy Dong in Bich Dong. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

Bich Dong means Green Cave, the name given to this famous place by Prime Minister Nguyen Khiem, father of the great poet Nguyen Du, when he came here in 1773.

Before entering the dry cave, visitors will take a boat through Xuyen Thuy Dong - a dark, flooded cave, shaped like a semicircular tube, about 350m long and 6m wide. The ceiling and walls of the cave are quite flat, in the shape of an arch with countless beautiful stalactites hanging down.

The unique feature of Xuyen Thuy Dong is that inside the cave there is a natural M-shaped archway dividing into two entrances, which the locals explain as the Father's gate and the Mother's gate, so there is a saying when entering Xuyen Thuy Dong: "go in the Father's gate - go out the Mother's gate."

Father's Gate and Mother's Gate in Xuyen Thuy Dong. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

On the way in, the boat passes through the Father gate, which is higher and narrower, while the way out through the Mother gate is lower but very wide. This shows that nature is both natural and intentional.

Bich Dong Pagoda is located behind the mountain, opposite the entrance to Xuyen Thuy Dong. When returning to the end of the Xuyen Thuy Dong journey, visitors continue climbing the mountain to reach the cave and Bich Dong Pagoda.

Bich Dong Pagoda is an ancient pagoda built on the Truong Yen limestone mountain range in 1428, early in the Later Le Dynasty. Today, in the pagoda there is still a large bell cast during the reign of King Le Thai To, and the tombs of the monks who contributed to the construction of the pagoda.

Tourists visit Bich Dong Pagoda. (Photo: Minh Duc/VNA)

During the reign of Le Hien Tong (1740-1786), the pagoda was renovated and expanded, including Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda, Thuong Pagoda, spread over three mountain levels.

The historical relic of Bich Dong Pagoda and the scenic beauty of Bich Dong are a harmonious combination of the majestic beauty of caves and mountains with the talent and ingenuity of humans... The architecture here mainly relies on cliffs and caves, forming a unified, solid block.

In the Trang An cave complex and Tam Coc-Bich Dong area, there are still many relics and antiques, made of materials such as stone, bronze, wood... dating mainly from the Nguyen Dynasty.

The scenery of Tam Coc-Bich Dong is said to be most beautiful in the summer, around the end of May and beginning of June. At this time, the rice fields on both sides of the Ngo Dong River turn golden, adding to the splendid beauty of the landscape.

The ripe rice season in Tam Coc fascinates tourists. (Photo: Minh Duc/VNA)

This is also the time when lotus and water lily ponds near Tam Coc are in full bloom. Amidst the charming landscape, pink and white lotus ponds and purple water lilies spread their petals and give off an intoxicating fragrance - making them irresistible check-in spots for many tourists.

Not only in the summer, Tam Coc-Bich Dong at other times of the year still has its own charm. For example, in the spring from January to March, it is the ideal time to explore many famous big festivals in Ninh Binh, such as Truong Yen festival in Hoa Lu taking place on the 8th - 10th of the third lunar month.

The weather in Ninh Binh is cool and the air is fresh. Tourists can participate in festivals, row boats around Ngo Dong River, and enjoy the beautiful, open natural scenery./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/doc-dao-he-thong-hang-dong-xuyen-thuy-o-tam-coc-bich-dong-post956145.vnp