The original capital of Truong Yen

If Hoa Lu is the political and social center of the ancient Ninh Binh land associated with the Dai Co Viet state, then the vast Trang An area is a vibrant cultural area that creates vitality for the ancient capital. It can be imagined that this cultural area is created from a special geological area including the Hoang Long - Sao Khe river system and Ma Yen mountain, in which the ancient capital Hoa Lu and the scenic relics of Trang An and Tam Coc - Bich Dong are located in the middle.

Surrounding Dinh-Le Temple in the center of Hoa Lu ancient capital are relics such as Nhat Tru Pagoda, which still preserves a stone pillar engraved with Buddhist scriptures dating back to 995 under the reign of King Le Dai Hanh, temples worshipping kings and princesses, and Thien Ton and Hoa Son caves. Nhat Tru Pagoda still preserves a parallel sentence affirming the position of an ancient capital that preserved the imprint of Buddhism when it was the state religion:

The original capital of Truong Yen

Nhat Tru famous place where Buddha's mark still remains.

If you take a boat along the Sao Khe River and lean against the Ma Yen mountain range, you will come across the Trang An relic complex, a spring tourist highlight, where there are water pavilions and river wharves with tens of thousands of wooden boats carrying passengers, which have become eye-catching symbols of Vietnamese tourism. This place is the setting of many movies and television series that make tourists admire.

The Sao Khe River leads spring visitors to the Tam Coc - Bich Dong complex, known as the Ha Long Bay on land, with a mountain range assigned the "beautiful" number of 99 peaks reflecting on the Ngo Dong River branch, revealing the looming pagoda roofs, displaying the lush spring rice fields and the biodiversity of the forest canopy sprouting under the spring drizzle. There are beautiful caves to admire the amazing landscape such as the system of three water caves, Hang Ca, Hang Mua, and panoramic viewpoints from above, helping visitors to capture the spring scenery.

The temples and pagodas in this complex show the characteristics of relying on the position of heaven and earth to be like beautiful jewelry inserted into the magical hair of nature: Tam Coc pagoda with an ancient stone bridge across the lotus pond leading to the Tam Bao palace leaning against the mountainside; Thai Vi temple, the pagoda with the main hall made of stone, shows the craftsmanship and sculpture of local stone craft villages.

Crossing the Ma Yen mountain range, from the gateway to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, following the Hoang Long River to the West in Gia Vien district is the Bai Dinh pagoda complex, where next to the small ancient pagoda on the mountain is a new pagoda famous for many architectural records and the largest worship statue in Vietnam as well as in the world . With the spring festival opening from the first day of Tet until the end of March, the Bai Dinh pagoda festival together with the Hoa Lu - Trang An scenic area creates a huge attraction for visitors from all over, breathing into the ancient relics a flowing contemporary life.

Heritage Magazine