Night tour to hear the ancient sound of Tran Vu bell

Three bells resound in the ancient temple space, opening the night tour of Tran Vu Bells at Quan Thanh Temple.

Meritorious Artist Loc Huyen in the play about Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

The sound of Tran Vu bell is like a deep emotional note, taking visitors away from the noise outside the temple door, traveling to the land of Thang Long a thousand years ago.

“Tran Vu bell, Tho Xuong chicken soup”

On May 29, Hanoi launched a night tour product imbued with the folk culture of the people of the capital Thang Long - Hanoi: Tran Vu Bell.

This is the 5th night tourism product of Hanoi after the night tour at Hoa Lo Prison, Decoding Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Temple of Literature and Museum of Literature.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Chairman of Ba Dinh District People's Committee Ta Nam Chien shared that Quan Thanh Temple is one of the "four towns" of the ancient Thang Long citadel. The temple was built in the early years when Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long.

The sound of Tran Vu bell takes viewers "through time" to the ancient land of Thang Long - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

The Tran Vu bell - touching the sacred, living with the legend was built to develop the Quan Thanh temple tourist destination. Ba Dinh district hopes that this product with traditional cultural colors will be welcomed by the people and tourists.

The night tour is inspired by the traditional festival celebrating the day the Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu descended to bestow blessings.

During the 90-minute program, locals and tourists were able to relive the legends of Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu - the god who guards the North and protects agricultural residents.

Part 1 recreates the rituals in the traditional festival at the temple - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

The Tran Vu Bell has two parts. In part 1, visitors will learn more about the history of the temple and its intangible cultural values ​​through live performances, reenactments of ancient processions, rituals of offering prayers, and plays praising the merits of the Saint.

In Part 2, visitors will come to stories, explore and decode the mysteries that still exist at the temple such as the pair of bronze lamps, the ancient bronze bell called Tran Vu Quan Khanh...

Along with that are stories about Truc Bach silk weaving village, about the palace maids of the Trinh lords, the Ngu Xa bronze casting craft associated with the national treasure bronze statue Huyen Thien Tran Vu.

Scenes about the palace maids of the Trinh lords in part 2 of the night tour - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

From surprise to excitement

Ninh Quang Truong, director and scriptwriter of the show, said that the crew had researched a lot of documents about the temple. Through thousands of pages of documents, the male director found many wonderful stories, which were the material to create the show.

The selected stories are plays about Saint Huyen Thien Tran Vu, stories about offering offerings... In addition, in the experience section, visitors will be immersed in the space of an ancient temple among the canopy of ancient ebony trees over 700 years old.

Returning to Vietnam after a trip to three Indochina countries two years ago, Patricia Canane (a Spanish tourist) spent 10 days in Vietnam. By chance, she visited Quan Thanh Temple just when the night tour was launched, and she and her companion were lucky enough to be invited to join.

"Although there was no English commentary, through the lively scenes and the volunteers' introductions, I was able to understand more about Vietnamese culture. What impressed me most was the strong traditional colors in the show," Patricia shared.

Tourists listen to explanations of ancient stories about Quan Thanh Temple - Photo: NGUYEN HIEN

As one of the first guests to experience the night tour at Quan Thanh Temple, Ms. Ngoc Anh (Ba Dinh District, Hanoi) was surprised by the interesting stories about the famous temple right where she lives.

"The night tour has many expensive details such as bells, incense offerings, praying for peace and luck... the reenacted scenes are also elaborately staged.

However, I hope that when put into real operation, the tour will be more peaceful with more quiet moments so that visitors can enjoy the peace inside the temple yard surrounded by busy streets," Ms. Ngoc Anh confided.

The Tran Vu Bell Night Tour is expected to be operational and serve tourists in August 2025.

NGUYEN HIEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tour-dem-nghe-tieng-chuong-tran-vu-tu-ngan-xua-vong-ve-20250529011502591.htm