Trang An: “Outdoor geological museum”

With a total area of 2,168 hectares, Trang An ecological area is located in 8 communes and wards of Hoa Lu district, Gia Vien district and Ninh Binh city (Ninh Binh province).

Millions of years of geological formation have endowed Trang An with a unique appearance that no other place has, with overlapping flooded limestone mountains, surrounded by 30 water valleys, forming 48 water caves connecting the valleys together and dozens of large and small islands arranged in many directions interwoven with rare flora and fauna and considered an "outdoor geological museum". Trang An is likened to a magical eight-diagram formation with a magical door of life and death, so this land was chosen by Dinh Tien Hoang as the ancient capital of Dai Co Viet.

Khong Cave. Photo: TL

Lucky for those who explore Trang An in the spring, watching thousands of spring raindrops fluttering in the wind, condensing on the young treetops, blending with the thin mist, wafting over the valleys. The misty mist creates a wild and charming space. The drifting clouds are carried on the backs of the sturdy mountain trunks spreading out the canopies of ancient trees. Under the green Sao Khe river, hundreds of oars push the waves, pushing small boats full of tourists to glide gently. Somewhere, you can hear the sound of laughter, the sound of oars cutting through the waves and the chirping of birds calling for their friends. Occasionally, visitors exclaim with delight when they see mountain goats leisurely nibbling on leaves. Next to the drifting boat are flocks of wild ducks diving and diving for food... Everything blends together like a charming, poetic ink painting, making the traveler's heart flutter as if lost in paradise... The boat group leaves the valley and encounters and passes through magical caves. Here is Dark Cave, Bright Cave, Three Drops Cave, Nau Ruou Cave…; then Lang Valley, May Valley, King Mountain, Lord Mountain… Each mountain shape, cave wall, tree top, and stream here is “trimmed by the hand of nature” to captivate people’s hearts. Each cave name, valley name, and mountain name is associated with a mysterious legend. The sound of oars splashing water, the admiration of visitors echoing into the cave walls creates echoes as if from the void. The cave walls sparkle with thousands of tiny light particles emanating from stalactites, and the inside of the cave has thousands of magical stalactites that satisfy our imagination.

Nestled in the towering cliffs is a system of temples and pagodas built by the people to worship heroes who have contributed to the country, such as: Trinh Temple - where two meritorious officials in charge of the gold and silver vaults of King Dinh are worshiped; Tran Temple - where the god guarding the southern gate of Hoa Lu is worshiped; Khong Palace - where seven loyal mandarins of the Dinh Dynasty are worshiped... If you don't see people cultivating and harvesting rice in the paddy fields, you would think you are walking in Ha Long Bay (which has been recognized as a World Natural Heritage). Indeed, someone once compared this place to "Ha Long Bay on land of Vietnam"! Also in the Trang An relic complex, there is the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital relic complex and the newly built Bai Dinh pagoda complex, which is grand in scale and holds many records such as: the largest pagoda in Vietnam, has a bronze Buddha statue, the largest bell in Southeast Asia...

Containing the beauty bestowed by nature, Trang An Ecological Area is a combination of natural, spiritual and historical values, and is being profiled for recognition as a World Natural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO). With outstanding values in terms of natural landscape, ecological diversity and geological formation, in the near future this place will certainly be a wonderful tourist destination not to be missed by travelers from all over the world.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/channel/3624/201310/trang-an-bao-tang-dia-chat-ngoai-troi-2267889/