HAIPHONG AND THE YEN TU MONUMENTS

HAIPHONG

Haiphong (120 kilometers southeast of Hanoi) is the second largest port and the third largest city in Vietnam. Heavily bombed by the French in 1946 and the Americans in 1965 and 1972, it is large, dirty and heavily industrialized there is little here of interest to tourists other than a few pagodas and some colonial buildings. Haiphong is famous for its little tiger (cat) restaurants.

Haiphong is home to about 2 million people. Approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Gulf of Tonkin, it has traditionally produced things like glass, cement, cotton, and chemicals but now has more high-tech industries too. . Its location near the Gulf of Tonkin has meant it has had a large fishing industry. The damage from the American bombing has long been repaired.

Haiphong City covers 1,522.1 square kilometers and is home to about 1.8 million people (2010). Administrative divisions: Districts: Hong Bang, Ngo Quyen, Le Chan, Kien An, Hai An, Duong Kinh, Do Son. Rural Districts: Thuy Nguyen, An Duong, An Lao, Kien Thuy, Tien Lang, Vinh Bao, Cat Hai, Bach Long Vi. Because of the proximity to the South China Sea, Haiphong's weather is affected by inter-tropical monsoons. The annual average temperature varies between 23 degrees C and 24 degrees C.

Transportation to and from Haiphong: Haiphong is served by an important transportation network of sea routes, roads, railways, and airlines. Road: The National Highway No. 10 links Haiphong to the provinces of Quang Ninh, Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa. Haiphong is 102 kilometers from Hanoi. Airlines: There are connecting daily flights with Ho Chi Minh City, departing from Cat Bi Airport, Haiphong’s domestic airport: Airport to City transport: VND 50,000 (Taxi); Vietnam Airlines Sales Office: 30 Tran Phu Street, Tel: 392 1242; Flights From Ho Chi Minh City: 28 flights/ week, Vietnam Airlines, 691, 1,112, 02h00'. Railway: There are trains from Hanoi to Haiphong and vice versa. Boat: Daily ferries from the dock on Ben Binh St. for other destinations. The ferry runs from Haiphong to Cat Ba Island several times a day. The hydrofoil boats run between Haiphong - Cat Ba and Haiphong - Hon Gai. The high-speed air-condition Thong Nhat Boat leave daily from Haiphong to Cat Ba.

Traveling and Transportation in Vietnam: The easiest way to get most anywhere in Vietnam is through a tour organized in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City or another major tourist town. Usually you can work out something with the staff of your hotel. If you want to shop around there are plenty of tour agencies on the streets of the tourist areas or on the Internet. For long distances you are best taking a flight. Air Asia serves many places but the flights often originate in Kuala Lumpur. Vietnam Airlines, budget carrier VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific Airlines, a unit of Vietnam Airlines, all operate domestic routes. The trains are okay but the destinations they service are limited. It is possible to take local buses and minibuses but traveling that way is hassle and time-consuming: you have to deal with language issues, scheduling, locating where the buses leave and often crowded, hot conditions on the buses.

Sights in the Haiphong Area

Haiphong has many temples, pagodas, mausoleums and shrines such as ancient Du Hang Pagoda, Nghe Temple, Hang Kenh Communal House... Haiphong has famous historical Bach Dang River, where the national heroes defeated three Chinese feudal invasions. The third victory over the Yuan-Mongolians was known all over the world. Many of the teakwood pointed spikes have been discovered in this river. Haiphong is on tourism route: Hanoi - Haiphong - Halong Bay. Do Son Beach, located 20 kilometers from Haiphong, is a sand strip for bathing. However, during the monsoon season, the Red River's alluvial sands cause the water to turn yellow. From Do Son, tourist can visit Cat Ba National Park, and continue to Bai Tu Long Bay and Halong Bay (Quang Ninh Province). Haiphong is also famous for many festivals, of which Choi Trau Festival (Do Son Buffalo-fighting festival) in Do Son is unique.

Haiphong has two main tourist attractions: 1) Hang Kenh Communal House, an interesting architectural structure composed of over 500 intricate wood sculptures; and 2) 300-year-old Du Hang Pagoda is considered a fine example of Vietnamese temple architecture. Markets and stores in Haiphong sell pearl jewelry, brass figurines, carpets, and products made of buffalo horns and tortoise shells. Souvenirs can also be purchased in the nearby village of Bao Ha. Villagers in Bao Ha are noted for their exquisite wood carvings of religious figures, lions, dragons, and buffalo.

Du Hang Pagoda (121 Du Hang Street, Du Hang Kenh Ward, Le Chan District, Haiphong) is Haiphong’s most famous pagoda. Built during the Ly Dynasty, it was renovated in the 17th century by Nguyen Dinh Sach, an officer of the imperial guard who resigned and became a Buddhist monk. In 1899, during the reign of King Thanh Thai, a monk by the name of Thong Hanh expanded the pagoda and built a bell tower. The Du Hang Pagoda contains a beautifully carved altar and several interesting statues of Buddha. A stone stelae (tablet) in the pagoda lists the names of those who have served as caretakers for the pagoda over the centuries. The existing pagoda resulted from the repair work carried out during that time. Inside the pagoda are several statues that are intricately engraved in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty. Valuable relics, such as bronze tripods and gongs, are also kept in the pagoda.

Hang Kenh Communal House (Du Hang Kenh Ward, Le Chan District, Haiphong City) is famous for its valuable wooden sculptures. Hang Kenh Communal House, also referred to as Nhan Tho Communal House in Sino-Vietnamese. Built in 1717, Hang Kenh Communal House was later expanded in 1905. The main front hall, also called "dai dinh", connects to the back part through a tiled roof bridge. There are lots of valuable items in the communal house, of which there are 156 pieces with a dragon as the main theme. Altogether, there are 308 dragons of different shapes and sizes. The pagoda also houses a statue of Ngo Quyen and a palanquin. Every year from the 16th to 18th of the Second lunar month (late February or March), ritual ceremonies, festivals, traditional games and performances of "cheo", "tuong" and other folk songs are held at the communal house, attracting large crowds.

Do Song (20 kilometers southwest of Haiphong City, about 120 kilometers from Hanoi) is northern Vietnam's most popular beach resort. Bordered by green forest and coconut palms, it embraces a three-mile long stretch of beaches and small islets. The beach is often crowed. A small casino has been set up for foreign tourists in the old Van Hoa hotel.

Do Son is a small peninsula located between the Lach Tray and Van Uc Rivers. Do Son beaches are shaded by thousands of sandalwood trees and surrounded by mountains and Pine Hills. Immediately upon setting foot in Haiphong, the French turned Do Son into a summer resort for their expatriate community and the Vietnamese upper class.

Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape

Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape was nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.According to a report submitted to UNESCO: “The Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape is located on the Dong Trieu range, at the intersection of two provinces: Quang Ninh and Bac Giang. The heritage site is mostly situated on a mountainous region which is about 600m above sea level. With its peak at 1,068m above sea level, Yen Tu is famous for its beautiful natural landscape and cultural heritage, called the anscestral land of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism in Vietnam.[Source: Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO, Quang Ninh and Bac Giang provinces]

“The historical site and beautiful landscape of Yen Tu covers an area of about 9,200 hectars on which religious architectural constructions are built such as pagodas, temples and towers from the Ly dynasty, from Bi Thuong (Doc Do) to the mountain top of Yen Tu (Phuong Dong ward, Thuong Yen Cong commune (Uong Bi city) and Hong Thai Dong commune (Dong Trieu district), Quang Ninh province.)

Additionally, thanks to its natural diversity, Yen Tu is also regarded as an ecological museum. Next to the complex of pagodas, temples and towers are forests filled with pine bamboo and apricots trees. Along the way, architectural masterpieces can be seen in different ways: one might be hidden in the old forest, another is situated obviously in a wide open space and the next would be hidden by the clouds. At the top of Yen Tu, visitors can look down to the East and enjoy Ha Long Bay with thousands of stone islands forming a sort of diamond necklace; or they can look to the South and observe Hai Phong city along with the Da Bac and Bach Dang rivers flowing gently like a sparkling ribbon. To the West they can look over the green fields of Hai Duong and Bac Ninh, or to the North they can oberve endless ranges of mountains. Every year, the Yen Tu festival begins on the 10th day of the first lunar month and takes place throughout the three months of spring.

There are three main groups of relics: 1) The historical site and beautiful landscape of Yen Tu (Uong Bi city, Quang Ninh province); 2) The historical site of the Tran dynasty in Dong Trieu (Dong Trieu district, Quang Ninh province); 3) The heritage site and beautiful landscape of West Yen Tu (Yen Dung, Luc Nam, Luc Ngan and Son Dong district, Bac Giang province)

Why the Yen Tu Monuments Site is Special

The Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape site is important because: 1) Relics on and excavated under the ground in the Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape have proved a long history of cultural exchanges in the country, which has been under the inluence of different cultures from outside as well as different doctrines and thinkings resulted from the global civilization, especially Buddhism and Feng Shui. The interchange has been expressed in the landscape design, planning, architectural style and decoration throughout history. 2) The Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape is a vivid illustration of human interaction with the environment and traditional human permanent settlement reflected in the establishment of Yen Tu, thousands of years ago, as a “Buddhist center” with a complex of architectural masterpieces located in a beautiful landscape.

3) The heritage site, in a hilly and mountainous region, with dozens of pagodas, towers and small temples, and thousands of antiqueties - especially old books, preserves spiritual values of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism and the cultural traces of the Dai Viet civilization. The values of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism and Dai Viet culture have been kept throughout the history of Viet Nam, promoted to other countries in the world by generations of Zen masters and will be retained in the future. The wooden block of “Thien Tong ban hanh”, representing Nom characteristics and preserved at Vinh Nghiem pagoda (Bac Giang), has for example been selected by Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation in the USA as the international standard character for Nom texts using Unicode (NomNaTongLight.ttf). This could later be set up on computers around the world. The uniqueness of this wooden block is that it includes both Han and Nom texts while most wooden blocks found in Korea, Japan and China only used the former.

4) Truc Lam is a pure Vietnamese Zen Buddhism which focuses on inner feelings but at the same time enters into life with a forgiveness approach. Truc Lam aims to connect religion to life in a positive way and builds a close link to true patriotism. The theory behind the creation of Truc Lam resulted from a combination of different stories including those inherited from older generations. Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Truc Lam, was the one who collected a lot of older books such as: Thien tam thiet chuy ngu luc, Dai Huong Hai an thi tap, Tang gia toai su, Thach that my Ngu, Truyen Dang Luc, Thuong Si hanh trang... These were the books that guided Buddhists and followers of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism on how to practise their religion and become good people.

Furthermore, the wooden blocks of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism – Thien Tong Ban Hanh also consist of valuable literary works such as Cu tran lac dao phu (to live a human life and be filled with the spiritual happiness) written as a rythmic prose, Dac thu lam tuyen thanh dao ca (a poem about the contentment of living in the woods and achieveing spiritual enlightenment) by Tran Nhan Tong), Vinh Hoa Yen tu phu (that describes the beauty of the Hoa Yen pagoda) by Huyen Quang Zen Buddhist, etc. These poetic Zen writings have developed a positive impact on society and attracted the attention of many Vietnamese and international literary researchers. The wooden blocks of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism present both Han and Nom texts which were carved deliberately in different writing styles such as chan thu, thao thu, le thu and hanh thu, (simple writing, shorthand, formal writing and quick writing) etc. Thus, great art works of calligraphy are displayed in Yen Tu. Along with the written the pages are also skillfully painted illustrations with a perfect pictorial composition, which deserve to be mentioned as valuable artworks. 6) Yen Tu has for thousands of years been known and honored as a “blessed land” because of its spectacular beauty of nature and the soul of the Zen Buddhism within its people. Yen Tu is thought of as a natural ecological museum due to its rich bio-diversity. It becomes even more attractive to visitors with hundreds of pagodas, towers and small temples between pine tree forests, bamboo forests and apricot forests. The natural landscape of this place met the requirements of a Buddhism center, which was why it was chosen by Vietnamese Buddhism followers as a place to come and build small temples covered with grass, to practice their religion. In the 10th century, An Ky Sinh (Yen Ky Sinh) came here to practise and reached the peak of his way in Buddhism. After that, generations of Buddhist monks, nuns and other followers arrived to practise Buddhism and to build pagodas, towers and other architectural masterpieces.

History of the Complex of Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape

According to a report submitted to UNESCO: According to historical books, about 1,000 years ago Yen Tu was considered “the fourth blessing land of Giao Chau” and “in the third year of Tu Duc’s reign, Yen Tu Mountain was listed in the book of well known beautiful places”. Because of its mystic beauty and sacredness, Yen Tu was chosen by Vietnamese Buddhists as their place for prayer. Before Christ (B.C), An Ky Sinh (Yen Ky Sinh) went there to practice his religion and reached the peak of the mountain. After that, generations of Vietnamese kept coming to Yen Tu to practice Buddhism and build pagodas, towers and other types of constructions. [Source: Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO]

“The Tran dynasty especially invested in an architectural complex of large scale pagoda temples in this area. This was implemented by King Tran Thai Tong (Tran Canh) who arrived to Yen Tu in April 1236 (Binh Than year in lunar calendar) and was continued by King Tran Nhan Tong (Tran Kham), who was the national hero in the two wars against the invader Nguyen Mong in 1285 and 1288. The latter brought peace to the country and led the dynastry to prosperity before handing over the throne to his son, in order to emphasize researching and practising Buddhism in Yen Tu.

In 1299, Tran Nhan Tong founded Truc Lam, a system of theories and actions connecting religion and life. He was considered the first master of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism with his Buddhist name Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang. Two successors, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang Ton Gia, later took over his career. These three individuals were called the « Three Ancestors of Truc Lam », and Yen Tu became the capital of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, marking the philosophical development of Vietnam in 12nd, 13rd and 14th centuries. Associated with the history of Truc Lam Zen Buddhsim in Yen Tu, a complex of architectural constructions including hundreds of pagodas, temples, towers, graves, memorial steles and statues was built. This large complex was located in a spectacular and poetic landscape which spreads over a dozen of kilometers, forming the Yen Tu complex of histotical heritage and beautiful landscape.

Yen Tu was where the pure Vietnamese Thien Tong Zen Buddhism was founded and developed. It is home to many old architectural masterpieces built and conserved by local Buddhists as well as the feudal dynasties of Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen. These constructions reflect clearly the development of Vietnamese architecture, arts and sculpture and represent the talent and innovative thinking of Vietnamese people. The large complex was founded early in Vietnam. The existence and development of Thien Tong Zen Buddhism was the flower of the Dai Viet civilization, a golden era for the country - the era of independence and freedom. All pagodas, temples, towers, memorial steles and statues are precious historical data associated with the name and career of Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang Tran Nhan Tong and generations of other Buddhists after him.

Memorial steles in Yen Tu are very informative. A list of Buddhists who practised their religion in this place could be found, and therefore the history of Truc Lam could be understood. Throughout the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties, Yen Tu was the destination for many great Buddhist monks from Hien Quang (Ly dynasty), for the three ancestors of Truc Lam (Tran dynasty), Chan Nguyen (Le dynasty) and the Buddhist nun Dam Thai (Nguyen dynasty). Some Buddhist monks were from the royal family of Vietnam such as Tran Nhan Tong and Huyen Quang, respectively the first and the third ancestor of Truc Lam. Some were from China, such as Ty kheo Minh Hanh.

The legacy of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, including written prayers and guide books for Buddhists and local communities such as “Thien tam thiét chuy ngu luc”, “Dai Huong hai an thi tap”, “Tang gia Toan su”, “Thach That My Ngu”, “Truyen Dang Luc”, “Thuong si hanh trang”… is very valuable. It is the national intangible heritage which will be preserved for future. From the center Yen Tu, Truc Lam Zen Buddhism reached out to other regions of the country. Truc Lam was inherited and promoted to other countries in the world by later generations of Truc Lam Buddhists.

Yen Tu Site

According to a report submitted to UNESCO: The historical site and beautiful landscape of Yen Tu covers an area of about 9,200 hectars on which religious architectural constructions are built such as pagodas, temples and towers from the Ly dynasty, from Bi Thuong (Doc Do) to the mountain top of Yen Tu (Phuong Dong ward, Thuong Yen Cong commune (Uong Bi city) and Hong Thai Dong commune (Dong Trieu district), Quang Ninh province.) [Source: Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO]

According to historical books, about 1,000 years ago Yen Tu was considered “the fourth blessing land of Giao Chau” and “in the third year of Tu Duc’s reign, Yen Tu Mountain was listed in the book of well known beautiful places”.

Because of its mystic beauty and sacredness, Yen Tu was chosen by Vietnamese Buddhists as their place for prayer. Before Christ (B.C), An Ky Sinh (Yen Ky Sinh) went there to practice his religion and reached the peak of the mountain. After that, generations of Vietnamese kept coming to Yen Tu to practice Buddhism and build pagodas, towers and other types of constructions.

The Tran dynasty especially invested in an architectural complex of large scale pagoda temples in this area. This was implemented by King Tran Thai Tong (Tran Canh) who arrived to Yen Tu in April 1236 (Binh Than year in lunar calendar) and was continued by King Tran Nhan Tong (Tran Kham), who was the national hero in the two wars against the invader Nguyen Mong in 1285 and 1288. The latter brought peace to the country and led the dynastry to prosperity before handing over the throne to his son, in order to emphasize researching and practising Buddhism in Yen Tu.

In 1299, Tran Nhan Tong founded Truc Lam, a system of theories and actions connecting religion and life. He was considered the first master of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism with his Buddhist name Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang. Two successors, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang Ton Gia, later took over his career. These three individuals were called the « Three Ancestors of Truc Lam », and Yen Tu became the capital of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, marking the philosophical development of Vietnam in 12nd, 13rd and 14th centuries. Associated with the history of Truc Lam Zen Buddhsim in Yen Tu, a complex of architectural constructions including hundreds of pagodas, temples, towers, graves, memorial steles and statues was built. This large complex was located in a spectacular and poetic landscape which spreads over a dozen of kilometers, forming the Yen Tu complex of histotical heritage and beautiful landscape.

Yen Tu was where the pure Vietnamese Thien Tong Zen Buddhism was founded and developed. It is home to many old architectural masterpieces built and conserved by local Buddhists as well as the feudal dynasties of Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen. These constructions reflect clearly the development of Vietnamese architecture, arts and sculpture and represent the talent and innovative thinking of Vietnamese people. The large complex was founded early in Vietnam. The existence and development of Thien Tong Zen Buddhism was the flower of the Dai Viet civilization, a golden era for the country - the era of independence and freedom. All pagodas, temples, towers, memorial steles and statues are precious historical data associated with the name and career of Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang Tran Nhan Tong and generations of other Buddhists after him.

Memorial steles in Yen Tu are very informative. A list of Buddhists who practised their religion in this place could be found, and therefore the history of Truc Lam could be understood. Throughout the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties, Yen Tu was the destination for many great Buddhist monks from Hien Quang (Ly dynasty), for the three ancestors of Truc Lam (Tran dynasty), Chan Nguyen (Le dynasty) and the Buddhist nun Dam Thai (Nguyen dynasty). Some Buddhist monks were from the royal family of Vietnam such as Tran Nhan Tong and Huyen Quang, respectively the first and the third ancestor of Truc Lam. Some were from China, such as Ty kheo Minh Hanh.

The legacy of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, including written prayers and guide books for Buddhists and local communities such as “Thien tam thiét chuy ngu luc”, “Dai Huong hai an thi tap”, “Tang gia Toan su”, “Thach That My Ngu”, “Truyen Dang Luc”, “Thuong si hanh trang”… is very valuable. It is the national intangible heritage which will be preserved for future.

From the center Yen Tu, Truc Lam Zen Buddhism reached out to other regions of the country. Truc Lam was inherited and promoted to other countries in the world by later generations of Truc Lam Buddhists.

Additionally, thanks to its natural diversity, Yen Tu is also regarded as an ecological museum. Next to the complex of pagodas, temples and towers are forests filled with pine bamboo and apricots trees. Along the way, architectural masterpieces can be seen in different ways: one might be hidden in the old forest, another is situated obviously in a wide open space and the next would be hidden by the clouds. At the top of Yen Tu, visitors can look down to the East and enjoy Ha Long Bay with thousands of stone islands forming a sort of diamond necklace; or they can look to the South and observe Hai Phong city along with the Da Bac and Bach Dang rivers flowing gently like a sparkling ribbon. To the West they can look over the green fields of Hai Duong and Bac Ninh, or to the North they can oberve endless ranges of mountains. Every year, the Yen Tu festival begins on the 10th day of the first lunar month and takes place throughout the three months of spring.

Tran Dynasty Historical Site of the in Dong Trieu

According to a report submitted to UNESCO: The historical site of the Tran dynasty in Dong Trieu is located in old An Sinh, now known as Dong Trieu, and covers an area of about 11,000 hecta of which the majority belongs to the An Sinh, Trang An, Tan Viet, Thuy An and Binh Khe communes, the Dong Trieu district and Quang Ninh province. The site is a complex of graves of Kings, temples, shrines, pagodas and towers. [Source: Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO]

As written in historical books, Dong Trieu was the original hometown of the Tran dynasty before moving to Nam Dinh to establish the empire. The book “Dai Nam nhat thong chi” has a paragraph saying: “According to the information written on the stele in Yen Sinh, the ancestor of the Tran dynasty was from Yen Sinh, Dong Trieu district, and later moved to Tuc Mac, Thien Truong (Nam Dinh). That was why the Kings of the Tran dynasty, who chose Yen Sinh to stay and practice Buddhism after leaving their throne, also chose this place for their burial” According to family records of the Tran dynasty, their ancestors were living in An Sinh. Most of the men were strong fishermen and knew martial arts to fight against pirates. Women stayed at home to do farm work or weave. Later, Tran Kinh (or Tran Cong in other documents), discovered during one of his fishing trips the coastal land of Thien Truong, which had abundant alluvial soils that were good for farming. He and other boatmen in his family gathered more local people and traveled to the new land andgave it a new name – Tuc Mac (now known as Tuc Mac commune, My Loc district, Nam Dinh province). From there, they established the new empire. In “Dong Trieu huyen phong tho ky” (a hand written book in Chinese), it is stated that: “The ancestors of the Tran dynasty first resided in the commune of An Sinh. Most of them were fishermen. Later they moved to Tuc Mac, My Loc. Therefore, all Kings of the Tran dynasty were buried in An Sinh after their death. Nowadays, there are old temples in An Sinh, Tong Me worshiipng the 8 Kings of the Tran dynasty”.

In 1831, to protect the tombs from being robbed and ruined by Cham people, the Tran dynasty moved them from Thai Binh and Nam Dinh to An Sinh. As written in the book “Dai Viet su ky toan thu” (Social Science Publisher, 1998, volume II, p.168), “In June, statues from the tombs in Quac Huong (Nam Dinh) and Thai Duong (Hung Ha,Thai Binh), Long Hung and Kien Xuong were transported to the big tomb in Yen Sinh to avoid being destroyed by Cham people”. After that, the dynasty built a big tomb including Tu Phuc tomb and Ngai Son tomb, and a big cellar named An Sinh cellar (often called Sinh temple today) for worshiping purposes.

Dong Trieu is home to many historical and cultural heritage sites. The most noticeable ones are tombs, temples, shrines, pagodas and towers representing the special architectural style of the Tran dynasty. Inside these are preserved precious data from Han Nom records including lacquered boards (engraved with Han Nom characters), epitaphs, pairs of wood panels (on which are inscribed paralleled sentences) and papers/panels that confered a title to someone in the past, etc. For the Tran dynasty, Dong Trieu was not only the original hometown but also a special cultural center.

The Tran dynasty heritage site in Dong Trieu includes original relics which have great historical and cultural value. Results from archeological studies on these relics provide us with lots of information about the the architectural style, the art of decoration and construction techniques, etc., which is very useful for the conservation and restoration of other relics of the Tran dynasty in the country.

Based on historical documents and findings from archeological research, it is agreeable in all workshops and seminars, concerning the historical relics of the historical site of Tran dynasty in Dong Trieu, that: Talking about Dong Trieu is talking about tombs for the Kings of the Tran dynasty and the complex of temples, shrines, pagodas and towers, etc. This is the largest and the most typical and distinctive cultural center of the Tran dynasty. Most of the pagodas in Dong Trieu and towers belong to the complex of pagodas and towers representing Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. In general, Quang Ninh (Dong Trieu – Uong Bi) is the Buddhist capital and the cultural center of the Dai Viet under the Tran dynasty (while Thang Long and Thien Truong – Nam Dinh, Long Hung – Thai Binh were political centers).

West Yen Tu

According to a report submitted to UNESCO: Yen Tu mountain is located on the Dong Trieu range which covers the North West of Vietnam. While most of the East side of Yen Tu is under the administrative management of Quang Ninh province, the West mainly belongs to Bac Giang. Many cultural heritage sites relating to the history of Vietnam and how the country was founded and defended are preserved there today, particularly those under the Ly and Tran dynasties. Situated along the Luc Nam River, from Son Dong down to Yen Dung, West Yen Tu comprises of cultural and historical sites, as well as beautiful landscapes. The Buddhist towers blend in with magnificance of the forest, the mountain and surrounding environment. [Source: Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO]

Statistics show that there is roughly a dozen of cultural - historical relics and beautiful landscapes with outstanding values on the West of Yen Tu, many of which represent a close connection to the establishment and dominance of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Buddhism in history, such as Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Am Vai pagoda, Ho Bac, Binh Long, Mo stream and Dong Thong ecological area. Each pagoda was built with a distinctive architectural style but all are situated on good geographical positions, correspond to the rule of feng shui and symbolise the Buddhist philosophy highly present under the Ly and Tran dynaties.

Among them, Vinh Nghiem pagoda stands out as a religious center and ancestral land in the history of Vietnamese Buddhism. Many types of sacred Buddhist statues, especially the valuable wooden blocks of the Buddhist scriptures, are safeguarded there. Another important pagoda is Am Vai, which is built on a great geographical position and within the beautiful native forest.

Not so far from there is Suoi Mo, another well-known landscape. It is a stream flowing down from Da Vach and Ho Chuoi through Huyen Dinh – Yen Tu mountain, forming a marvelous waterfalls and stunning natural springs. Along the stream is Thuong (Higher) temple, Trung (Middle) temple and Ha (Lower) temple, built for the worshipping of princess Que My Nuong, who was the daughter of Hung Dinh Vuong (Hung Dinh King) and later nominated as Thuong Ngan Thanh Mau (the mother of the higher land).

On the Phat Son – Yen Tu range can be found Vang stream and its 24 beautiful waterfalls, an attractive destination for visitors. Just around the corner are other heritage sites such as Dong Vanh pagoda, Ban Phu temple built for the worshipping of the Tran dynasty’s kings, queens and princesses.

Overall, West Yen Tu is blessed with amazingly beautiful landscapes and stands out as a convergence of exceptional tangible and intangible cultural heritage values.The heritage site and beautiful landscape of West Yen Tu includes a Natural Conservation area and other relics, most of which were built by the Ly and Tran dynasties and has a close link to Truc Lam Zen Buddhism founded by King Tran Nhan Tong during the late 13 century. The place has been placed under the management of several districts: Yen Dung, Luc Ngan and Son Dong, Bac Giang province.

Image Sources:

Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Vietnamtourism. com, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, CIA World Factbook, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Global Viewpoint (Christian Science Monitor), Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, Fox News and various websites, books and other publications identified in the text.

Last updated August 2020


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