Mysterious Caves at Trang An

Discovering Mysterious Caves at Trang An Eco-tourism Complex

With the total area of 1,961 hectares, Trang An Eco-tourism complex boasts 48 grottoes and caves, 31 valleys and the hallowed cultural area of Bai Dinh Pagoda. Cruising around the area, tourists in Vietnam travel will get a chance to use the mountains as walls, the rivers as roads and the caves as palaces.

In Vietnam tourism, visitors coming to Ninh Binh province can make a tour around Trang An in order to visit nine grottoes and three temples, Trinh, Tran and Phu Khong. About a kilometer from the wharf, tourists joining tours in Vietnam will get to the complex’s longest cave called Dark Cave  with the length of 315m, and then to Bright Cave which has four gates opening to mountains walls.

These caves are home to many wild creatures and plants and each cave has its own beauty with many stalactites in a profusion of color. Trang An is truly a land of myth and fantasy making it easy to forget the troubles of daily life. Rowing through Trang An Grotto in the quiet, fresh air of the highlands, with only the sound of the birds and the oars stirring the clear water and surrounded by magnificent forested mountains upon which graze white goats, visitors enjoy a heaven on earth.
Tourists in Vietnam travel not only sit on a boat and cruise through the caves but also climb mountains to visit temples associated with historical relics from the dynasties of Dinh, Le, Ly and Tran from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries.
Tourists can contemplate bronze statues, bells and 500 stone arhat statues at Bai Dinh Pagoda.
As other sites in flooded areas, the entrance and the exit for an excursion to Trang An is a wharf. However, after finishing the tour, tourists will not come back to the entrance wharf but will move on to another wharf to have food in a restaurant.

When drifting on the rivers, discovering the mysteries of the caves and breathing the incense smoke from the temples, tourists’ soul will feel peaceful and comfortable.

Thai Vy Temple

Thai Vy Temple- A unique combination of architectural design

Following the internal attack with outside support (noi cong, ngoai quoc) architecture, Thai Vy Temple was built during Tran Dynasty, in order to worship for generations of Kings Tran. Coming there, visitors in Vietnam tourism will get the chance to visit beautiful landscapes and to commemorate the merits of King Tran.

Located to the West of Van Lam Hamlet, Ninh Hai Commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, Thai Vy Temple was built to worship four generations of Kings Tran, Tran Thai Tong, Tran Thanh Tong, Tran Nhan Tong, and Tran Anh Tong.

According to the history, Thai Vy Temple was built during Tran Dynasty  follow the internal attack with outside support (noi cong, ngoai quoc) architecture.

In front of the temple is Ngoc Well by green stone with clear and full water all the year round. Behind the temple is Cam Son Mountains with rank trees.

Entering into the temple, at triumphal arch (nghi mon) there are two green stone monolithic horses. Passing the nghi mon, 2-storey iron wood bell-tower with eight-roof of mui hai tile is on the right. Corners of the bell-tower roof are very bend like the tail of phoenix. The bell inside was cast in 1689.

Interior temple with spacious worship rooms are decorated very meticulous. Many stone pillars in round or square are carved on with parallel sentences and many shapes such as dragons, phoenixes, unicorn, turtle and the image of cam, ky, thi, hoa (music, chess, poetry, painting - regarded as the four amusements or accomplishments of a feudal intellectual).

In the sanctum, statue of King Tran Thanh Tong (the first-born child of King Tran Thai Tong) is between statues of his parents (King Tran Thai Tong and Queen Thuan Thien). Besides, the votive tablet of King Tran Nhan Tong (the first-born child of King Tran Thanh Tong) and the votive tablet of King Tran Anh Tong (the first-born child of King Tran Nhan Tong) is worship here.

Thai Vy Temple- Hoa Lu- Ninh Binh Province

Every year, Thai Vy Temple Festival takes place on the 14th day of the 3rdlunar month. There are activities such as palanquin procession, sacrifice ceremony, human chess playing, wrestling contest, dragon dancing and boat rowing, etc.

Participating Thai Vy Temple Festival, pilgrims and visitors in Vietnam travel will have a chance to visit scenic spots here, watch the mountains, vast clouds of water, also get the chance to drop in the wind that worries secular to the direction of the source, and to commemorate the merits of King Tran.