BAC NINH TRAVEL GUIDES
Bac Ninh is the smallest province in Vietnam in both area and population. The province is only 30km north of Ha Noi and home to much of the old culture of Vietnam such as Quan Ho Quan Ho folk songs, the unique costumes called Ao Tu Than or Ao The Khan Xep (Long dress with long pants and a head-dress) for men and girls.
Bac Ninh is home to many traditional handicraft villages such as wood-carving, woodblock printing, old styled furniture, paper making, rice-wine making. Traveling to Bac Ninh you should try to get some of these as souvenirs.
Bac Ninh is where the oldest pagodas and Vietnamese architecture are found of which the oldest pagoda was dated back to 2nd centure A.D.
Bac Ninh is definitely recommended for a day trip from Ha Noi.
BAC NINH PAGODA AND TEMPLE TRAVEL GUIDES
Do Temple honoring the 8 Ly Kings
The Ly Dysnasty was started by Ly Cong Uan in 1009 and it helped to bring Vietnam into a new era, the era of independence and prosperity. Ly Cong Uan was also a visionary king that built Thanh Long, or Ha Noi today into the capital city of Vietnam in 1010.
Ly family was the founder of the Temple of Literature and the first national school of Vietnam starting a new tradition in the Vietnamese culture, the tradition of learning and respecting knowledge.
Den Do (Do Temple) in the northern province of Bac Ninh was built under the Ly Dynasty in 1030 southeast of Co Phap Village, or Dinh Bang Village today, in Tu Son District. This was where Ly Cong Uan was born.
After ascending to the throne in 1010, Ly Thai To took a dragon boat trip on the poetic Tieu Tuong River to his homeland to visit the elderly people there and offer incense at his mother’s tomb.
He also measured out an area covering dozens of miles to set up Son Lang Cam Dia (forbidden mausoleum area), which was the complex of the Ly family's tombs.
After Ly Thai To died in 1028, his son Ly Thai Tong succeeded the throne and built Do Temple at Son Lang Cam Dia to worship his father.
Since then the temple, also called Co Phap Dien or Ly Bat De Temple, has become the place to worship the kings after death.
The temple was repaired and upgraded many times. The biggest enlargement was in 1602. At that time, the temple complex covered 31,250 square meters and housed 21 differently buildings.
In 1952, the temple was destroyed in the war against the French. In 1989, it was restored with its original architecture of the 17th century.
There are successive lakes and ponds running through Dinh Bang Village are what used to be known as the Tieu Tuong River.
In the middle of the lake in front of Do Temple is a two-story eight-roofed house floats on the water as a stage where water-puppetry is performed. The Thuy Dinh floating stage was restored in 2000 after it was destroyed in the war.
Visiting Do Temple, you'll walk on a road paved with Bat Trang tiles, you reach the large outer yard and then pass through Ngu Long Mon (five-dragon gate) to the inner yard. Then comes the two-story Chuyen Bong House, whose roofs are shaped like spear heads. Behind Chuyen Bong is Hau Cung, which houses the statues of the eight Ly kings. They are Ly Thai To (1009-1028), Ly Thai Tong (1028-1054), Ly Thanh Tong (1054-1072), Ly Nhan Tong (1072-1128), Ly Than Tong (1128-1138), Ly Anh Tong (1138-1175), Ly Cao Tong (1175-1210) and Ly Hue Tong (1210-1224).
Around one kilometer from Hau Cung is the Dragon Temple dedicated to Ly Chieu Hoang, Ly Hue Tong’s daughter who took the throne at the age of seven in November 1224.
Ly Chieu Hoang ruled only some months until January 1225, then leaving the throne to her husband Tran Canh, who founded the Tran Dynasty.
At Do Temple there's an annual festival honoring tributes to the Ly Kings. The Do Temple Festival is on March 15th, lunar calendar. On this day in 1009, Ly Cong Uan took the throne becoming the king of Dai Co Viet, another name of Vietnam that time. The ceremony that day starts with a procession of the tablet of King Ly Thai To to Ung Tam Pagoda where Ly Thai To was born.
The festival also includes Quan Ho folk songs, water puppet performances and many competitions, such as wrestling, chess, cock fighting and pigeon releasing.
Do Temple is 15km from Ha Noi along Road No.1.
Dinh Bang Community House
Like any village in Vietnam, there's always a community house built in the center of the village. The Community House was the center of the village's life and all policies all affairs of each village were done at the Community House. The Community House was the connection of every one in the village and this was the core of the Vietnamese culture.
The community house of Dinh Bang was known from the 12th century but was destroyed in the vicissitude of history. The current Dinh Bang Community house was built in the 17the century and is said to be one of the only 2 community houses in Vietnam serviving the French destruction. The other one is in Hai Phong, called Hang Kenh Community House.
Visiting Dinh Bang Community House, you'll follow the former Tieu Tuong River from Do Temple for 500m. The old architecture faces the east and retains much the of the original elegantly-carved dragons and motifs.
Tieu Son Pagoda
Tieu Son Pagoda was also built first in the 11th century and the current version is from the 1950s. Tieu Son Pagoda is 3 km from Do Temple along Road No.1.
