Witness the largest temple in Vietnam

The beauty of Tam Chuc mountains and rivers, romantic

According to Decision 526/2018/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on the overall planning of Tam Chuc National Tourist Area to 2030, the area is 5,100 hectares, the core area is 4,000 hectares, including 6 functional areas: Reception center; Tam Chuc spiritual and cultural area, Quen Vong Nature Reserve and Tam Chuc Lake, Tam Chuc Health Care and Community Tourism Resort, Kim Bang Golf Course and Ba Hang Pagoda, Logistics Service Center for tourism activities. The highlight of Tam Chuc National Tourist Area is the spiritual and cultural area with Tam Chuc pagoda and communal house.

Bronze cauldron in front of Tam The temple

The Buddha statues are elaborately assembled from red granite in Tam The temple.

Located at the southern gateway of the capital Hanoi , Ha Nam is a lowland area with a pleasant climate, rich nature, and charming mountains and rivers. Ha Nam is not only famous for its scenic spots but also famous for its massive spiritual structures, hundreds of unique cultural heritages, and diverse festivals and activities to introduce the beauty of local culture. Thanks to that, Ha Nam is gradually becoming one of the tourist destinations near Hanoi that many people love.

Ngoc Pagoda, the highest place in Tam Chuc National Tourist Area

And in this cool autumn weather, there is nothing more ideal than making a pilgrimage to Tam Chuc Pagoda to explore the majestic, quiet beauty of the place of worship that is "making waves" on the spiritual tourism map in Vietnam, and have new experiences in the land of Ha Nam.

Binh Thuan Newspaper and Ha Nam Newspaper delegation took souvenir photos at Tam Chuc

Mr. Tran Ngoc Huong - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Ha Nam Newspaper shared: Tam Chuc Pagoda is a pagoda in Tam Chuc National Tourist Area. This is a very large-scale tourist area, combining spiritual tourism, ecology, resort, and many other services, with 6 functional sub-areas; and in the future, Huong Pagoda ( Hanoi ), Tam Chuc Pagoda (Ha Nam), and Bai Dinh Pagoda (Ninh Binh) will be linked together to become the largest spiritual tourism route in Vietnam.

Dharma Master

With 144 hectares out of a total area of 5,100 hectares of the tourist area, Tam Chuc Pagoda is considered the largest pagoda in Vietnam today and possesses a very special landscape: its back leans on That Tinh Mountain, its face faces Tam Chuc Lake with 6 stone islands emerging on the lake surface, creating an extremely majestic and peaceful landscape. Surrounding the pagoda are limestone mountains and natural forests, bringing a peaceful, quiet atmosphere like a fairyland.

Tam Chuc Lake seen from above from Ngoc Pagoda

Tam Chuc Pagoda was built on the foundation of a thousand-year-old ancient temple, combined with temples and shrines, creating an extremely beautiful spiritual complex, worthy of being the leading tourist and pilgrimage destination in Vietnam.

Tam Chuc Pagoda and the system of cultural and sports facilities in Tam Chuc National Tourist Area are built in association with Tam Chuc Lake, in Ba Sao town and Kha Phong commune, Kim Bang district, Ha Nam province. With its special location, Tam Chuc Tourist Area is considered as a link between Huong Pagoda Tourist Area and Van Long Nature Reserve, Trang An Eco-tourism Area, Tam Coc - Bich Dong Tourist Area, Bai Dinh Mountain Pagoda Spiritual Cultural Area, forming a complex of spiritual and ecological tourist areas in the flooded area.

The ancient Tam Chuc Pagoda was built during the Dinh Dynasty about 1,000 years ago. Because of its special location surrounded by Tam Chuc Lake in front and That Tinh Mountain range behind, the pagoda is associated with the legend of “Tien Luc Nhac – Hau That Tinh”.

Legend has it that in the past, there were 7 bright stars on 7 mountains in Tam Chuc area, the incarnations of 7 fairies who came down to earth to wander. Because they were too fascinated by the beautiful scenery of the charming mountains and rivers, they were too busy playing and did not return. Therefore, the heavens sent someone with a weapon, a bell, to call them back 6 times, but each time was in vain. The 6 small islands emerging in the middle of the lake are likened to the 6 bells left by the heavens, namely Luc Nhac; the other 7 mountains are That Tinh.

As a Southerner, this was the first time we had seen this famous pagoda, our group was very surprised by its majesty, large scale of construction and very special spiritual elements. If you have the opportunity to come to Ha Nam, you cannot miss this place - the place that held the 2019 United Nations Vesak Festival, welcoming more than 1,500 dignitaries and leaders of Buddhist churches and sects, professors, doctors, researchers, Buddhist scholars... from 105 countries and territories around the world. It is known that the Tam Chuc Pagoda Festival takes place on January 12 every year as a spring festival to pray for national peace and prosperity.

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