Hoa Yen Pagoda is located at an altitude of about 315m above sea level, halfway up Yen Tu. Since the cable car was built, it only takes about 10 minutes to get to Hoa Yen Pagoda, but if you walk and climb the stone steps, it takes more than an hour.
The pagoda was originally a small hermitage, built during the Ly Dynasty, named Van Yen, where Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong preached. During the Le Dynasty, the pagoda was renamed Hoa Yen, which it remains today.
700 years have passed, things have changed, the temple has also changed, it has been renovated and expanded, but the frangipani trees are still there, blooming for nearly a millennium.
Many frangipani trees are planted around Hoa Yen Pagoda, but three trees are certified as ancient frangipani, over 700 years old.
This frangipani tree is located on the left side of the pagoda and is certified as a Vietnam Heritage Tree.
The 700-year-old frangipani tree at Hoa Yen Pagoda is a white-flowered frangipani that blooms a lot in the sunny season. In winter, the tree is leafless and bare.
Another ancient frangipani tree, located on the right side of Hoa Yen Pagoda, is also over 700 years old.
The tree trunk is so big that many people can hug it.
In the garden there are also many ancient frangipani trees, covered with green moss, creating strange shapes.
The path leading down to the Hue Quang tower garden is planted with hundreds of frangipani trees. Frangipani trees are often planted in temples because in Buddhism, this tree symbolizes a good life, and the flowers symbolize ethereal beauty. In addition to the three 700-year-old frangipani trees, the tower garden also has 6 other trees that are over 100 years old.
On the way to the sacred peak of Yen Tu, visitors can also see rows of ancient red pine trees. Red pine, also known as fake royal sandalwood or red pine, is listed in the Vietnam Red Book. There are about 200 red pine trees on Yen Tu mountain, planted at the same time as the ancient frangipani trees in front of Hoa Yen pagoda.
Hoa Yen Pagoda, formerly known as Van Yen Pagoda, is commonly known as Ca Pagoda, Chinh Pagoda or Yen Tu Pagoda. Hoa Yen Pagoda is the largest, most beautiful and largest pagoda in the Yen Tu historical site. This is where King Tran Nhan Tong became a monk and later established his own Zen sect, which is now called Truc Lam Zen. At the end of 2002, Hoa Yen was rebuilt on the foundation of the Tran Dynasty pagoda.
After visiting Hoa Yen Pagoda, visitors will walk a short distance and continue by cable car to Dong Pagoda. However, before reaching Dong Pagoda, you have to walk thousands of other steps. The best time to visit Yen Tu is in the spring, from January to March of the lunar calendar, or in early summer, when the sky is clear, visitors will have the most beautiful photos on the top of the sacred mountain.
There are many places for tourists to stop at Yen Tu, including Dong Pagoda, Hue Quang Tower Garden, Ngoa Van Hermitage, Giai Oan Stream, Bao Sai Pagoda, Tran Nhan Tong Buddha Statue... If tourists want to stay overnight, they can book a room at the 5-star Legacy Yen Tu - MGallery resort or at Lang Nuong Yen Tu.
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