The northern province of Ha Nam a lot of visitors with its beautiful natural landscape, many historical sites, religious sites, and cultural heritages.
An overview of Tam Chuc pagoda (Photo: vnexpress)
Ha Nam province sits in the Red River Delta’s wet rice plains about 60km south of Hanoi. Its landscape is a mixture of river delta and midlands.
Visitors to Ha Nam should not miss the Tam Chuc tourism area, Vong Tien pagoda, Dia Tang Phi Lai pagoda, and Mau Cuu Tinh temple.
Vong Tien pagoda has stood on a mountain in Tan Thanh town, Thanh Liem district, for 750 years. The oldest pagoda in Ha Nam province guards some documents of great historical significance.
Nguyen Van Trac, a member of Vong Tien pagoda’s reception board, said: “A legend says this region grew a lot of pine trees, with many trees as big as 1.2m in diameter. 99 phoenixes regularly perched on the pine trees on this mountain. Fairies often came here from heaven so the mountain got the name “Echoing voices of fairies”.
Cuu Tinh temple in Phu Ly city is dedicated to the Mother Goddess, who lives on the 9th cloud level and manages Heaven. The pagoda hosts mediumship rituals which attract a large number of locals and tourists.
Cuu Tinh temple is an ancient relic built hundreds of years ago. It sits on a sacred land of happiness, where heaven and earth intersect. There are 9 yin-yang wells representing the convergence of heaven and earth.
A re-enactment of King Le Dai Hanh in Doi Son Ploughing Festival. (Photo: VNA)
Pham Ba Cuong, a guard of Cuu Tinh temple, said: “We are looking after and managing this cultural and spiritual site. We welcome visitors from all walks of life to worship. We introduce them to Ha Nam province, the history of the temple, the saints, and the religious culture of Ha Nam.”
In recent years, Ha Nam has become a highlight on Vietnam’s tourist map. The Tam Chuc tourism complex, which has the Tam Chuc pagoda, one of the biggest pagodas in Vietnam, covers a large area of mountains and a lake which is praised as a fairyland.
Ha Nam province has about 100 village and regional festivals, such as those held at Tran Thuong Temple (Ly Nhan), Lanh Giang Temple, Doi pagoda (Duy Tien), Truc Temple (Kim Bang), and Lieu Doi Temple Martial Arts (Thanh Liem).
The Doi Son Ploughing Festival (Duy Tien) and Saint Tran’s Food Distribution Ceremony at Tran Thuong Temple (Ly Nhan) were recognized as national intangible cultural heritages.
Phu Ly city is at the confluence of the Day, Chau, and Nhue rivers. The limestone mountain range on the western side of the province has many beautiful caves and lakes.