Bich Dong Pagoda Ninh Binh – a historical and cultural relic belonging to the Trang An Tam Coc scenic complex

Being a land bestowed by nature with many majestic beauties as well as a long history, Ninh Binh is always the first choice for many visitors when coming to Vietnam. Arriving in Ninh Binh, you will be surprised by the extremely natural landscape with the continuous rolling mountains, endless green forests seeming endless.

Not only known as a place with Vietnam’s architectural style, but Bich Dong Pagoda is also a place associated with many legends from ancient times.

Built on Truong Yen limestone mountain range in Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province, this is a historical and cultural relic belonging to the Trang An Tam Coc scenic complex – Bich Dong has been classified as a special national monument and a UNESCO world heritage site.

Taking a boat trip through Ninh Binh

Taking a boat trip through Ninh Binh is a must-try activity

Now let’s plan your trip at Bich Dong Pagoda Ninh Binh with some notes below.


1. How to go to Bich Dong Pagoda from Hanoi

Motorbike map from Hanoi to Bich Dong Pagoda

From the center of Hanoi city, Tam Coc – Bich Dong is only about 110km, so tourists can travel by train, bus, private car or even motorbike

  • By train: You can buy the ticket offline at the train station or online. The train is comfortable and you can get a bit of sightseeing along the road.
  • By bus: From Hanoi you can go to Ninh Binh by taking a bus from Giap Bat bus stations. Buses to Ninh Binh are quite high frequency so you don’t need to worry about missed trips.
  • By motorbike: From Hanoi, you take a motorbike in the direction of Cau Gie – Ninh Binh road, then continue to follow the road 30/6 until this intersection then turn right go to 491C about a distance to Tam Coc.
  • By private car: Private car is expensive but it is really comfortable and you can also have your own space.

In the above options, it is most recommended to travel by train and bus. Because if you are not a motorbike driver, it will be quite difficult for you to get acquainted with this vehicle and the traffic in Vietnam.

For more detail: How To Travel From Hanoi to Ninh Binh, Tam Coc and Trang An Complex

2. When is the best time to visit Bich Dong Pagoda Vietnam?

Visiting Bich Dong pagoda is not required to spend too much time picking right time because of no matter the wet or sunny weather, the beauty of Bich Dong pagoda is not much affected.

visit Bich Dong Pagoda Vietnam

The ancient gate of Bich Dong pagoda

However, to have more open views around Bich Dong Pagoda, you can wander to catch the fabulous beauty from the river and rice paddies nearby. I think this is also a good chance to sightseeing an overview at Bich Dong Pagoda.

Every landscape and season has its own interesting features. In the spring, both sides of the river cover Bich Dong pagoda are green rice fields, and in April lunar calendar, the rice fields turn yellow. In the summer, visitors enjoy the fragrant lotus flavor among the young water.

By walking around, visitors also hear the local people tell stories of history, the stories associated with the names of each cliff. Many unique names are given to the mountains based on their shape like Kim Quy mountain (turtle shape), Lying Dragon mountain (dragon head shape)…

The time of Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourism is the most beautiful when the rice season is ripe (The period of late May and early June).

By this time there was golden sunshine, images of green and yellow rice fields were interlacing with each other to create a beautiful country picture. Besides, when you come here, you also have a lot of experiences, great discoveries.

Discover a dark mysterious cave on a boat

Discover a dark mysterious cave on a boat 

On foggy days, you can see the scenery through the misty atmosphere that Bich Dong Pagoda becomes more mysterious than ever. The peaceful of river between the mountains, making Bich Dong pagoda scenery more romantic than anywhere else.

3. Bich Dong Pagoda opening hours

You can visit Bich Dong Pagoda all day. Local experts recommend that you should spend time there from 9:00 to 18:00 and witness the full view of Ninh Binh from the top.

4. Bich Dong Pagoda entrance fee

It is free for tourists who want to visit Bich Dong pagoda. Be careful because some people will try to make you pay for the ticket!.

5. Things to do when visiting Bich Dong Pagoda Ninh Binh

Bich Dong pagoda

“Bich” in Bich Dong means very green. The ancients named it because the pagoda was surrounded by green trees and the scenery was really peaceful to healing your soul.

Bich Dong pagoda was built in 1428 under the reign of Le Thai To, considered the most famous beauty spot of Ninh Binh province. The small stone bridge across the lotus lake leads to a quiet, sacred pagoda space in the middle of a mountainous area with the same message.

Bich Dong Pagoda was formed in a three-story style with three pagodas built on the mountainside, called Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda and Thuong Pagoda. In 1740, King Le Canh Hung named the pagoda “Bach Ngoc Thach Son Dong”, meaning a beautiful stone pagoda like jade in the same place. General Nguyen Nghiem, born of great poet Nguyen Du, named in 1773 “.

After the Buddha ceremony at Bich Dong Pagoda, visitors stepped up 21 stone steps to the Dark Cave. In Dark Cave, there are natural stone stalactites forming the fairy, fairy, bronze, dragon gliding, turtle swimming, elephant flanking and worshiping.

To get to Thuong pagoda, visitors must step up to nearly 40 stone steps along the mountain side. This temple is located at the highest position, near the peak of Bich Dong Mountain, a place of worship of Quan Am. Thuong Pagoda is the most ideal place to see the scenery around Bich Dong.

In the distance, alternating between the mountains are small branches of soft winding, creating a picture of charming marine life.

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Tam Coc

As a famous destination in Ninh Binh, there are 3 adjacent caves in Tam Coc: Hang Hang – Hang Hai – Hang Ba. All of these dynamics are made by the Ngo Dong River, which flows through the limestone mountains over the years forming a “cave” of three caves located close to each other.

tam-coc-boat-ride-man
tam-coc-boat-ride-man

Green rice paddies spread sides of Ngo Dong River

  • Ca cave: The cave is the largest and longest in the cave system of Tam Coc, with the width at the cave entrance is more than 20 meters, the length is over 127 meters.
  • Hang Hai: It is a small cave with a length of only half a cave of about 60 meters and 1 kilometer from Hang Ca 1 downstream of Ngo Dong river, so it is also very convenient to explore Tam Coc.
  • Hang Ba: Although the smallest cave is only 50 meters long, it is considered the most beautiful cave compared to the other two. Here, you imagine like a stone arch favored by nature, honed skillfully with fine details, creating a unique and wonderful beauty for Ba cave.

Besides, the best way to watch a poetic Tam Coc – Bich Dong is to move by boat. Moving on the Ngo Dong River, you will see a peaceful Ngo Dong River winding between mountains, making Tam Coc – Bich Dong scenery more romantic than anywhere else.

In particular, on the foggy days, the scene of the boats in turn going through the foothills makes the scenery like a place of hybridity.

Note: To discover the whole beauty of Tam Coc, you will take at least 3 hours to sail along the Ngo Dong River to see and enjoy the beauty of nature here, so You need to actively arrange the time so that it is reasonable.

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The mountain goat dish not only attracts diners because of its delicious and strange taste but it is also extremely nutritious. Because the goats here are raised freely in the mountains and feed on medicinal leaves, this dish is very good for health.

  • Scorched rice – considered as a delicious and famous dish in Ninh Binh which is loved by many people.

The burnt rice dish uses simple ingredients, along with a unique recipe to create a delicious taste for the dish. Moreover, this dish is also bought by many tourists to make Ninh Binh tourist gift for friends and family at home.

  • Mountain snail – not only is the delicious dish enriching Ninh Binh cuisine, but it is also considered a delicious and attractive dish in Ninh Binh.

From this snail material, it can be processed into a lot of different delicious and attractive dishes, but it is still mainly a popular and familiar way of cooking, which is boiled snail. Certainly, when you enjoy the snail here once, you will want to come back and enjoy it for the second time.

The burnt rice dish

The burnt rice dish uses simple ingredients, along with a unique recipe to create a delicious taste for the dish

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These are some useful notes to create a perfect experience at Ninh Binh, Vietnam. And if you have any questions, don’t be hesitate to contact us.