Bac Giang, a mountainous province, is a spiritual place with over 2,000 historical and cultural relics. Of which, many relics are hundred years old such as Vinh Nghiem Pagoda storing woodblocks recognized as World Documentary Heritage Site of Asia-Pacific Region; Bo Da Pagoda storing Buddhism woodblocks carved from 1740 under the King Le Canh Hung dynasty; the historical relics of Tien Luc Commune, Lang Giang District with a thousand-year-old camphor tree and many other historical relics to develop spiritual tourism in the future.

If Dong Yen Tu (Quang Ninh province) is the place where Buddha King Tran Nhan Tong practices, Tay Yen Tu (Bac Giang province) is the path to propagate the Buddha's teachings and create a Zen bearing the Vietnamese national identity. After the Buddha's entry into the nirvana, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang follow this western path to fulfill Zen’s mandate to open up, build pagodas, and spread Buddhism throughout Bac Giang. The special national monument Vinh Nghiem Pagoda becomes a pilgrimage site, tourist attraction.

One corner of Vinh Nghiem pagoda (Photo: Tran Lan, DOFA)

 Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is located in Quoc Khanh village, Tri Yen commune, Yen Dung district (18 km to the south of Bac Giang city). The pagoda was built in the 13th century, the pagoda population is an ancient architectural style of the "nội vương ngoại vi", Vinh Nghiem pagoda is a large one of Truc Lam Zen with deep national identity and is considered The first Buddhism University of our country.

 The stele erected in the 7th year of Hoang Dinh (1606) which is still preserved in the pagoda noted, "Vinh Nghiem pagoda is not only a pagoda but also a natural beautiful landscape of Kinh Bac area. This is a solemnly brilliant place covered by high mountains surrounded by a river. This is the most famous pagoda.

 Situated on a low hill, surrounded by mountains, rivers, ancient Vinh Nghiem pagoda with its back to the Co Tien Mountain attracts travelers by its charming landscape. The pagoda overlooks the Luc Dau Giang – Kiep Bac river junction and Cam Ly ward, the gateway to the Yen Tu mountain. Across the river, it is the place of King Tran Hung Dao, Kiep Bac Temple.

Built from Ly dynasty to Tran dynasty, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda plays a special role in the history of Buddhist culture as a place of spiritual practice. The highest point is Vinh Nghiem pagoda was chosen as the center of Buddhism in the Tran dynasty to train by three Truc Lam ancestors, namely King Tran Nhan Tong, Monks Phap Loa and Huyen Quang. With the area of ​​about 10,000 m2, starting with three-door gate, going inside more than 100m, it is Ho Pagoda (also known as Tien Duong). The way to Ho Pagoda was covered by pine trees as the charming forest, there are still some trees standing on the pagoda ground as evidence of time. There is a large 6-side stele of Hoang Dinh year right on the pagoda ground. This is the oldest trace of the pagoda. Opposite to the ancient stele, it is the grave garden of the eight monks built later.

From Ho pagoda, other parts are connected together on the southeast axis and separated by a narrow yard. There are four blocks in the pagoda: Buddha pagoda (front house or Ho pagoda, burn incense, upper house) in I-word shape, a two-floor bell tower, the second ancestor house and Trai Duong house. The two sides also have two rows of east-west corridors, each row includes 18 spacious rooms where annually monks come for relax.

The four blocks are constructed with the traditional wooden frame, but from the first ancestor house to the rear of the building, there are some reinforced brick columns and walls. Except the four main columns of the upper house having the trace of Le dynasty, others imbued with arts of Nguyen dynasty. The pagoda architecture expresses the aesthetic qualities of the ancient people with the whole scene of the pagoda having different height, space creating a rich rhythm surprising tourists.

Another value of Vinh Nghiem pagoda is its woodblocks dated 700 years. Skillfully printed woodblocks are evidence that Vinh Nghiem pagoda once dominated 72 forest plantations. Currently, "the woodblocks still contains 34 books with nearly 3,000 engravings, each with 2 sides, each side includes 2 pages containing about 2,000 Chinese characters and Vietnamese Chinese characters. Most of them are sutras, medical book and Buddhist laws. The rest is writings of three ancestors and some monks of Truc Lam Yen Tu (poems, poetic essays, diaries ...) inscribed about 200 years ago. These wood blocks are made of chinese fig wood in different size. Many pages are engraved with pictures in fine lines, writing harmoniously. Experiencing the ups and downs of the history, the woodblocks are now considered as a national treasure. Especially, the woodblocks of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda were officially recognized as the World Documentary Heritage, Asia-Pacific region.

  Vinh Nghiem Temple has been well known as a tourist destination not only by its beauty of architecture and rare scenery but also by the special identity of Vietnamese Buddhist culture here.

 “Anyone who visits Yen Tu- Quynh Lam

Without visiting Vinh Nghiem has not yet reached quietude”

In the time to come, Bac Giang province has identified Tay Yen Tu Spiritual and Ecological Tourism Area as the key project of the province in the period of 2010 to 2030, with items already under construction such as cable cars at the length of about 2,000 m with two terminals. The final terminal is about 700 m from Dong pagoda. The area includes Trinh pagoda, Ha or Phat Quang pagoda, Trung and Thuong or Kim Quy pagoda, Tay Yen Tu area gate, Tay Yen Tu welcome village, Tay Yen Tu temple with the height of from 145 m to nearly 1,000 m above sea level.

Tay Yen Tu eco-spiritual tourism complex from sky-view (photo: Viet Hung)

Ha pagoda region is built on an area of 17.2 hectares, of which the pagoda is located on the area of 1.13 hectares, the rest is the green landscape, service and traffic infrastructure land. The pagoda was started construction in mid-2016, has been cut the inauguration of Ha Pagoda in the first stage, and opened Tay Yen Tu festival in early 2018;

  Thuong Pagoda area is planned on an area of ​​2.36 hectares, of which Thuong Pagoda is built with the area of ​​2,267 m2, the rest is the green landscape, service and traffic infrastructure land. The pagoda is located at the height of 840 m (228 m lower than Dong pagoda), about 650m from Dong pagoda. The pagodas are built with the capital of socialization; the architecture of the pagoda is built in the traditional style of the North with wooden columns and tiled roof. The system of temples is built in Tuan Mau commune, Son Dong district, and out of the area of ​​Yen Tu attraction (Uong Bi district, Quang Ninh province) and Tran historical relic area in Dong Trieu (Dong Trieu district, Quang Ninh province).

 Bac Giang invests in building Tay Yen Tu Spiritual and Ecological Tourist Site to preserve, restore and develop the values ​​of scenic relics in Tay Yen Tu area in Bac Giang province with Yen Tu special Relics area and Truc Lam zen. It aims at restoring the pilgrimage of Tran Nhan Tong to introduce more fully about Bac Giang to people nationwide. It is also an opportunity for local authorities and the entire people to understand more about the heritage, cultural values ​​of our ancestor generation to be responsible for building, preserving, developing sustainably available relics to meet people’s spiritual demand, creating new motivation for tourism development of Bac Giang province.

Tran Huan