OVERVIEW
Bich Dong Pagoda is a historical and cultural relic belonging to Trang An - Tam Coc - Bich Dong scenic complex of Ninh Binh province. This is an attractive spiritual tourist destination, bringing visitors to the majestic place of the Buddha's door, the peace of the mountainous region
1.History
Bich Dong Pagoda was originally formed in 1428, at the beginning of the Later Le Dynasty with the scale of a small temple on the top of the mountain. In 1705, two monks, Tri Kien and Tri The, from Nghia Hung district, Nam Dinh province met and became brothers. The two monks were both devout and wanted to go to many places to spread Buddhism and build temples. Coming here, seeing that Bich Dong mountain has a beautiful terrain and already has a pagoda, the two monks decided to stop, repair the old pagoda by themselves, go to donate to rebuild it into 3 pagodas: Lower, Middle and Upper to save time. to lead a religious life. In 1707, two monks Tri Kien and Tri The cast a large bell, which is still hanging in Dark Cave. In the year of the Horse Horse in 1774, Lord Trinh Sam visited the pagoda, looking at the panoramic view of mountains, caves, rivers, fields, trees, all green, the pagoda seemed to converge on the green background of the pagoda, so he named the pagoda Bich Dong.
2. Location
Bich Dong Pagoda is an ancient temple built on the Truong Yen limestone mountain range in the territory of Dam Khe village, Ninh Hai commune, Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province. This is a historical and cultural relic belonging to Trang An scenic complex Tam Coc - Bich Dong which has been ranked as a special national relic and recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage. This is one of the famous scenic spots of Ninh Binh province.
Reson to visit Bich Dong Pagoda
Beautiful cave with many unique stalagmites
View of the temple with unique architecture
Enjoy the fresh air
Photo hunting
BEST THINGS TO DO
The way to the temple
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Bich Dong Pagoda is an ancient architectural work like many other temples. The unique thing here is that the pagoda was built in the style of "Tam" (Han characters). There are 3 pagodas that are not adjacent and are divided into three levels along the mountainside from low to high: Chua Ha, Chua Trung and Chua Thuong.Bich Dong Pagoda was built to integrate with the spectacular natural scenery. The image of the pagoda hidden among the rows of green giant trees makes this place more ancient and pure.
Ha Pagoda
To enter the temple, you will follow a stone bridge made of green stones leading to the Tam Quan gate of Bich Dong pagoda. There is a road at the foot of the mountain, paved with bricks about 55m long, the only way to go to Ha Pagoda.


Ha Pagoda was built with 5 compartments on a high platform at the foot of the mountain. The architecture of the pagoda is designed in the style of Dinh (Han Tu). The roof of the pagoda has 2 curved roofs, including 8 roofs. The columns in Ha De pagoda are made of one-piece, unassembled stone with a height of more than 4m. At that time, it was quite a feat to make stone pillars like this.
In the upper hall is a place to worship Buddha. Next are the pedestals in order from high to low to place Buddha statues, worshiping objects such as lamps, incense peaks, etc.
Trung Pagoda


After visiting Ha Pagoda, you return to the yard and turn to the North to meet a path of 80 stone steps around the mountainside. This is the road leading to halfway up the mountain, where Trung Pagoda is located. Unlike Ha Pagoda, Trung Pagoda has a semi-roofed exterior.This is a unique temple, only the door and roof of the temple are exposed, the rest of the architecture is located in the mountain cave. The pagoda was built with three compartments to worship Buddha. On the roof of the pagoda, there are two Chinese characters "Bich Dong" which are placed at the order of Lord Trinh Sam. On the left side of Trung Pagoda is the space to worship the Holy Mother.
*Dark Cave


After worshiping Buddha at Thuong Dien, you walk up 21 more stone steps to reach Dark Cave. Above the cave door today still hangs a large bronze bell cast by two monks Tri Kien and Tri The in 1707.
Dark Cave is a long space and has electricity for visitors to easily admire. Inside the Dark Cave is a massive and monumental construction that magically appears under electric light. You will see images of fairies, dongsaengs, dragons, etc., which are carved and carved with meticulous and detailed stone. All appear in front of visitors like a petrified fairy world of creation.
Near the door of the cave on the right, there are three majestic and majestic stone Buddha statues, symbolizing the majesty and eternity. In the middle is Amitabha Buddha, on the right is Van Thu Bodhisattva, on the left is Quan Am Thi Kinh and a stone image of Lao Tho.
Upper Temple


To get to Thuong Pagoda, you have to step nearly 40 more stone steps along the mountainside. Thuong Pagoda is a small pagoda on the mountainside, located at the highest position, near the top of Bich Dong mountain. The pagoda is about 60 meters higher than the underground brick courtyard. Thuong Pagoda was built in the Southeast direction and worships Ba Quan Am Buddha. There are two shrines on either side of the pagoda, namely Tho Dia and Duc Son Than. Next to the temple there is also a water tank called "Cam Lo water tank" of Quan Am Bodhisattva.
ACCOMODATION
Here are some suggestions accommodation for you to choose to stay:
Anh Huong homestay
Tam Coc tropical Homestay
Tam Coc Horizon homestay
Dong Ne Hotel & Resort
Nam Hoa Hotel
Lion King Hotel & Resort
Tam Coc Banana Bungalow
Muong Village
Tam Coc Lalita Resort
Thung Nham Resort
Ninh Bình Hidden Charm Hotel & Resort
FOOD AND DRINK
Besides the historical sites, unique landscapes in Bich Dong Pagoda in Ninh Binh, this attraction is famous for some cuisines attracting tourists from other countries in the world. Here below are special cuisines:
"Goat meat"
This dish is extremely nutritious and delicious because the goats live on the mountainside. They usually eat the leaves growing on the mountain.
"Crispy rice" - Special flavor
"Ninh Binh Snails"
HOW TO GET THERE
By Motorbike: If you would like to travel by motorbike, you can go on the old National Highway 1A, through Ha Nam and head towards Ninh Binh Thanh Hoa.
Ninh Binh hasn't got airport yet, so the flight is not avaiable to Ninh Binh, but there are some airport near Ninh Binh province such as Cat Bi airport in Hai Phong and Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, so you can take the flight to these airport and go from these airport to Ninh Binh.
By tourist bus: You can book the tourist bus with Asian Discovery Travel. It's start around 7h30 - 8h00 am ( pick you up at your hotel), transfer you go to Bich Dong Pagoda. It's take more or less 2 hours from Hanoi to Bich Dong Pagoda. You will have a short break on the half way.
By local bus: You can take the bus go on Phap Van Cau Gie - Ninh Binh Highway. With a distance of about 90 km, it may take you around 1,5 hour to reach the center of Ninh Binh City. Then from Ninh Binh city, you will take grap or taxi to Bich Dong Pagoda.
You can easily go by train to come to Ninh Binh urban axis is situated on the North-South Railway. In Ninh Binh Province, there are also a lot of railway stations, including Ninh Binh, Cau Yen, Ghenh and Dong Giao Train Station. But the most popular is Ninh Binh train station. Some trains departing from Hanoi are SE1, SE3, SE5, SE7, SE9, SE19. It's take more or less 2 hours go by train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. It's cost from 10 - 15usd/1 pax.

Bich Dong Pagoda is one of the most attractive destinations in Ninh Binh that you cannot miss. Beside Bich Dong, there will have other places to explore surround there that you can see such as Hang Mua, Phat Diem Church, Trang An and Cuc Phuong National Park.
In order to explore Bich Dong and some so famous places in Ninh Binh, we build up many diffenrent tour programs including from day tour and multiple tour, from group tour and private tour, from deluxe class tour and luxury tour that is so reasonable for almost tourists. You can select between different options here:
Day Tours:
Multiple-Day Tour:
Bai Dinh Pagoda - Trang An - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - Mua Cave - Bich Dong Pagoda - Thung Nham Bird Park - Van Long Nature Reserve - Cuc Phuong National Park 4 Days 3 Nights Group/ Private Tour
Bai Dinh Pagoda - Trang An - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - Mua Cave - Bich Dong Pagoda - Thien Thanh & Thien Ha Cave - Van Long Nature Reserve - Cuc Phuong National Park 4 Days 3 Nights Group/ Private Tour
Phat Diem Church - Bai Dinh Pagoda - Trang An - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - Mua Cave - Bich Dong Pagoda - Thien Thanh & Thien Ha Cave - Van Long Nature Reserve - Cuc Phuong National Park 4 Days 3 Nights Group/ Private Tour
Otherwise, we also build several types of private tour that meet your requirments. Please contact us to have further information here or hotline (+84) 904908025